* Press release…

The Illinois State Fair is excited to announce the first six acts scheduled to perform on the Illinois Lottery Grandstand stage during the upcoming 2022 Illinois State Fair. From Grammy Award winning artists in country, pop and reggae to rock royalty, this year’s lineup has something for everyone. Fairgoers can start planning their summer concert adventures when tickets go on sale Friday, March 11th.

Multi-Platinum-selling, award-winning hitmaker Sam Hunt will kick off the first weekend of the fair on Friday, August 12. Hunt’s sophomore album SOUTHSIDE debuted to critical acclaim and was one of the top country albums of 2020 landing at number one on the Billboard country albums chart. Hunt is known for bridging multiple genres with powerhouse collaborations with artist that include Carrie Underwood (“Heartbeat”), Breland (“My Truck”), Sasha Alex Sloan (“When Was It Over”) and Ingrid Andress (“Wishful Drinking”).

Sunday, August 14 the best-selling duo in country music history will take the stage. Brooks & Dunn have 23 career chart-toppers and have sold 30 million albums over a career that has spanned over three decades. The duo made up of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have amassed more than 80 industry awards, including two Grammy’s. The legendary country musical group has been nominated by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) for “Duo of the Year”, an award in which they have won more than a dozen times.

TLC and Shaggy will take fairgoers back to the 90’s and 2000’s on Wednesday, August 17. The best-selling American girl group of all time has sold 85 million records worldwide and has won four Grammys. Shaggy, two-time Grammy winner for Best Reggae album, saw massive success with his viral hit, “Banana” with fellow Jamaican artist, Conkarah which amassed over 2 billion streams and spawned over 50 million Tik Tok videos with over 5 billion video views for the #bananadrop challenge. As the only diamond-selling dancehall/reggae artist in music history, he is also among the top 3 streamed reggae artists of all time on Spotify. Shaggy is currently in the studio working on a new album slated for release later this year.

Thursday, August 18 ACM/CMA award-winning artist Jon Pardi will headline a night of country. Pardi recently released country radio single “Tequilla Little Time,” the follow-up to his number one hit “Heartache Medication.” Joining Pardi, is one of country music’s most promising young stars Lainey Wilson and country trio Chapel Hart.

The final weekend of the fair will be led by monstrous metal jams from Illinois based rock band, Disturbed. Taking the stage on Saturday August 20, this multiplatinum band from Chicago is described as a hard rock juggernaut that has accomplished the rare feat of achieving five consecutive number one debuts on the Billboard Top 200. Guitarist Nita Strauss will open for Disturbed. Strauss, who may be best known for her role as the lead guitarist for Alice Cooper, is the first female since 1995 to have a top 10 single on Billboard’s Top 10 Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Critics have called Strauss one of the most well-versed, living rock guitarists in the world.

The 2022 Illinois State Fair will go out rocking with Sammy Hagar & The Circle. The group was scheduled to open the 2021 Illinois State Fair, but severe weather canceled the show. Formed in 2014, the critically-acclaimed supergroup takes fans on a musical journey through rock history with a setlist spanning four decades of Hagar and the band’s biggest hits from The Circle, Van Halen, Montrose, Sammy Hagar & The Wabos, and beyond. With drummer Jason Bonham on board, concert goers can expect to hear a few Led Zeppelin classics as well as some surprise jams.

“We are very excited to bring this many talented artists to the Illinois Lottery Grandstand,” said Illinois State Fair Manager, Rebecca Clark. “Our number one goal is to have something for everyone’s musical taste, and I feel like we are well on our way to accomplishing that goal with several nights still to announce.”

Ticket prices are here.

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