Super Bowl organizers plan major San Francisco concert

2026 is set to be a big year for sports in the Bay Area. In February, Santa Clara’s Levi Stadium is slated to host the Super Bowl, which is expected to cost the city an estimated $6.3 million. Later in the year, six FIFA World Cup games are scheduled to take place at the stadium. Those games, while costly, promise to draw tens of thousands of fans to the region, with tourism dollars close behind.

Now, the Bay Area Host Committee, the local nonprofit hosting the games, is doubling down. 

Country singer Chris Stapleton is set to play the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 7, the day before the Super Bowl. Songwriter Sierra Ferrell is slated to appear as a special guest. It’s the first event in a series organized by the committee, called BAHC Live, which “will present world-class concerts, fan zones, festivals, and watch parties” timed around local sporting events, according to a news release. 

The concert series will benefit Tipping Point Community, the antipoverty nonprofit founded by Mayor Daniel Lurie. (Lurie stepped down as CEO in 2019.) BAHC Live will announce more events soon. 

Stapleton, who emerged from the Nashville country scene, has enjoyed both commercial and critical success for his music, which weaves together influences from soul, country and bluegrass. The singer has won 11 Grammy awards, and in 2023, he headlined Stagecoach Festival.

Ferrell, who sharpened her craft as a longtime busker, has emerged in recent years as a fresh voice in roots music. This year, her latest effort “Trail of Flowers” won the Grammy for Best Americana Album. She played Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2021.