Atlanta will be a hotbed for top sports and entertainment this winter. In the week before Super Bowl LIII kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the city will host a free concert series in anticipation.
Local rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri is behind the project, which will celebrate the best in art and culture that Atlanta has to offer.
The announcement was made by the Super Bowl Host committee and Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on October 26, 100 days before Super Bowl LIII kicks off. It follows reports that surfaced last month claiming Maroon 5 would perform the halftime show at the 2019 game – eliciting a strong reaction across social media. Many fans dismissed the choice, instead calling for artists with Atlanta roots to take the coveted headlining gig instead.
“[There’s] no city musically like Atlanta. No city has had a run the way we have for this many years, with this much talent and this many artists,” Dupri told Atlanta Magazine. “It’s really important to see that the [Super Bowl LIII Host] committee paid attention to that.”
⚡️ “100 Days until Super Bowl LIII Celebration with @jermainedupri”https://t.co/nw1E3CLorT
— Atlanta Super Bowl (@atlsuperbowl53) October 26, 2018
There is no word yet on which artists will participate in the Super Bowl LIII build-up, but with Dupri’s wealth of connections in the industry, fans can expect prime talent that represents the best of Atlanta. Notable artists to hail from the city include Gucci Mane, Ludacris, TLC, Usher, Migos and T.I.
As a preview of what the week-long festivities may bring, Dupri recalled a trio of 2014 ATLast shows featuring native artist Outkast. The Grammy-winning duo performed a hometown reunion months after they headlined Coachella that year. A crowd of more than 60,000 people attended the Atlanta festival shows.
Dupri recently recruited Bow Wow, Jagged Edge, Da Brat, Xcape and more ATL artists for the Cultural Curren$y Tour, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the founding of his record label So So Def. The tour’s hometown show in Atlanta earlier this month marked the first concert held at the city’s newly branded State Farm Arena.
The concert series will get underway at Centennial Olympic Park beginning January 26. Super Bowl LIII is set for Sunday, February 3.