• Loading stock data...
Monday, November 3, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

NFL Moves Super Bowl Opening Night Over Turf Concerns, Leans Into Music

There is a long-running intersection between sports and music, something the NFL is leaning further into for Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area. 

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The list of events for the week of Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area is out, and music will have a sharply heightened role in the festivities.

The league on Monday released the set of supplemental events leading up to the Feb. 8 game at Levi’s Stadium, and as the NFL continues to assume an elevated status in U.S. culture, a series of concerts with top-tier names lining the week. Among the planned events:

  • A two-night concert series developed and promoted by NFL hospitality partner On Location on Feb. 6 and 7. The first night will be headlined by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sting playing at the Palace of the Fine Arts, a famed San Francisco venue overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The second night’s headliner has yet to be announced. 
  • A three-night concert series developed and promoted by the Bay Area Host Committee on Feb. 5–7 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The closing night will be headlined by country superstar Chris Stapleton and singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell, with further announcements coming for the initial nights. 
  • A series of other concerts around the Bay Area that are not directly affiliated with either the NFL or the host committee. 

Those concerts will lead up to the featured performance in the Super Bowl LX halftime show by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. Despite pushback on the selection from U.S. President Donald Trump and other segments of conservative politics, the league is standing firmly behind Bad Bunny.

Those plans also follow the previously announced shift of the Pro Bowl Games to Super Bowl week, with that flag football event to be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center on Feb. 3.

A Different Opening Night

The NFL, meanwhile, has altered its plan for Super Bowl Opening Night, where the two competing teams have their media availability with credentialed press, and the event is ticketed for the public as another fan engagement vehicle.

Typically held in the Super Bowl stadium, the plan for Super Bowl LX is to hold Opening Night instead at the San Jose Convention Center. The shift is designed to protect the grass field at Levi’s Stadium. Other recent Super Bowl host stadiums either have artificial turf fields where this isn’t a concern or have a tray system in which the field can be removed earlier in the week and returned for the game. 

Because of the much smaller capacity at the convention center compared to Levi’s Stadium, the American Football Conference and National Football Conference sessions at Opening Night will be ticketed separately. That shift will help the league cycle through a greater number of fans at the event, said NFL EVP Peter O’Reilly. 

“With a grass field surface, we really want to be focused on the main event there,” O’Reilly said of Levi’s Stadium.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Nov 2, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is helped off the field after an injury during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium.

Daniels’s Injury Solidifies Careening Season for Commanders

The quarterback injured his elbow in a fourth quarter blowout.

ESPN, ABC Still Dark on YouTube TV As Cowboys ‘MNF’ Game Looms

ABC and ESPN’s college football slate was blacked out Saturday.
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium

College Football’s Coach Buyout Bonanza: All Your Questions Answered

Schools owe their fired coaches millions in buyouts—and it isn’t over.
Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks off the field after a win over Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

NFL Fines Ravens $100K Over Lamar Jackson Injury Violation

Jackson missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Featured Today

Oct 13, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Susanna Sullivan of the United States of America finishes seventh in the Chicago Marathon at Grant Park

More Races, More Money: The New Calculus for Pro Marathoners

More races per year mean more money—but the math isn’t simple.
Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.
October 31, 2025

Shohei Ohtani Card Market Is Surging—With No Signs of Slowing

Cards have spiked hundreds of thousands of dollars from their initial value.
September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium
October 26, 2025

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.

No Ohtani-Level Prize, but MLB Free Agency Still Holds Big Stakes

Kyle Tucker and Kyle Schwarber are among the top available players.
November 2, 2025

Deep-Pocketed Dodgers Make History With Repeat World Series Title

The Dodgers are MLB’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
November 2, 2025

First LIV Golf Player Wins Way Into The Masters Under New Rules

Tom McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

On Location is redefining the Olympic experience by creating lasting connections beyond the Games.
Sep 30, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces center Kiah Stokes (41), Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0), Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12), Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22), and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) take the court after an Indiana Fever time out in the fourth quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena.
October 31, 2025

WNBA and WNBPA Agree to 30-Day Extension. Now What?

The league has never lost games to a work stoppage.
Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena.
October 31, 2025

NBA Cup Returns for Year 3 With Increased $530,000 Prize

Players on the championship team will receive more than $530,000.
Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen (2) holds a ball as the WNBA logo appears on the ball and shorts before the game against the Indiana Fever at Chase Center.
October 30, 2025

WNBA and Players Union Agree to 30-Day Extension for CBA Negotiations

The current CBA was set to expire on Oct. 31.
Aug 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga (14) celebrates with Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins (4) during the second half against the Washington Mystics at CareFirst Arena.
October 30, 2025

Dominique Malonga Headlines Unrivaled’s Final Player Announcements

Aari McDonald and Rebecca Allen are also joining Unrivaled.