The College Football Playoff National Championship will be in Atlanta on January 8, 2018 and, as they look to make the event into a Super Bowl-like atmosphere, for the first time ever there will be a halftime show.
Unlike the Super Bowl, the show will take place off-site, with the performance happening at halftime, but just down the road at Centennial Olympic Park. There were rumors that Taylor Swift would be the performer for the inaugural CFP halftime show, but on Tuesday the official announcement came from ESPN that it would not be Swift taking the stage but a different superstar.
Kendrick Lamar will grace the stage in Atlanta on January 8 at the free, non-ticketed concert at Centennial Olympic Park. With kickoff set for close to 8 p.m. ET, one can assume the performance will start sometime between 9:30 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET.
“Having the opportunity to perform at halftime of what will surely be the best game of the year between two deserving universities is truly an honor,” said Kendrick Lamar. “Thank you, ESPN, for having me be the first halftime performer ever at the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
Lamar is one of the biggest stars in hip-hop, and while one might have expected them to go in search of one of Atlanta’s many hip-hop stars, it’s hard to fault them for snagging a superstar like Lamar for the performance. For those heading to Atlanta for the game and find themselves without tickets, hitting the Kendrick show at Centennial won’t be a bad consolation prize.
