Las Vegas rock band, Imagine Dragons have been confirmed as the special guests for the UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony, next month, which is presented by Pepsi. The Las Vegas rockers are set to perform, at Madrid’s Estádio Metropolitano, on Saturday the 1st of June 2019, mere minutes before Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool go head to head for the biggest prize in European football, which for the first time in its history is an all-English final.
The Grammy Award-winning rockers – who were named Spotify’s most-streamed group for 2018 – will perform at the opening ceremony, which will take place just more than ten minutes before the final gets underway.
Speaking about performing at the historic event, Imagine Dragons’ frontman, Dan Reynolds, said: “We’re honoured to be playing the UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony with Pepsi for some of the most passionate sports fans on the planet. It’s going to be a great show in Madrid.”
very excited to announce we are heading to Madrid to play the @ChampionsLeague @pepsi Opening Ceremony on June 1 pic.twitter.com/Laiz9wwZyL
— Imagine Dragons (@Imaginedragons) May 9, 2019
The performance, which will be aired in more than 200 countries, takes place 10 minutes before kick off. It follows last year’s performance by Dua Lipa, in association with PepsiCo, Warner Music and Fuse, which is nominated in the Music & Brand Partnership category at tonight’s Music Week Awards.
“We are extremely excited to be collaborating with Pepsi on the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony. For the fourth year running, the Opening Ceremony will bring music, entertainment and sport together in an epic experience for fans – and Pepsi is the perfect partner to help us do that,” says UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, Guy-Laurent Epstein.
Continuing Epstein, said: “Last year’s performance by Dua Lipa was a great success, breaking records as our most-viewed, single piece of social media content ever. We know that Imagine Dragons are going to build on our fan’s excitement for the Opening Ceremony performance with a rock show football fans will never forget.”
We’re excited to announce @IMAGINEDRAGONS will be performing at the #UCLfinal Opening Ceremony, presented by @pepsi! #ForTheLoveOfIt pic.twitter.com/mGAP7EBNUs — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 9, 2019
In addition, to presenting the opening ceremony, Pepsi will be hosting fans at the UEFA Champions Festival, in Madrid. The festival will be open to the public and will showcase a number of musical artists, across four days. It will feature headline performances by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, on Friday the 31st of May 2019, and Simon Fuller’s Now United, the pop group behind this year’s new Pepsi jingle, on Saturday the 1st of June 2019.
Speaking about the historic event, in both music and football, VP Marketing of Global Beverages PepsiCo, Natalia Filippociants, said: “As a brand with a legendary history in both music and football, there is nothing bigger or better for Pepsi than the UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony. Partnering with UEFA to bring live entertainment to the Final is an epic way to go all in for the passions we – and our fans – love.
“Each year, we have raised the performance bar and the energy in the stadium minutes before kick-off. And to be able to bring today’s ultimate rock band, Imagine Dragons, to the stage with us for what is sure to be an electrifying Final, is a true celebration of where this partnership has come – and where it is going.”
