ABC SPORTS TO PRESENT "NFL OPENING KICKOFF 2005," FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY THE ROLLING STONES, GREEN DAY, SANTANA, MAROON 5 AND KANYE WEST, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Special Musical Hour Will Be Followed by the Opening Game of the NFL Season, Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots (9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network

The Rolling Stones will help start up the 2005 NFL season from their "A Bigger Bang" World Tour with the first performance footage of songs from their concert in Detroit as part of "NFL Opening Kickoff 2005" - a one-hour pre-game special on ABC at 8:00 p.m., ET, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. The show, which will feature live performances by Green Day, Santana, Trisha Yearwood, Maroon 5 and Kanye West, will lead into the season opener between the Patriots and Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium (ABC, 9:00 p.m., ET).

The performances are part of a three-city football and music celebration of the NFL's "Road to Forty" season that will look back at the history of the Super Bowl, honor the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, and look down the road to Super Bowl XL, slated for Feb. 5, 2006 in Detroit on ABC.

Green Day and Santana will perform from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, while Maroon 5 and Kanye West will be outside the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the first Super Bowl, as part of a free concert. Trisha Yearwood will perform the national anthem from Gillette Stadium, where the show will be hosted by Freddie Prinze, Jr. (star of the new ABC show, "Freddie").

The show will feature footage of The Rolling Stones' performance in Detroit on August 31. The "A Bigger Band" World Tour kicks off August 21 in Boston.

For the second year, "NFL Opening Kickoff" will be executive-produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss also will serve as the show's director. The pair has produced and directed shows for both broadcast and cable networks, including many acclaimed television specials, stadium spectaculars and corporate events. Among their credits: Tony Awards; the July 4th Celebration in Boston; GQ Men of the Year Awards; 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on ABC; Vibe Awards; 2003 and 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade; and the 2002 and 2003 Thanksgiving Day Parades.