When the 2025 NFL schedule was finalized, it wasn’t just competitive balance or broadcast ratings that shaped the outcome—concerts by Billy Joel and Chris Brown played a surprising role, especially when it came to the Los Angeles Chargers’ early-season slate.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the NFL’s scheduling team had to navigate a unique logistical challenge for Week 2, involving the Chargers and Raiders, two AFC West rivals with complex stadium availability issues. Following their historic international opener in São Paulo, Brazil, the league preferred that Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers return to play at home. But SoFi Stadium was unavailable, booked for Chris Brown’s tour, which includes back-to-back shows that weekend.
Concert Tours, Stadium Conflicts, and the Los Angeles Chargers Schedule
The alternative? Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the Raiders. But it too had scheduling conflicts—Brown’s tour stops there in Week 3, when the Raiders will be on the road against Washington. Despite these obstacles, both teams and the league collaborated to find a creative solution: a Monday Night Football matchup in Las Vegas in Week 2.
Rather than forcing the Chargers into a longer travel stretch or reshuffling multiple matchups, the Raiders agreed to work around Allegiant Stadium’s commitments, enabling the game to stay on schedule. That cooperation allowed LA to avoid two consecutive extended road trips following their international opener, easing their early-season transition under Harbaugh.
This wasn’t the only time the schedule was shaped by music. Billy Joel’s rescheduled tour impacted stadium availability in Cincinnati (Week 3), Santa Clara (Week 5), New Orleans (Week 7), and Detroit (Week 11), leading the NFL to plan around those events as well.
In the end, it wasn’t just X’s and O’s or TV windows—it was also tour dates and venue conflicts that shaped the road ahead for the 2025 Chargers.
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