Washington’s answer to Vegas: Sting, Shaggy, Fall Out Boy and Pat Sajak
No one will ever mistake D.C. for Las Vegas, but the pregame scene inside and outside of Capital One Arena will have a different look and feel than it has throughout the Capitals’ playoff run as the Stanley Cup finals shift to the nation’s capital this weekend.
Sting and Shaggy, who released an island-inspired collaborative album last month, will perform an outdoor concert near the National Portrait Gallery entrance on G Street before Game 3 on Saturday, while Fall Out Boy will perform outside the arena ahead of Game 4. Both concerts are free and open to the public. Sting and Shaggy will take the stage on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“It’s our overall philosophy to make this Stanley Cup Final as big as it’s ever been, from an event and social standpoint,” said Steve Mayer, the NHL’s chief content officer, who has been working closely with the game operations staffs for both the Golden Knights and Capitals throughout the series. “We look at it as the greatest series in sports. How do you amplify that? How do you make it feel as big as it is?”
In Sin City, the expansion Golden Knights have been amplifying the pregame experience — normally one of the more mundane parts of attending a hockey game — all season. Vegas has taken it to another level during the playoffs, with elaborate pregame shows featuring special effects and sword fights at center ice. Lil John performed outside of T-Mobile Arena before Game 1, and the Las Vegas-based rock band Imagine Dragons sang “Whatever It Takes” on the ice before the national anthem at Game 2.
“Our goal in Vegas was to take what they’ve already done and make it grander,” Mayer said. “I’ll leave that up to you as to how you think we’ve done over the first two…