It’s official, music festival culture has taken over. Today (November 7th), On Location Experiences, an event company that works with the NFL, announced the first ever Super Bowl Music Festival. Yes, you read that right.
A three day musical extravaganza will be held in Atlanta from Thursday January 31st to Saturday February 2nd, all leading up to Super Bowl LII on Sunday. The diverse line up includes headliners Aerosmith, Lil Jon, Bruno Mars, and Cardi B. Other standouts from the release include Atlanta’s own Ludacris, rapper Lil Yachty, and Metro Boomin.
“Atlanta is a city with such a strong music culture, that we wanted to work together with our partners at On Location Experiences to bring a music festival to the city that has something for everyone and pays homage to the city’s history of iconic music,” said Shana Barry, Director of Experiential, Bud Light. “Between bringing some of the biggest acts out there right now along with some local Atlanta flavor, we hope that we can give people a chance to come together, drink a few beers and have an unforgettable experience during Super Bowl weekend.”
Though this was the official statement released, and I’m all for the idea of music and fun leading up to the biggest Sunday of the year. I can’t help but wonder if this was a last ditch effort to put out the fire the committee was under for booking Maroon 5. A choice considered poor by many, when so many talented musicians hail from Atlanta. Many artists were outspoken about this issue, including rapper Waka Flocka Flame. “You’re coming to the biggest black state in America,” Flocka claimed. “Why wouldn’t you let a black artist perform and show the world that we’re progressing? That’s not cool.”
Waka even suggested himself, Migos, or Future as replacements. Migos interestingly enough made it to the line up. This announcement comes at an even more interesting time as it was also recently announced that Rihanna turned down the halftime performance spot to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Which only furthers my question, was this a PR stunt to clean up the NFL’s image, or a genuine effort at a new and exciting tradition?
Either way, it is sure to be a weekend full of memorable performances from some of the biggest names in music. Now included with Atlanta on the line up, ready to represent.
