East LA Classic: Roosevelt-Garfield matchup gets star-studded Super Bowl upgrade

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- When it comes to crosstown rivalries, few can compare to the East LA Classic: a gridiron battle between Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and Garfield High School in East Los Angeles that has been going strong since 1925.

But this year's matchup won't just be held in a former Super Bowl stadium, it will feature a former Super Bowl halftime performer.

The upcoming football game slated for Oct. 21 will be held in the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Black Eyed Peas are set to take the stage for a half-hour long halftime show.

"For East L.A., Boyle heights, this is like the Grammys for us, this is like the Oscars," said Will.I.Am, the band's founder and lead singer, referring to the East LA Classic's popularity. "This is like, you know, our Super Bowl."

He should know.

The Black Eyed Peas performed in the 2011 Super Bowl held in Houston.

The upcoming East LA Classic is a way for Will.I.Am to give back to the community he loves.

"The Super Bowl was dope. This is going to be doper," he said. "This is beyond just a halftime show. This is a celebration for the community. This is saluting these kids excellence and their discipline."

Will.I.Am has deep ties to East L.A.

He grew up in Boyle Heights and for the past 12 years, has shared his success with the community, setting up scholarship foundations and a science, technology, engineering and math program at Roosevelt High.

"We have great scholars. We sent kids to Dartmouth, to Brown, to Stanford," he told Eyewitness News.

Come Oct. 21, he and his band hope to bring the East LA Classic's attendance at least back to its pre-pandemic peaks of roughly 25,000 people.

Students can get tickets for the game and performance for $12.

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