Friday, June 26, 2026

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.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oct 11, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Exclusive

Brian Kelly to Call CBS College Football Games

Kelly previously contributed to CBS Sports Network’s NFL Draft coverage.

NFL Slams Door on Brendan Sorsby’s Supplemental Draft Bid

The league told him to prepare to enter the 2027 NFL Draft instead.
Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; ESPN personality Jordan Rodgers during 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Exclusive

Chase Daniel, Jordan Rodgers Promoted As ESPN CFB Analysts

Another change is coming to “SEC Nation.”
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

6/25/26 – Austin Reaves’s Record Deal, IOC to Pay Every Olympian, Taylor Swift’s MSG Wedding, College Eligibility Lawsuits

0:00

Featured Today

Italian Americans Have Severe World Cup FOMO

Bars and restaurants in Boston, Philly, and beyond are missing the Azzurri.
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (10) celebrates a three-point basket Monday, June 22, 2026, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 86-77
June 24, 2026

Female Athletes Are Trying to Build the ‘Athleisure of Beauty’

“Performance cosmetics” have emerged alongside the women’s sports boom.
June 18, 2026

Why U.S. Open Host Sites Are on a 25-Year Plan

The U.S. Open has already picked out 22 future sites through 2051.
Wisconsin Badgers forward Laila Edwards, left, and defender Caroline Harvey celebrate after Edwards scored against the Minnesota Gophers in the first period in a game Saturday, February 8, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
June 15, 2026

Two Rookies Are Rewriting Women’s Hockey Stardom

Their platforms are a mutual boon for the PWHL and its players.
Ai sports slop
June 5, 2026

How Sports Became Ground Zero for AI Slop

The category is the perfect breeding ground for AI content churn.

MLB Owners Escalate Labor Fight With New Contract Proposal

MLB team owners make another radical labor proposal.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever, 111-109.
June 25, 2026

Caitlin Clark’s Status Unclear After Apparent Throat Punch, Back Injury

The WNBA gave Alyssa Thomas a one-game suspension on Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the logo of PGA Tour during the Canadian Open Championship at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Nick Lachance/File Photo
June 25, 2026

PGA Tour Faces New Sponsorship Test With 2028 Overhaul

Championship Series events will have $20 million purses.
Sponsored

How Daktronics Is Reshaping the Modern MLB Ballpark Experience

The technology powering baseball’s next chapter.
Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles up court against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
June 25, 2026

LaMelo Ball Trade Marks New Era for Wolves and NBA

The deal comes hours after the conclusion of the NBA draft.
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver poses with 2026 draft prospects before the NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
June 24, 2026

NBA Draft Highlights College Basketball’s NIL Boom

The first 20 players selected on Tuesday all played in college.
June 24, 2026

PGA Tour Bets New Tour Championship Will Drive Revenue

The on-site experience will be extremely different from standard events.
Apr 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media before game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights at Delta Center.
June 24, 2026

NHL’s Sun Belt Powerhouse Center Is Set to Expand

The league draws closer to placing a second team in Texas.