Super Bowl LVI kicks off on Sunday, and — in yet another display of how the pandemic has generated new digital experiences for fans — people watching from home will be able to tune into both a virtual pregame tailgate and a postgame afterparty, hosted on TikTok and Meta’s platforms, respectively.
The NFL first partnered with TikTok for the official pregame show last year, which is shaping up to be a yearly tradition. The show will be streamed from the NFL’s TikTok account (@NFL) beginning at 11:55am PST on Sunday. The Chainsmokers are set to headline, and the show will also feature other TikTok creators and special guests from the NFL.
“We are so excited to be returning once again to the SoFi Stadium campus to headline the NFL TikTok Tailgate on Sunday before Super Bowl LVI! After two years off the map, we couldn’t be more grateful to the NFL for this opportunity,” The Chainsmokers said in a statement.
At the end of the game, fans will be able to finish out the night over on Meta’s platforms, which will be hosting a virtual afterparty featuring Foo Fighters. The experience is intended to be an “epic post-game concert in VR” and will be accessible on Meta’s virtual reality space Horizon Venues, but for those without a Quest headset, it will also be streamed to Facebook and Instagram.
The concert will begin at 8pm PST, or once the game concludes if it ends up going later than that. It is free to attend, but fans will need to RSVP in advance of the event. Those who join via VR will be able to customize their avatars and interact with other fans in the virtual world. Replays and highlights will be shown following the concert on Oculus TV and Horizon Venues.
“Foo Fighters love a challenge — from playing the biggest stages in the world to the tiniest clubs to making movies and miniseries. We’ve pretty much done it all,” Dave Grohl said in a statement. “But we’ve never collaborated with Mark Romanek on a conceptual set of songs (including one being played live for the first time ever) for a worldwide audience, where everyone has the best seats in the house thanks to the most badass VR tech…until now. Join us when we cross that one off the FF bucket list!”