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Run-DMC to open for Chili Peppers at pre-Super Bowl concert

ATLANTA (AP) - Run-DMC will open up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a pre-Super Bowl concert in San Francisco.

The famed rap group is expected to hit the stage at the sixth annual DirecTV Super Saturday Night concert party at Pier 70. The show is an invitation-only event co-hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV.

"We get to be in the energy of the Super Bowl, which is amazing," Joseph Simmons, known as the Rev. Run, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "This should be high energy, fun and cool."

Super Bowl 50 will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday night. Simmons said he's also going to attend the game between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

Past performers at the DirecTV concert include Beyonce, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Kanye West. The satellite television company also teamed up with Pepsi to put on other shows at Pier 70, including the Dave Matthews Band and Pharrell starting Thursday.

Run-DMC, which includes Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, retired the group after their DJ, Jam Master Jay, was killed in 2002. But Simmons and McDaniels continue to perform together, appearing on the LL Cool J-hosted "Lip Sync Battle" last year and the Christmas in Brooklyn concert in 2014.

McDaniels said he's going to enjoy performing with Simmons at the DirecTV show and hopes everyone will enjoy their performance.

"We are from that era of eternally great, amazing, fun and enjoyable music with a presentation theme," said McDaniels, who's flying back to New York to watch the game from home. "That's what the people are going to get. We've still got some longevity with this rock 'n' roll, hip-hop thing."

Run-DMC helped take rap to the mainstream with multiplatinum records and hits including "It's Tricky," ''Adidas" and "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith in the 1980s. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Recording Academy will honor Run-DMC with a lifetime achievement award at the 58th annual Grammy Awards later this month.

"This makes me look back on my career and the group, and makes me feel really appreciated," Simmons said. "With all the accolades, it lets me see that we created something special and stood the test of time."

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Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jonathan-landrum-jr

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