College Football Playoff announces concert series for championship

The College Football Playoff is more than one game. Organizers have made an entire weekend of festivities to celebrate the crowning of college football’s national champion.

Part of the fun, besides the championship game Jan. 8 in Houston, will be the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series featuring some of the top hitmakers in music.

‘When I started this business, you basically unlocked the stadium gates and let the fans in to watch the game, which is really fun, but it’s all grown into so much more than that and the concert series is a significant part of that,’ CFP executive director Bill Hancock told USA TODAY Sports.

‘The 3-day festival not only celebrates the excitement of college football’s biggest week and its biggest fans but is also a way for us to show our appreciation for Houston, our host city,’ Mark Wright, vice president of media services and sponsorships at AT&T, said in a statement.

This year, there will be a family friendly day with Kidz Bop, a hip-hop show with Jack Harlow and Latto, and a country showcase featuring Megan Moroney, Jake Owen and Jon Pardi. The CFP is intentional about connecting with different segments of its fan base.

Hancock said that music has been an integral, evolving part of college football culture. The concert series is a way of furthering the connection that already helps fans get hyped for game day.

‘Music has obviously always been a part of the culture, but there weren’t really ways for the sports culture to tap into that music culture 40 years ago and now there are,’ he said. ‘Music, it’s been such an important part of college football because of the marching bands forever. … We love those marching bands and we’re unique in that we have our fight songs that people cherish, our pregame music rituals from school to school that people cherish and the concerts just give us a way to expand on that.’

When and where is the AT&T concert series during CFP weekend?

The AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series will be held the weekend before the national championship game, which is on Jan. 8. The first show will be held Friday, Jan. 5 with one Saturday, Jan. 6 and the final one Sunday, Jan. 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. CT.

All of the concerts will be held at Shell Energy Stadium, home of the MLS’ Houston Dynamo FC, which is about seven miles from where the national championship game will be played at NRG Stadium.

Along with other events including a Taste of the Championship food tasting and Trophy Trot 5K and 10K races, the CFP concert series ‘gives us an opportunity to connect with fans both from the two teams that will be traveling into Houston for the game as well as local Houston folks who may not have a ticket to the game,’ Hancock said, noting the CFP seeks to ‘provide fans with a national championship experience and great memories of this event in Houston.’

Who is performing at the 2023 CFP concert series?

The AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series opens on Friday with a performance from Kidz Bop where fans of all ages can sing along to top hits.

Saturday’s show will be a showcase of some of the top rappers in the game. Last year’s People’s Choice Awards Best New Artist Latto, known for hits such as ‘Big Energy’ and ‘Put It On Da Floor Again,’ and Jack Harlow, who has been nominated for six Grammys and whose song ‘Lovin on Me’ is currently taking over TikTok, will be performing.

Sunday will close out the concert series with an all-star country lineup featuring ‘Tennessee Orange’ singer Megan Moroney, multiplatinum singer, producer and Grand Ole Opry member Jon Pardi and chart-topping singer Jake Owen, whose ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ and ‘Alone with You’ were No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

‘Everybody has a favorite genre and we try to touch multiple genres,’ Hancock said.

How much are tickets for the 2023 CFP concert series?

The CFP concert series is free to fans, but they must pre-register to get a ticket for the Saturday and Sunday shows.

The Friday Kidz Bop show is also free and is first come, first served.

How do fans get tickets to the 2023 CFP concert series?

The Friday Kidz Bop show is first come, first served at Shell Energy Stadium.

Free tickets for the Saturday and Sunday shows can be obtained by pre-registering online at a date yet to be announced. All information regarding tickets can be found on the College Football Playoff app.