Harry Connick Jr. on his ties to Cole Porter plus the Super Bowl halftime show

NEW YORK – Count New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. in with those looking forward to seeing Kendrick Lamar take the Super Bowl halftime show stage.

"Like everybody else, I love to see what that show is going to be like," the artist, 57, tells USA TODAY. "What a great opportunity that is for any performer, so that should be exciting."

Initially, not everyone shared Connick's excitement. Lamar, who will be joined at the Super Bowl by SZA, is from Compton, California. Lil Wayne, another New Orleans-born artist, expressed disappointment in not being chosen for the performance. The rapper has since spoken with Lamar and sent his well wishes.

As for Connick, he's got a different show to focus on before his hometown hosts the Big Game. The singer and composer will dust off his celebration of Cole Porter for a five-night run at the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City. The show originally ran on Broadway in December 2019, with plans to tour it around the world before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Everything shut down and I kind of literally put the show away," Connick says. In an interesting coincidence, the artist's tour manager lives in Porter's home state of Indiana and stores the show's equipment there. "My manager said, 'What do you think about doing it at the Met?' It was such a great honor for me to even think about being on that stage."

Connick plans to celebrate Porter's contributions to the Great American Songbook. Porter, whose complete list of works is in the Library of Congress, won the first Tony Award for best musical in 1948. His hit songs include "I've Got You Under My Skin," "In the Still of the Night" and "I Get a Kick Out of You."

"I'm not trying to do anything differently with (the songs)," he explains. "I walk out on stage and I feel very comfortable in my skin. It is something that I love to do."

Besides an Indiana tie-in, Porter and Connick also both have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While Porter's family pushed him to be a lawyer before he became a composer and songwriter, Connick's parents were lawyers who supported his musical endeavors.

"There was no chance that I was going to follow in their footsteps because I didn't have the brain power in that way," he reflects. "I think that I was good at music and good in the arts, but there was never any talk of me going to law school or doing anything in academics. I didn't function well in that arena at all. So I think my parents were really happy when they realized that I was happy pursuing music and dedicating all of my time to the arts."

Connick's career has spanned film, TV and music. His "When Harry Met Sally" movie soundtrack won the Grammy for best jazz male vocal performance. Fans recently speculated about a potential sequel when a photo of Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan was released on Instagram with the caption "It’s finally happening, we’re reuniting for something iconic. Can’t wait to show you all soon." Just bringing up the film took Connick back in time.

"That was a career-defining moment for me," he says. "I have such unbelievable memories from that film. I think about what that movie did for me personally and the feelings that I get when I think about that film and everything surrounding that film. So when I think about those two people and what they mean to me, I got very excited when I heard about (the photo)."

Turns out there's no sequel, at least not yet. The two actors reunited for a Hellmann's Super Bowl commercial. Connick might have one more reason to tune in for the Big Game after all.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harry Connick Jr. weighs in on Kendrick Lamar, Super Bowl halftime