Kathleen Fee Sings Anthem At Steelers' Game

There is no mistaking Heinz Field as the home of any team other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On December 9, a sea of black and yellow packed the 65,050-seat stadium in Pennsylvania. The fans were eager to watch their football players take on the San Diego Chargers. But just minutes before the 1 p.m. kickoff, all eyes were on Kathleen Vesey Fee.

She stood center field, wearing a black coat she bought in East Hampton—not far from her home in Montauk—and a yellow Steelers scarf, soaking in the enormity of the arena.

A hushed murmur rippled through the stands as the crowd got to its feet. Ms. Fee reined in her nerves, rounded her lips and sang out the opening “O” of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“There’s certain things that define people. Singing is just something I’ve always loved to do,” Ms. Fee said over a vanilla latte at Starbuck’s in East Hampton last week. “It’s really who I am.”

The New Jersey native discovered her passion, and talent, at age 4 and hasn’t stopped singing since. Twenty years ago, she joined Celtic Cross, a seven-piece band co-founded by her two brothers, Kenny and John.

“Kenny is a die-hard Steelers fan and John is a die-hard Cowboys fan,” Ms. Fee said. “So I grew up rooting for both teams.”

Almost exactly a year ago, Ms. Fee and a group of her friends traveled to Pittsburgh to watch a Steelers game, and it was there she met the team’s talent director.

“He said, ‘You should come down and sing the national anthem one of these days,’” she recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, that would be great.’ And then I put it out of my head because it was just thrown out there.”

The phone call came on a warm summer day this past August as she was leaving Ditch Plains in Montauk. She accepted the gig without hesitation.

“I was like, ‘Uh, yeah! I’m definitely available,’” she laughed, “‘Don’t even need to check. I will make myself available.’”

Preparations began right away. Ms. Fee knew she would be singing a cappella—without the six Celtic Cross men to back her up—so she hired voice teacher Christine Cadarette at Crossroads Music in Amagansett. As a result, Ms. Fee practiced the anthem “more than I’ve rehearsed for anything in my life,” she said.

The weekend of the game finally arrived. Ms. Fee flew out on Friday night with an entourage of 17, including her husband, Kevin, their four sons—Kevin Jr., 14; Ciaran, 12; Ryan, 9; and Dylan, 8—and her parents, first-generation Irish immigrants Sean and Kathy Vesey, who now live in New Jersey.

“I felt like Beyoncé,” Ms. Fee grinned.

On Saturday—the day before the game—Ms. Fee and company visited the Steelers’ headquarters and toured the locker room. Her sons were “over the moon” as they met some of the players, she said.

“Ike Taylor walked out and my youngest son called him over and said, ‘I just wanted to say, I was playing Madden Football on my Xbox and I just wanted to thank you because you scored me two touchdowns this week,’” Ms. Fee reported. “He [Mr. Taylor] was like, ‘That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what I’m talking about.’ Gave him a big high five.”

The next day, the players lined the football field, standing solemnly with their hands over their hearts on the 71st anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, some mouthing along the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner” as Ms. Fee sang. The stadium erupted into cheers when the U.S. Navy’s VFA-86 Sidewinders flew over the field, and again as Ms. Fee held the last note of the anthem’s final words, “home of the brave.”

Before she knew it, her moment was over. With that, she pulled out the symbolic “Terrible Towel” she’d stuffed up her jacket sleeve prior to the performance and whipped it around her head, riling up the fans.

“I remember Christine, my voice teacher, said ‘Look around and smile and hold onto the moment because it’s going to fly by.’ And I did,” Ms. Fee said. “I really did take it all in and I tried not to let it all get beyond me.”

She paused thoughtfully, and continued, “It was interesting, too, singing the national anthem and having my parents there. They actually don’t even hold their Irish citizenship anymore, but we all do. My mom would always say, ‘Well, why would you want to be anything else than American?’ She’s just so proud. My dad keeps playing the video over and over all day long, that’s what my mom says. ‘He’s still down on the computer. I think he played it about 100 times today.’”

Perhaps the most surprising compliment of all came from actor Channing Tatum, who took a break from filming his latest project in Philadelphia to attend the game, Ms. Fee said.

“I walked off the field with him and he’s like, ‘You were great!’ and I said,” she gasped, and then gushed, “‘So are you!’ We walked into the elevator and chatted and then I said, ‘Okay, before we leave, I need a picture with you.’ And he waited for me after we got off the elevator. Super nice. It was very cool. All my girlfriends were super jealous, and their daughters.”

During the game, Ms. Fee watched from the stands as the Steelers suffered a disappointing loss, 34-24.

“I thought, ‘Uh oh, I’ll never be asked to perform for another game,’” she laughed. “They’re still in for the playoffs so we’re going to cross our fingers and hope for the best.”

The day after her starring turn, Ms. Fee celebrated her 40th birthday, still basking in the glow from her stadium performance.

“Such a great birthday present,” she said. “That was planned pretty well.”

To watch Kathleen Vesey Fee’s performance of the national anthem, visit youtube.com/watch?v=V2zb5-lKZ3g.