ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ... MUSIC? COLISEUM MAY HOST NFL CONCERT.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

The NFL is considering a return to the Coliseum this season.

Well, not to play football - not yet anyway - but to hold its season kickoff concert in Exposition Park on Sept. 8. The concert would serve as a prelude to the nationally televised Thursday night broadcast of the season-opening game between the Raiders and Patriots in New England.

NFL director of entertainment marketing Tracy Perlman, who would oversee the production, spent the last three days in Los Angeles, meeting with entertainment industry representatives along with Coliseum, police and fire officials.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Thursday that plans are not finalized.

The league has been planning the event for several months and had originally eyed a block party-style show at the corner of Hollywood and Highland. But as the league explored the site it became apparent that shutting down several city blocks would create large traffic problems - as it did for the BET Awards at the Kodak Theater last week.

The league has used past concerts in Boston, at the Mall in Washington D.C. and on Times Square in Manhattan as a way to build excitement for the upcoming season. By putting an event in Los Angeles, the NFL hopes to generate momentum for a possible announcement this fall that it is returning to Los Angeles. It is considering the Coliseum and Anaheim.

``It shows that we have a viable site,'' said Bernard Parks Jr., the spokesman for 8th District Councilman Bernard Parks Sr. ``We're not confusing the two issues. The NFL returning to L.A. is one thing, the concert is another, but to even be considered is a compliment.''

One of the major issues still being worked out is lining up the talent, which would have to be set before the concert is announced. Traditionally, the shows have featured about a half-dozen acts that have included Aerosmith, Elton John, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Toby Keith, Aretha Franklin and Bon Jovi.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com