The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced Wednesday the Grammy Award-winning group Portugal the Man will play a free concert in Cathedral Square on Friday, Feb. 4, the night before the annual college all-star game, which will be played at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium at 1:30 on Feb. 5.
The band’s “Feel It Still” earned it a Grammy Award in 2018 for Best Pop/Duo Performance. The concert will follow a players’ parade that will feature Senior Bowl players walking from their hotel on Royal Street to Cathedral Square.
“Portugal the Man is going to be a lot of fun,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy said, noting he saw the band perform at Lollapalooza in Grant Park in Chicago a couple of years ago. “That show was incredible. I think they’ve got that funky vibe that kind of matches our city.”
Nagy used the press conference announcing the band for the free concert to also announce Tennessee wide receiver and kick return specialist Velus Jones Jr., a former Saraland standout, has accepted an invitation to play in the Feb. 5 game. Jones is the third local player to receive and accept an invitation to play in the game, joining South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, a former McGill-Toolen standout, and Auburn defensive back Roger McCreary.
Nagy also noted many of the events associated with the game will return this year; last year’s game was limited to 25-percent capacity at Hancock Whitney Stadium and other events associated with the game had to be canceled because of COVID-19-related precautions.
“We’re excited about the community involvement this year,” Nagy said.
Practices will be open to the public this year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 1-3. The Senior Bowl Summit is returning this year to the Saenger Theater, with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit as the moderator of a panel discussion being billed as the “Coaches Tailgate.” Among those expected to participate are Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin, Penn State head coach James Franklin, Steve Sarkisian of Texas and, according to Nagy, “hopefully one from Tuscaloosa” which he said he hopes to have confirmed soon. It will also include an NFL coaches panel which Herbstreit will also moderate.
“It had been more a business meets sports thing in the past,” Nagy added.
The free concert will be the highlight of the Senior Bowl Block Party downtown on Friday, Feb. 4.
On Game Day at Hancock Whitney Stadium, tailgating will be allowed for this season’s game. College mascots will return this year as well and for the first time there will be team walks to the stadium, similar to Auburn’s Tiger Walk and Alabama’s Walk of Champions. The Florida A&M band will perform this year, including pregame, halftime and postgame performances.
More than half the tickets have already been sold for the game, Nagy said, noting there are “plenty of $12 and $18 tickets still available.”
Ticket information is available at www.seniorbowl.com
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