Zac Brown Band performs the opening for NBC's Sunday Night Baseball coverage tonight, featuring a reimagined version of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 2.” The segment debuts during the Atlanta Braves' game against the Cleveland Guardians. The three-time Grammy-winning band now shares the spotlight with Carrie Underwood and Lenny Kravitz for NBC sports openings.
Zac Brown Band's opening sequence will air for the first time on April 12, 2026, ahead of the Braves-Guardiens matchup at Truist Park in Atlanta. The performance was shot in Milwaukee last month, with a preview shown during NBC's broadcast of the Arizona Diamondbacks-Los Angeles Dodgers game. Band frontman Zac Brown called it humbling to join Underwood and Kravitz, saying in an email to the Associated Press, “It’s humbling, honestly, to have our band’s name mentioned in the same breath as theirs in this context means a lot. We’ve spent many years just trying to make music that connects with people, and something like this tells you that it’s reaching further than you ever imagined.” He added pride in the collaboration: “The folks at NBC Sports really understood the energy we were going for. It felt like a genuine collaboration, and when I finally saw the finished product, I was really proud.” NBC Sports creative director Tripp Dixon selected the song for its organ riff and opening line, “Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends,” tying into baseball's nickname as “The Show.” All three openings evoke “waiting all day for Sunday night.” Underwood has opened Sunday Night Football since 2013 with a take on Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” while Kravitz reimagines Elvis Presley’s 1968 hit “A Little Less Conversation” for Sunday Night Basketball. Brainstorming for baseball began last November after MLB and NBC's three-year deal for Sunday night games and wild-card playoffs. Dixon praised the band's prior work together six years ago on a Thanksgiving tease, noting the tight schedule yielded strong results. Brown, a Georgia native and Braves fan, sees special meaning in the debut: “I’m a Georgia boy through and through, so having this debut on a night when the Braves are playing... it really does make it feel full circle.” After tonight, games shift to Peacock and NBCSN for six weeks before returning to NBC from May 31 to September 6.
