J BALVIN TO HEADLINE KICKOFF CONCERT AT NFL KICKOFF EXPERIENCE
AT ALAMITOS BEACH IN LONG BEACH
Precedes NFL Kickoff Game:
BUFFALO BILLS vs. LOS ANGELES RAMS on NBC, Peacock and Universo
NBC Sports' Special Pregame Show airs
Thursday, Sept. 8, 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on NBC and streams live on Peacock
NFL Network's GameDay Kickoff airs
Thursday, Sept. 8 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT
NEW YORK [August 16, 2021] – To celebrate the return to football, the NFL will host the 2022 KICKOFF EXPERIENCE PRESENTED BY VERIZON starting at 12:00 PM PT on Thursday, September 8 at ALAMITOS BEACH in Long Beach.
Global music superstar, J BALVIN will perform live at Kickoff Experience at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach prior to the start of the 2022 Kickoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Super Bowl LVI Champions, the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Kickoff Experience is free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. Fans 18 years of age and older can register for free tickets at NFL.com/2022kickoff. Fans under the age of 18 do not need to register and are not required to have a free ticket.
Attractions at 2022 Kickoff Experience will bring fans closer to the NFL through football-themed interactive games and other activities including:
- Appearances by Bills and Rams Legends
- Photo ops with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and all 56 Super Bowl rings
- Autograph Stage presented by Panini
- Bud Light Tavern
- Field Goal Kick presented by Snickers
- Photo Frames presented by Invisalign
- Smirnoff Tavern
- Verizon Plug & Play Challenge
- 40-yard dash presented by Verizon
Activities will take place throughout the day on the Kickoff Experience Stage with J Balvin taking the stage at approximately 4:00 PM PT for his headline performance.
Balvin's performance will be streamed in full on NFL.com, the NFL app, and on select NFL social media platforms. Portions of the performance will be televised in NBC Sports' and NFL Network's pregame show coverage.
Following J Balvin's performance, fans are encouraged to stay for the 2022 NFL KICKOFF WATCH PARTY and view the Bills vs. Rams game live on screens throughout Kickoff Experience at Alamitos Beach. Fans are invited to bring lawn or beach chairs and blankets to enjoy the game comfortably. Access to the Watch Party is free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis.
In addition to the activities at Kickoff Experience, each ticket purchaser in attendance for the Bills vs. Rams game at SoFi Stadium will receive one (1) commemorative NFT. The NFT design will be a rare collectible celebrating the Rams' first regular season game of the 2022 season as defending Super Bowl Champions and will ONLY be available to ticket purchasers in attendance.
To accompany the live presentation of NFL Kickoff on NBC, Peacock and Universo, the Bills - Rams game will be streamed live across all devices via NBC, NBC Sports and NFL digital properties. Live audio coverage of the game will be broadcast nationally by Westwood One Radio and carried on SiriusXM and the NFL app. SiriusXM will also carry the local audio broadcasts of the game. Universo's Spanish language coverage will begin at 8 PM ET.
Fans can stream live game content via NFL+, the League's new exclusive video streaming subscription service. With NFL+, watch live local and primetime regular season and postseason games on a mobile device, listen to live game audio, and more. NFL+ is available within the NFL app and at NFL.com. Fans can visit https://www.nfl.com/plus/learn-more for further details.
NBC Sports' Football Night in America team will be live on-site at SoFi Stadium for pregame coverage beginning at 7 PM ET. MIKE TIRICO will call the action alongside CRIS COLLINSWORTH. MELISSA STARK will report from the sidelines at SoFi Stadium. Three-time Super Bowl referee TERRY MCAULAY is the Sunday Night Football rules analyst.
In addition to 2022 Kickoff presented by Verizon, top-tier sponsors for NFL Kickoff include Bud Light, FanDuel, Microsoft, Smirnoff, Snickers and Pepsi.
On Wednesday, September 7 at 10 PM ET, fans can tune in to "2022 NFL Kickoff Presented by Castrol Edge" on NFL Network. Additionally, "NFL GameDay Kickoff" airs on Thursday, September 8 at 6 PM ET on NFL Network.
Fans can visit NFL.com/2022Kickoff to register for free tickets and for more details on Kickoff festivities at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach.
HISTORY OF NFL OPENING KICKOFF EVENTS
| DATE | LOCATION | NETWORK | TALENT | GAME |
| 9/5/2002 | Times Square, New York | CBS, MTV, VH1 and ESPN | Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, Eve, Cast of Broadway musical Rent with Joey Fatone of NSYNC | San Francisco at NY Giants (ESPN) |
| 9/4/2003 | The National Mall, Washington, DC | ABC | Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, Good Charlotte | NY Jets at Washington (ABC) |
| 9/9/2004 | Gillette Stadium, New England/ Metropolitan Park, Jacksonville | ABC | Boston Pops, Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child, Elton John, Toby Keith, Lenny Kravitz (NE); Jessica Simpson (Jax.) | Indianapolis at New England (ABC) |
| 9/8/2005 | Gillette Stadium, New England/ Los Angeles Coliseum, LA/Detroit | ABC | Green Day, Santana, Michelle Branch, Ozzy Osbourne, Trisha Yearwood (NE); Kanye West, Maroon 5, Good Charlotte, Rihanna (LA); Rolling Stones (taped from Detroit) | Oakland at New England (ABC) |
| 9/7/2006 | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh/Miami | NBC | Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride (Anthem) (Pitt.); Diddy, Cassie, Yung Joc, Tego Calderon (Miami) | Miami at Pittsburgh (NBC) |
| 9/6/2007 | Monument Circle/RCA Dome, Indianapolis | NBC, NFLN | John Mellencamp, Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Hinder, Keyshia Cole & Voices of Unity Youth Choir (Anthem) | New Orleans at Indianapolis (NBC) |
| 9/4/2008 | Columbus Circle, New York City/Giants Stadium, New Jersey | NFLN, NBC | Natasha Bedingfield, Keith Urban, Usher | Washington at New York Giants (NBC) |
| 9/10/2009 | Point State Park/Heinz Field, Pittsburgh | NFLN, NBC | Tim McGraw, The Black Eyed Peas, Harry Connick Jr. (Anthem) | Tennessee at Pittsburgh (NBC) |
| 9/9/2010 | Jackson Square (Parade & Concert) /Superdome, New Orleans | NFLN, NBC | Dave Matthews Band, Taylor Swift, Harry Connick Jr., Colbie Caillat (Anthem) | Minnesota at New Orleans (NBC) |
| 9/8/2011 | Lambeau Field, Green Bay | NFLN, NBC | Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5 | New Orleans at Green Bay (NBC) |
| 9/5/2012 | Rockefeller Center, New York / MetLife Stadium, New Jersey | NFLN, NBC | Mariah Carey, No Doubt | Dallas at New York Giants (NBC) |
| 9/5/2013 | Baltimore Inner Harbor/ Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver | NFLN, NBC | Keith Urban, Danielle Bradbery (Anthem) | Baltimore at Denver (NBC) |
| 9/4/2014 | CenturyLink Field, Seattle | NFLN, NBC | Pharrell Williams, Soundgarden, Ariana Grande (Anthem) | Green Bay at Seattle (NBC) |
| 9/10/2015 | Gillette Stadium, New England | NFLN, NBC | Ellie Goulding, Train | Pittsburgh at New England (NBC) |
| 9/8/2016 | Civic Center Park, Denver | NFLN, NBC | Dierks Bentley, OneRepublic, Andra Day (Anthem) | Carolina at Denver (NBC) |
| 9/7/2017 | Christopher Columbus Park, Boston / Gillette Stadium, New England | NFLN, NBC | Guster, Flo Rida, Maren Morris (Anthem) | Kansas City at New England (NBC) |
| 9/6/2018 | Penn's Landing, Philadelphia / Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia | NFLN, NBC | Shawn Mendes | Atlanta at Philadelphia (NBC)
|
| 9/5/2019 | Grant Park, Chicago / Soldier Field, Chicago | NFLN, NBC | Meghan Trainor, Rhapsody, Meek Mill | Green Bay at Chicago (NBC) |
| 9/10/20 | Kansas City / Arrowhead Stadium | NFLN, NBC | Alicia Keys | Houston at Kansas City (NBC) |
| 9/9/2021 | Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, Tampa Bay / Raymond James Stadium | NFLN, NBC | Ed Sheeran | Dallas at Tampa Bay (NBC) |
| 9/8/2022 | Alamitos Beach in Long Beach | NFLN, NBC | J Balvin | Buffalo at Los Angeles Rams (NBC) |
ABOUT J BALVIN
J Balvin is a highly-decorated global superstar and entrepreneur with wins across Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Latin GRAMMY's and many others. Originally hailing from Medellín, Colombia, the illustrious reggaeton superstar is one of the best-selling Latin music artists with sales of more than 35 million records worldwide. He has steadfastly broken cultural barriers and become one of the Top 10 most globally streamed artists, developing legions of fans worldwide. With passions spanning across music, fashion, art and mental health, Balvin continues to lead the charge for representation across industries. As a testament to his immersive and innovative approach to fashion, Balvin was most recently awarded with the coveted Global Style Icon Award at the Accessories Council's Annual ACE Awards, and is launching his second, highly anticipated collaboration with Air Jordan next month. Furthering his initiative for mental health awareness and the importance of mental health resources, the global icon announced earlier this year, the creation of OYE, a bilingual, interactive wellness app launching this September. With his finger on the pulse of the worlds of entertainment, fashion, digital culture and beyond, Balvin has time and again proven to be an unstoppable force and inspiration to emerging artists, entrepreneurs and the Latinx community.
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CONTACTS:
NFL: Morgan Dreossi (Morgan.Dreossi@nfl.com)
