September 05, 2018
If you're a football fan, you probably already know that the free, all-day NFL Kickoff Experience will take place at Penn's Landing before the Eagles' season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
There will be former Eagles players on-site to sign autographs, championship rings on display, prizes up for grabs, a re-play of Super Bowl LII and live musical performances.
Taking the stage at 6 p.m. will be concert headliner, Shawn Mendes.
So, who is he? If you're not Gen Z, which he's part of, you might not be super familiar with the pop star, although you've probably heard hits like, "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" and "Stitches."
For starters, he's a multi-platinum singer/songwriter, and it's doubtful he would be putting on a free show for us in September if the Eagles didn't win the Super Bowl – (thank you, Birds!) His upcoming world tour kicks off at the end of the month.
Below, we've rounded up five more quick facts to know about Mendes before attending the Kickoff Experience.
1. He gained a following posting six-second song covers on the video-sharing app Vine (RIP).
2. He's Canadian. His father is from Portugal, while his mother is from England. A quick Google search told us he played ice hockey (naturally) and football soccer during this childhood.
3. He was born on Aug. 8, 1998. Not until next year can you invite him to cheers "Philly, Philly!" with a can of Bud Light at your tailgate.
4. He attended this year's Met Gala with supermodel Hailey Baldwin, sparking relationship rumors, before Baldwin became engaged to a different Canadian singer, Justin Bieber. It was one of the biggest stories of the summer – at least in celebrity gossip circles.
5. His fans are dedicated. A few of them (accidentally) showed up to a concert a full year early. Hopefully, with fans like that, Mendes will be understanding about how many "E-A-G-L-E-S!" chants he hears during his set. We just love our team!
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