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SANTA CLARA — The College Football Playoff National Championship game is bringing more than just football to the Bay Area in January. It’s also bringing a star-studded — and free — concert series Jan. 4-6 for locals to enjoy before the big game on Jan. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The lineup for the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! — a free, three-day concert series expected to draw tens of thousands of people a day to San Jose’s Discovery Meadow Park — was announced during a news conference Nov. 14 at Levi’s Stadium.
The bill is filled with top-notch performers, including OneRepublic, Logic, Alessia Cara, Leon Bridges, Ellie Goulding, Brynn Elliott and Jay Rock.
That’s a strong lineup for the fifth annual South Bay concert series, which got its start — like the College Football Playoff system itself — with the 2014-15 season. It’s also an appealingly diverse bill, representing mainstream pop, soul, hip-hop and other music genres.
“We want to make it as representative and eclectic or diverse as we possibly can, so there is a little bit of something for everyone,” said Michael Fiur of Fiur Productions, who books the concerts.
The series kicks off with a doubleheader of Alessia Cara and Brynn Elliott on Jan. 4. Cara is a Grammy-winning pop vocalist known for such smashes as “Here,” “Scars to Your Beautiful” and “Stay.” She also made a mark with her soaring version of “How Far I’ll Go” in the animated Disney film “Moana.” Her sophomore album, “The Pains of Growing,” is due at the end of November.
Singer-songwriter Elliott, a Harvard University graduate, is creating a buzz for herself with her debut EP, “Time of Our Lives,” and appearances on such programs as the “Today Show” and “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
On Jan. 5, fans get the chance to groove to Logic, Leon Bridges and Jay Rock. Logic is one of the most popular hip-hop acts of the last five years, with four consecutive Top 5 albums. He’s released a number of hit singles, including the quintuple-platinum “1-800-273-8255” featuring Khalid and Cara.
R&B talent Bridges skyrocketed in popularity after releasing his debut album, “Coming Home,” which helped land him two Grammy nominations, a spot on “Saturday Night Live” and even an audience with President Obama.
Rock is a rising star on the hip-hop scene, known for his collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and appearance on the hit “Black Panther: The Album.”
Closing night of the concert series belongs to OneRepublic and Ellie Goulding on Jan. 6. Since releasing the debut “Dreaming Out Loud” in 2007, OneRepublic has become one of the biggest bands on the planet. The pop-rock act’s best-known hits include “All the Right Moves,” “Secrets and Good,” “Life” and, of course, “Counting Stars.”
Goulding has reportedly sold over 15 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide. The electropop star’s latest single is “Close to Me,” a collaboration with Diplo and Swae Lee.
Concert gates will open at 6 p.m. each day during AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! For those who can’t make it out to the shows, there will be a live stream of the performances available at att.net/attplayoffplaylist.
