Lady Gaga performs emotional tribute before Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans after Bourbon Street terror attack

Amid Super Bowl 2025 celebrations in The Big Easy, Lady Gaga, Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, and dozens of first responders joined forces for a moving tribute to the resilience of the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of a deadly terrorist attack on the city's historic Bourbon Street.

Ahead of the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Brady and Strahan introduced Gaga's performance of her Oscar-nominated Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack tune, "Hold My Hand," to commemorate the lives lost in the attack that killed 14 people in the early morning hours of Jan. 1.

Strahan and Brady began the segment with the latter stressing that it's important to "rise above" and "never let evil win," while Strahan referenced recent tragedies that have occurred in other American cities, including the Jan. 29 plane crash that killed 67 people in Washington, D.C.

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"We gather together with heavy hearts for our families and friends," Strahan said, while Brady reminded the audience, "In moments when heads are down and hope feels lost, something powerful always rises: the American spirit of courage, generosity, and unity."

Gaga then began to sing the tune while seated at a piano in the middle of Bourbon Street, where she was later joined by Brady, Strahan, first responders, and a local New Orleans gospel choir — all of whom helped her finish the soaring track.

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Gaga isn't the only pop superstar who courted eyeballs at the 2025 Super Bowl. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift also attended the event to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs player Travis Kelce, and his team vie for the title against the Eagles, while Kendrick Lamar and SZA will take the stage to headline the halftime show.

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The "Hold My Hand" performance was Gaga's first Super Bowl–related showing since 2017, when she headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show and sang a medley of her hits, including "Born This Way," "Telephone," "Poker Face," and "Million Reasons." The set came one year after she kicked off the 2016 Super Bowl by singing the National Anthem.

Gaga's 2025 Super Bowl segment also marks the second consecutive weekend that she has performed at a major TV event, following her Bruno Mars–assisted cover of the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreamin'" at the Grammys, which also hosted the world premiere of her new "Abracadabra" music video.

Watch Gaga's Super Bowl 2025 performance above.

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