The NFL is turning up the heat for Super Bowl LX with an expanded lineup of musical talent — and a touch of controversy. On Tuesday, the league’s official hospitality provider, On Location, announced that Sting will headline a Super Bowl-branded concert at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts just two days before the big game.
The event, titled “Super Bowl LX Studio 60,” promises “a weekend of unforgettable music entertainment” in one of the city’s most iconic venues. The February 6 concert will offer fans a rare chance to see the legendary Police frontman in an intimate setting before Bad Bunny takes the stage as the halftime show headliner at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8.
The announcement adds another layer of prestige to the NFL’s entertainment slate — but also lands amid a swirl of political noise. Ever since the league confirmed that Bad Bunny would lead the halftime performance, criticism from Donald Trump and several figures in his administration has cast an ugly shadow over what should be a moment of cultural celebration.
Trump, speaking in a Newsmax interview last month, dismissed the global superstar’s selection, claiming he had “never heard of” the Puerto Rican reggaeton artist. The former president’s comments were widely condemned as both tone-deaf and politically calculated, coming just days after the NFL and its partner Roc Nation, led by Jay-Z, defended Bad Bunny as a “trailblazer” whose music transcends borders and language.
“They love him. Don’t let them fool you,” Jay-Z told TMZ, responding to the backlash. “He’s one of the most beloved artists in the U.S. and around the world.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell echoed that sentiment, calling Bad Bunny “one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world.” Indeed, with multiple Grammy Awards, billions of streams, and a global fanbase that spans continents, the Puerto Rican hitmaker has become a defining voice of modern music — and a symbol of Latino cultural power on the world stage.
Still, not everyone in the current administration seems eager to celebrate that representation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ignited further outrage by vowing that ICE agents would be “all over the place” at the Super Bowl, as part of a broader “crackdown” on undocumented immigrants. The timing of the threat — so close to a performance by a Latino superstar — has only deepened accusations that the administration’s rhetoric is racially charged and politically motivated.
While politics swirl around the event, the NFL is betting that music will win the day. The dual billing of Sting, a multi-generational icon, and Bad Bunny, a genre-breaking global phenom, offers the kind of cross-generational appeal the league has been chasing since partnering with Roc Nation in 2019.
Super Bowl LX kicks off live on February 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET, broadcasting on NBC and Telemundo, with streaming available via Peacock and NFL+.
In a divided political climate, the halftime stage is once again doubling as a cultural battleground — but one thing is clear: whether through Sting’s timeless rock or Bad Bunny’s Latin rhythm, the world will be watching.
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