Monday Night Football: Lil Jon and Michelle Williams headline Raiders' home opener at Allegiant Stadium

Las Vegas turns up the volume for Monday night

Only in Las Vegas do you get a club king and an R&B star sharing the same football bill. The Raiders’ home opener arrives on Monday Night Football with Grammy winner Lil Jon set for a high-energy halftime set and Michelle Williams, of Destiny’s Child fame, taking the National Anthem before kickoff at Allegiant Stadium.

It’s a move straight out of the city’s playbook: blend big-time sports with marquee entertainment. Lil Jon, the producer and hype man behind hits like “Get Low” and “Turn Down for What,” is built for a 12-minute halftime burst—loud, quick, and tailor-made for stadium sound. Expect a medley, heavy bass, and a light show that leans on Allegiant’s LED walls and in-bowl pyrotechnics. The building was designed for this, with concert-grade audio and lighting that flip from football to festival in seconds.

The timing matters. Primetime spot. National audience. A division rivalry against the Los Angeles Chargers. The NFL loves the spectacle of Week 1, and ESPN/ABC’s doubleheader format puts extra attention on how teams present their product. For the Raiders, that means rolling out a headliner who can turn a TV timeout into a moment.

Las Vegas has been building a reputation for premium game-day production since the team moved from Oakland in 2020. Allegiant Stadium typically layers pregame DJ sets, the lighting of the Al Davis Memorial Torch, and in-bowl performances around the main act on the field. Bringing in a known name for halftime has become part of the identity—snap-to-snap football, framed by showmanship that feels native to the Strip.

There’s a strategic angle too. In a city overflowing with options, the Raiders want the building to feel like an event, not just a game. Near-capacity crowds are standard, but the entertainment slate gives casual fans a reason to get there early and stay engaged. In-stadium activations—think synchronized wristbands, on-field stages that deploy in seconds, and tightly timed set changes—make the broadcast pop for viewers at home and keep the energy high for the fans in the seats.

• Why it matters: primetime visibility for the franchise, a louder brand statement for Las Vegas, and a richer game-day experience that goes beyond the scoreboard.
• What to watch: halftime pace, production quality, and how the show plays for TV versus the in-person crowd.
• The backdrop: a divisional matchup that usually swings on thin margins—and momentum is momentum, even if it starts with a beat drop.

Anthem spotlight and a Vegas-sized stage

Before the opening kickoff, Michelle Williams will set the tone with the National Anthem. She’s no stranger to big stages. Beyond Destiny’s Child, Williams has carved out a solo career spanning gospel and pop and has logged time on Broadway. That range usually translates into a clean, restrained anthem that lets the stadium breathe—big note, zero over-singing, and a finish that invites the flyover or fireworks that often follow on NFL openers.

Anthem performances can feel ceremonial, but they’re also the first impression for a national broadcast. The production team will mic the field to balance Williams’ vocal against a 65,000-seat bowl, a task that’s trickier than it looks. Allegiant’s sound engineering helps, and the Raiders’ crew has experience dialing the mix so the TV audience hears it crisp while the in-stadium crowd gets the lift without echo.

For the halftime set, the choreography is military-precise. The league gives teams a tight window—roughly the length of a network halftime show—to wheel out the stage, run the performance, and clear the field. Expect a rolling platform, a compact band/DJ setup, and a camera plan that toggles between aerial shots, tight stage frames, and crowd cuts designed to play well on social feeds moments later.

All of this lands on a night when the Raiders are trying to begin the 2025 NFL season with momentum. The Chargers game is a tone-setter—divisional games in Week 1 have a way of echoing in December. The Raiders are betting that a better atmosphere helps the football, not distracts from it. Coaches talk about complementary football; the business side is learning complementary entertainment.

There’s also the city factor. Las Vegas has taught sports teams to think like venues. Between NHL and WNBA celebrations on the Strip and a steady flow of residency headliners, the bar for staging is high. The Raiders don’t need to reinvent the wheel every week, but they do need to keep it glitzy when the country is watching. Landing Lil Jon and Michelle Williams checks that box without overcomplicating the show.

If you’re heading to Allegiant, plan for a quick rhythm to the night. Pregame ceremonies stack up fast: warmups, anthem, team introductions, and a burst of theatrics before the opening kick. At halftime, the field will transform in minutes, then snap back just as quickly. For TV viewers, the broadcast will lean into the music hits while the booth gets you back to adjustments and matchups by the third quarter.

That balance—football first, but not entertainment shy—is the identity the Raiders are pushing. With two familiar names on the bill and the bright lights of a Monday night doubleheader, Las Vegas gets another chance to prove that in this town, the show helps the sport, and the sport makes the show feel bigger.