ATLANTA — The Super Bowl committee announced Friday that Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri will produce a free concert series in the days leading up to Super Bowl LIII.
Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach was at Centennial Olympic Park where the 6-day Super Bowl LIVE concert series will take place in the days leading up to the game.
Dupri said in a news conference Friday that he wasn't surprised to hear pop-rockers Maroon 5 were chosen to play the Super Bowl halftime show, or the anger by some people that followed. He said he's not deterred by the controversy.
"For me, this doesn't have anything to do with football," Dupri said. "It has to do with people coming to my city."
Dupri said he wants to get a diverse mix of Atlanta artists to headline the shows.
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Gelhbach asked if Dupri has any specific artists in mind. He would only say that he's going to get on the phone and request any artists he invites to play be family-friendly.
"How soon are we going to hear some announcements?" Gehlbach asked.
"As soon as I can get people to say they are going to keep it clean," Dupri said.
The shows will be held on the main stage at Centennial Park, with tents to cover thousands of people in case of weather.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said even though the concert series will be a football toss away from the stadium, the Super Bowl will be for everyone -- even if you don't have a ticket.
“We are really on the edge of some of our underserved communities," Bottoms said. "So to have the proximity and give people an ability to come into downtown and enjoy the excitement that the world is waiting to partake in speaks to how intentional we are as a city.”
Dupri may not have locked in the lineup yet, but the Grammy-winning producer promised an amazing showcase of the Atlanta music scene to the world.
"(I want to) make sure people leave here understanding how much music, the word 'music,' means to this city," Dupri said.