It Turns Out German NFL Fans Love ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ — Now MGK Is Performing ‘Lonely Road’ At a Game in Munich

Machine Gun Kelly wrapping the North American leg of his Mainstream Sellout Tour. Photo Credit: Amber Patrick

The NFL has officially tapped Machine Gun Kelly for a halftime performance at its final international game of the 2024 season.The league confirmed MGK’s headlining halftime slot just moments ago, ahead of the Carolina Panthers’ November 10th clash with the New York Giants in Munich. According to the NFL – and as backed up by multiple YouTube videos – Germany-based football fans, notwithstanding the over 4,000 miles separating them from West Virginia, are big into “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

As described by the NFL, Machine Gun Kelly will “pay homage” to the John Denver classic with his recently released “Lonely Road,” which interpolates the 1971 hit. (Jelly Roll, who also recorded the newer song, will be in Indiana to deliver a concert on the same day as the Munich game.)

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Machine Gun Kelly to the stage as the halftime performer for the 2024 NFL Game in Munich — capping off an incredible season of international games with a performance from one of the most dynamic talents in music today,” NFL director of event and game presentation Tim Tubito elaborated in part.

Stateside, the early morning game (scheduled for a 6:30 AM PT kickoff) as well as the halftime show will air exclusively on the NFL Network, with MGK’s set poised to arrive on social media sometime later in the day.

Shifting the focus to the bigger picture, music is playing an increasingly significant role in the football world – and not solely when it comes to the Super Bowl’s Apple Music-sponsored Halftime Show. Amazon Music Live, having followed Prime-exclusive Thursday Night Football broadcasts with livestream music for years now, initiated 2024’s seven-concert series last week with the aforementioned Jelly Roll.

Meanwhile, in terms of forthcoming performance opportunities at NFL games in Europe and elsewhere, the league has already confirmed it’ll take a regular-season game to Madrid in 2025. Overall, next year will bring as many as “eight league-operated international games,” up from four and not including additional “club-operated games, such as the Jaguars hosting a game at Wembley Stadium in the U.K.,” per the Jay-Z partnered league.

Despite these points, recent headlines haven’t been entirely positive at the intersection of football and music. The legendary Lil Wayne, a longtime Packers fan and a New Orleans native, has spoken publicly about being snubbed from the Kendrick Lamar-headlined Halftime Show at Super Bowl LIX, which will take place in his hometown on February 9th.