Pharrell Williams to Open World Series with Live Performance

Photo Credit: Frank Schwichtenberg / CC by 4.0

Let’s enjoy the Series in harmony, shall we? The MLB just picked Pharrell Williams as the headliner of a live performance to kick off Game One of the World Series on Friday, October 24th.

On Thursday, MLB made a surprise announcement that musician and multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams will headline an exclusive live performance to kick off Game One of the World Series on Friday, October 24th. The performance will air live on Fox before the first pitch.

The MLB’s Pharrell pick comes after Bad Bunny continues to stoke divisions ahead of his much-ballyhooed Super Bowl Halftime performance. The NFL’s decision has been met with backlash from the Trump administration and right-leaning pundits, while the NFL commissioner and Roc Nation have both doubled down on the decision.

Making matters worse, Bad Bunny recently opted against standing for ‘God Bless America’ at a recent New York Yankees game, fanning the flames ahead of his 2026 NFL gig,

Perhaps the MLB is eyeing a less controversial pick. Back to Pharrell, the 13-time Grammy Award winner will take the field alongside his uncle, Bishop Ezekiel, and the acclaimed 25-piece gospel orchestra Voices of Fire for a six-minute performance that reimagines the “October Hits Different” postseason campaign. The event aspires to be a moment of unity and togetherness in honoring baseball as a global sport.

The collaboration between MLB, Pharrell, and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins fuses gospel, orchestral, and cinematic elements in a live pregame show that aims to set a new creative bar for baseball and entertainment crossovers.

Collins also produced Pharrell and Voices of Fire’s historic Vatican performance in September. His credits also include Super Bowl halftime shows, including those by Rihanna, Usher, and Kendrick Lamar, and the MLB All-Star Game performance featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris.

Game One of the 2025 World Series airs live on Fox on Friday, October 24th, with the exact time to be announced.

Earlier this month, Pharrell took to his native Virginia Beach to celebrate the town’s newly developed Atlantic Park, Virginia Beach’s first-of-its-kind mixed-use development. Several events took place at the site during the weekend of October 10, where music, food, and other activities brought people from the area together, with backing from Pharrell.

“Virginia is a cultural destination—it’s also a lifestyle, a philosophy, a state of mind. I’m proud of what we’re building here at Atlantic Park in my hometown, and how Virginia has shown up for it,” said Pharrell in a statement.