MUSIC

Brad Paisley to perform free concert outside Lambeau for final day of 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay

Portrait of Kendra Meinert Kendra Meinert
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Brad Paisley will cap off the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay with a free concert outside Lambeau Field on April 26, the last day of the draft.

The Grammy Award-winning country star, who has a history of inviting Packers players to join him onstage when he plays in Green Bay, will headline the NFL Draft Concert Series after Round 7 ends, the NFL announced on April 17.

Brad Paisley performs during the 52nd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 14, 2018, in Nashville.

“We’re excited to welcome one of country music’s biggest stars to the draft,” Tim Tubito, NFL senior director of global event presentation & entertainment, said in a news release. “Brad understands how football brings people together. His performance is our way of saying thank you to the fans, the prospects, and the city of Green Bay — and the perfect way to close out an unforgettable weekend.” 

A specific time for the concert has not been given. The broadcast schedule for Rounds 4-7 of the draft that day is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Country artist Brad Paisley during his concert at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

Paisley, known for such hits as "Mud on the Tires," "Ticks," "Alcohol" and "Little Moments," is a noted football fan with a soft spot for the Packers and its fans. During a 2015 Resch Center concert, he surprised the crowd by having Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson walk out onstage and handing him a guitar during "I'm Still a Guy." It's the same song in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers strolled out for during a 2011 Paisley tour stop at the same venue.

Paisley, who has brought his sons to Lambeau Field, called Green Bay the "greatest NFL city in the world" during that 2015 sold-out concert. In a 2014 interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the West Virginia native said: “Even though I will be a lifetime (Cleveland) Browns fan, the game I don't miss on Sundays is the Packers game. I wear more Packers paraphernalia than I do Browns paraphernalia."

Drone show honoring legacy of Packers is also part of the series

The NFL Draft Concert Series also will include a previously announced drone show after Rounds 2 and 3 on April 25. It's being described as a "cutting-edge display of more than 500 drones flying in choreographed formations above Lambeau Field, honoring the history of the draft and the legacy of Packers football."

Performances as part of the NFL Draft Concert Series take place at the Draft Theater adjacent to Lambeau. General fan viewing is free. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as standing room will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

A single concert and a drone show in Green Bay is a departure from the NFL Draft Concert Series in recent years in other host cities, where there was a concert each day of the draft. In Detroit in 2024, there were concerts by Big Sean, the Detroit Youth Choir and Bazzi. Kansas City crowds in 2023 enjoyed Fall Out Boy, Motley Crue and Thundercat. Weezer, Ice Cube and Marshmello each performed concerts in Las Vegas in 2022.

For opening day of the draft on April 24 in Green Bay, Milwaukee-based choir members from the James Weldon Johnson Foundation’s National Hymn Choir will perform “Lift Every Voice,” directed by Ben Bedroske, and singer-songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. will perform the national anthem.

People planning to go to the draft should register for free access through the NFL OnePass app or at NFL.com/DraftAccess. Registration is required and entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Less Than Jake will wrap up Green Bay's duties as the host city of the NFL draft with a performance at 10 p.m. April 26 for the 8th Round Downtown as the finale of the Draft City Music Fest at Leicht Memorial Park.

National acts will perform at Draft City Music Fest, too

There will also be free concerts by national acts at the Draft City Music Fest in downtown's Leicht Memorial Park. That event, a joint effort of the city of Green Bay and On Broadway Inc., happens across two nights.

WPS Foundation Draft Kickoff from 4 to 11 p.m. April 23 features:

  • De La Soul, 9 p.m.
  • Riverboat Gamblers, 7:30 p.m.
  • Luke Combs UK, 6 p.m.
  • Grupo Kn Zavor, 5 p.m.
  • The Chocolateers, 4 p.m.

The 8th Round Downtown runs from 5 to 11 p.m. April 26 features:

  • Less Than Jake, 10 p.m.
  • GZA, 8:30 p.m.
  • J Roddy Walston, 7 p.m.
  • Rebelmatic, 6 p.m.
  • Hang Ten, 5 p.m.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.