Super Bowl brings surge of concerts across the Bay Area
The Super Bowl is drawing more than football fans to the Bay Area, with a packed slate of concerts and live performances turning the week into one of the region's biggest music events of the year.
While Bad Bunny's halftime show is expected to be the marquee attraction, dozens of performances across San Francisco and the South Bay are set to draw music lovers in the days leading up to kickoff.
Artists from a wide range of genres are scheduled to perform, including Olivia Dean, who will headline a special show with Shaboozey at Pier 48, and Green Day, which is set to take over Pier 29 along the Embarcadero.
Music columnist Jim Harrington of the Bay Area News Group said the scale of Super Bowl-related concerts has grown dramatically since the event was last held at Levi's Stadium a decade ago.
"It's amazing to me how much more music there is 10 years later," Harrington said. "It's not just like 5 percent, 10 percent, 20 percent — it feels like five times as much as far as the concert offerings. Last time, it seemed like there was no problem with keeping up with things. This time, there is no way you can keep up with everything."
Among the headliners, Noah Kahan is scheduled to play the Warfield on Thursday. Local artists are also prominently featured, with LaRussell performing at the Chase Center on Friday and Kehlani taking the stage in San Jose on Saturday.
Harrington said some of the largest shows could generate significant cultural buzz during the week.
"The Chris Stapleton, the Benson Boone — those are going to be shows that are going to attract 8,000-plus people," he said. "It should spill out into some excitement, people actually talking about it, like, 'Hey, I got a ticket for this!'"
Concerts will extend beyond traditional music venues as well. Sting is set to perform at the Palace of Fine Arts on Friday, while The Chainsmokers and Ludacris will host a party at the Cow Palace on Saturday.
"It's just amazing how much every year the Super Bowl grabs more and more music," Harrington said. "It becomes less about strictly sports and more about entertainment."
By kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday, the Bay Area will have already hosted one of the largest music weekends of the year, underscoring the event's growing influence beyond the football field.