It’s a good day to be a Pittsburgh football fan.
On Thursday (April 2), the NFL announced Wiz Khalifa, Kane Brown and Bret Michaels as the headliners for this year’s Draft Entertainment Series in Pittsburgh, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The free, three-day live music experience will go down in Pittsburgh alongside the NFL Draft from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.
The Grammy-nominated, two-time Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping rapper Wiz Khalifa will perform Friday evening, ahead of rounds two and three of the draft. This performance will be a homecoming for Khalifa, who was raised in Pittsburgh. The town and the official colors of its three major sports teams even inspired his first Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Black and Yellow.”
“Coming home to Pittsburgh for the Draft is pretty special,” Khalifa said in a statement. “This city raised me, and the energy here is different. Being back with the fans and representing the city in a moment like this just feels right.”e
Bret Michaels, frontman of the Hot 100-topping rockers Poison, will also perform on April 24. Like Khalifa, Michaels is no stranger to Pittsburgh: He grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania, just outside the city.
“As a Pittsburgh native and a diehard fan of the Steelers, the NFL and all things Pittsburgh, this is a dream come true,” Michaels shared.
Country star Kane Brown, a 12-time Country Airplay topper, will close out the festivities with a performance on Saturday, April 25.
Night 1 of the Draft Entertainment Series on Thursday will open with a performance of the national anthem by Pittsburgh-raised jazz musician KELS and the James Weldon Johnson Foundation’s National Hymn Choir, featuring The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
“Bringing the Draft to Pittsburgh gives us a chance to tap into a city with a deep connection to football and music,” said Tim Tubito, NFL senior director of global event presentation and entertainment. “This year’s event brings together artists with strong roots in the region and renowned global reputations to help create even more memorable moments onstage throughout Draft.”
Khalifa, Michaels and Brown join a long list of performers who’ve brought live music and entertainment to the NFL Draft over the years. Previous artists to hit the Draft stage include Eminem, Weezer, Ice Cube and Marshmello.
All NFL Draft Entertainment Series performances, presented by Bud Light, will take place at the Draft Theater next to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. General admission to the event is free, but fans are encouraged to arrive early as standing-room access will be granted on a first-come first-served basis. Fans can register for free entry to the Draft Entertainment Series at NFL.com/DraftAccess.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.billboard.com ’
