27 Million People Watched It Happen — And Every Single One Felt The Chill. Reba Mcentire Didn’t Just Open Christmas At Rockefeller Center — She Ignited It With A Blast Of Pure Holiday Adrenaline. The Moment She Launched Into A Rowdy, Foot-stomping “Run, Run Rudolph,” The Entire Plaza Erupted, Lights Flashing Like The Season Itself Had Come Roaring To Life. Laughter, Cheers, And Wide-eyed Shock Rippled Through The Crowd — And Then Everything Shifted. The Stage Softened, The Air Turned Warm, And Kristin Chenoweth Stepped Beside Her As Reba’s Voice Melted Into Something Gentle And Glimmering. Together, They Delivered A Nostalgic, Tear-brimming “Silver Bells” That Wrapped Around The Audience Like The Memory Of A Perfect Christmas Long Gone. Fans Whispered, “This Is The Kind Of Magic You Don’t Get Twice…” As Their Harmonies Floated Across Rockefeller Like Falling Snow.
Country legend Reba McEntire had the honor of hosting the Christmas in Rockefeller Center on Wednesday night.
For the first time in her career, Reba McEntire was in the Big Apple for the holiday season. The “Fancy” singer did double duty for the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, acting as host and performer.
The 93rd annual holiday event took place in New York City on Wednesday night (December 3) and aired as a television special. The two-hour show featured performances from the show’s host as well as Michael Buble, Halle Bailey, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Gwen Stefani, and more. The show concluded with the lighting of this year’s main attraction – a 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce from East Greenbush, New York, donned with 50,000 LED Christmas lights and topped with a Swarovski star.
Ahead of the broadcast, Reba revealed that she had never been in New York during Christmastime before, making her hosting gig even more special.
Reba performed three songs during the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting special.
Reba McEntire has recorded three Christmas albums during her career. For Wednesday’s show, she opted to sing two songs she previously recorded, and one that can’t be found on any of her albums
She opened the show with was a jazzy rendition of Chuck Berry’s 1958 hit, “Run Run Rudolph.” Reba released her version of the song along with “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” which she also performed Wednesday, to streaming services just days before she hosted the Rockefeller Center event.
Later in the show, Reba teamed up with Kristin Chenoweth for a nostalgic performance of “Silver Bells,” a song she first sang with Bob Hope for his 1987 television special.
Watch Reba’s festive Rockefeller Center performances in the videos below.