Copyright Billboard
The NFL is adding more firepower to the Super Bowl LX musical lineup. In addition to halftime headliner Bad Bunny, the football league’s hospitality provider, On Location, announced on Tuesday (Oct. 28) that Sting will headline a Super Bowl-branded concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, two days before Benito takes the stage for the big game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 8. The former Police singer and solo superstar will perform as part of an intimate event dubbed Super Bowl LX Studio 60, described as “a weekend of unforgettable music entertainment at one of San Francisco’s most iconic venues,” that will give fans a chance to see artists “up close and personal.” The announcement of the Sting show comes as this year’s halftime show headliner has gotten unequivocal messages of support from the NFL and Jay-Z — whose Roc Nation has been booking the halftime show since 2019 — following complaints about Benito’s booking from Donald Trump and other administration figures. When asked by a TMZ photographer earlier this week about the harsh words coming Benito’s way from some on the right, Jay reportedly told the site that the Puerto Rican superstar is more beloved in the U.S. than some would like you to think. “They love him. Don’t let them fool you,” Jay said. Following September’s announcement that Roc Nation had tapped Bad Bunny for next year’s halftime show, Trump dismissed the booking in an interview with Newsmax in which he claimed to have never heard of the reggaeton superstar who NFL commissioner Roger Goddell recently called, “one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world” in doubling down on the choice. Additionally, Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem has promised to continue the administration’s nationwide crackdown on undocumented people at the game, threatening that U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents will be “all over the place” at the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LX will air live on Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET and be broadcast on NBC and Telemundo and stream on Peacock and NFL+.
