‘Price Tag’ Singer Jessie J Headlines LIV Golf Concert Series

Already well-paid PGA Tour players fears of missing out on supersized paydays trumping other considerations have lured Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Na into the coffers of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series despite consternation from pundits and fans alike.

It will be interesting to see if the musicians who will be providing post-round entertainment for the upstart series’ inaugural tournament teeing off June 9th at the Centurion Club outside of London face similar ire.

The musical coda for the Thursday afternoon round will feature a concert by Grammy nominated troubadour James Bay with former Brit Award winner James Morrison leading off. Friday night’s bill pours on the soul with John Newman, whose “Love Me Again” topped the UK Singles Chart in 2013, opening for R&B crooner Craig David. Capping off the tournament will be a DJ set by former Spice Girl Melanie C with Jessie J, a pop artist with 14 million monthly listeners on Spotify, serving as the headliner.

It will truly be art imitating life when she plays her chart topper “Price Tag” a song the LIV press release even mentions is part of her repertoire. The chorus to the hit single begins: ‘It’s not about the money, money, money.’ Every PGA Tour player who jumped ship to the Saudi backed series, including those still on the fence about it have admitted that the outsized payday was extraordinarily compelling and almost just too good to pass up. Rickie Fowler, who was vacillating on joining the LIV Series for weeks, said “everyone has a price” on a recent episode of the Full Send podcast.

The inaugural tourney on the eight-event circuit boasts a $25 million purse with a $4 million check for the winner and the occupant of the very bottom of the leaderboard still collecting six figures.

Daily general admission grounds passes, which sell for £67, include the nightly concerts as well as access to a fan village featuring ‘Covent Garden-style’ street performers and a food festival vibe inspired by ‘the best of Borough Market’ according to the release. An onsite Kids Zone promises to keep tots occupied with face painting, soft play climbing experiences, crazy putting challenges and STEM based activations. There will also be a ‘Metaverse Tent’ targeting gamers and an Eco area promoting recycling and other green friendly initiatives.

“We are proud to provide fans with an opportunity to experience both the greatness of golf and an exciting lineup of artists that will supercharge the spirit and environment of our tournament,” Kerry Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at LIV Golf said in a statement.

“The atmosphere in London will be exciting and memorable as we celebrate our inaugural event and bring together new and existing fans, players, artists, and the community, all through the game of golf,” she added.

The debut event will also feature an air show courtesy of The Blades aerobatic team, made up of former RAF Red Arrow pilots. Meanwhile London black cabs will be utilized to chauffeur the 48-player field to their starting holes for the 2 p.m. shotgun start.

While the nascent golf tour has yet to secure a domestic network partner, the 54-hole, no-cut competition will be watchable stateside via YouTube, Facebook as well as LIV Golf’s website.