BC Lions will begin their 71st season against Edmonton Elks on June 7 at BC Place Stadium, where American rapper/singer Snoop Dogg will perform that Saturday afternoon/evening.
Details about the CFL team's fourth annual Concert Kickoff game were announced Tuesday morning (May 13).
“I’m very excited to bring Snoop Dogg, one of the most entertaining and decorated rap performers of all-time, to Vancouver to help us begin our 71st season of Lions football,” Lions owner Amar Doman said in a news release.
“Concert Kickoff has become the premier event on our city’s summer sports calendar. We’re proud to continue the great tradition with one of the all-time greats.”
Raised in Long Beach, California, Calvin Broadus Jr. (aka Snoop) loves football, and was a featured performer during the 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles, along with Dr. Dre, Eminem and others.
Rapper 50 Cent performed there, too, and also at last year's Kickoff game for the Lions, resulting in the largest attendance for a home-opener in franchise history, with a sellout crowd of 53,788 at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place.
The team's previous Concert Kickoff games have featured OneRepublic and LL Cool J, in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
The Lions have again opened the upper bowl of BC Place Stadium for the home-opener June 7. Stadium doors will open at 5 p.m., followed by Snoop's 5:45 p.m. concert. The game's 7 p.m. kickoff will allow fans to enjoy an extended Backyard Party on Terry Fox Plaza. Tickets are available on bclions.com.
Meantime, the Lions are roaring back to Vancouver Island for an exhibition game with Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 19 — a game that sold out in just 12 minutes, turning the Victoria suburb of Langford’s Starlight Stadium into the Island’s biggest sports stage for one electric afternoon.
—with a file from Tony Trozzo
