He’s known more for making teen girls swoon than for rocking the rough and tumble football crowd, but international pop star Justin Bieber – who just topped a record-setting three billion hits on YouTube – will be headlining this year’s Grey Cup halftime show.
Also on the bill for the Toronto show are chart sensation Carly Rae Jepsen, West Coast rockers Marianas Trench, and folk legend Gordon Lightfoot.
Canadian rock icon Burton Cummings and country favourite Johnny Reid are headlining a special kick-off show.
“We are absolutely thrilled to unveil an all-Canadian, all-star line-up that features the biggest pop star in the world, the woman who gave us one of the biggest songs ever, one of the hottest young bands in the country, an iconic balladeer, a rock and roll legend, and one of this country’s leading entertainers,” said Mark Cohon, commissioner of the Canadian Football League, who expects the star power will make the show the biggest and most watched in the league’s history.
“This array of stars will command a huge and diverse audience, entertaining our most loyal fans and attracting new ones to our game’s greatest showcase. It spans genres and generations. And it’s quintessentially Canadian and undoubtedly world class, at the same time.”
Other Grey Cup festivities include a street festival and a Molson Canadian House Concert series, which features sets by the Sam Roberts Band, Matthew Good, Big Sugar, April Wine and many more.
Past Grey Cup half-time performers have included Nickelback, Blue Rodeo, the Tragically Hip, the Black Eyed Peas, Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, Lenny Kravitz and Theory of a Deadman.
The 100th Grey Cup will be played Sunday, November 25 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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