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Grandstand lineup announced

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* A bit heavy on the pop country side for my taste, but this is central Illinois, after all. So, it doesn’t totally suck…

Planning is well underway for the 2016 Illinois State Fair, and each year the most anticipated annoucement is the unveiling of the Grandstand lineup. At this time, the Illinois State Fair management team is pleased to announce five nights of high-calibur entertainment, with at least three more grandstand announcements pending.

Known for his barefoot performances, Jake Owen will take the stage on Sunday, August 14. This will be Owen’s second performance at the Illinois State Fair. He previously performed at the Grandstand in 2014. Owen is best known for hit songs “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Beachin’,” and “Anywhere With You.”

Opening for Jake Owen will be the 2016 Academy of Country Music New Vocal Group of the Year, Old Dominion. Rolling Stone magazine has called Old Dominion ‘the group to watch’ in country music. The band is best known for the debut hit single, “Break up With Him.”

Tickets for Jake Owen with Old Dominion will range from $15 for Tier 3 seats to $37 for VIP tickets.

Also, signed up to play at the 2016 Illinois State Fair is Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, Dierks Bentley. The Arkansas native is best known for hits like, “Drunk on a Plane,” What Was I Thinking,” and “Free And Easy (Down the Road I Go).”

Opening for Dierks Bentley will be Tucker Beathard. Ticket prices for the Tuesday, August 16th concert will range from $42 for Tier 3 seats to $64 for VIP tickets.

Also pulling into Springfield for the 2016 Illinois State Fair will be Cole Swindell. The country music newcomer has a growing reputation in Nashville as one of the city’s most exciting young performers. The Georgia native is best known for number one hits such as, “Chillin’ It,” and “You Should Be Here.”

Opening for Cole Swindell on Friday, August 19th will be Kane Brown, LANco, and Jon Langston. Tickets prices will range from $18 for Tier 3 seats to $40 for VIP tickets.
GRANDSTAND/2222

Scheduled to take the stage on Saturday, August 20 is the Grammy award winning group Little Big Town. With multiple number one hits to their credit, the harmonizing vocal group is sure to be a crowd pleaser at the Grandstand. Their hits include, “Pontoon,” “Bring It On Home,” “Boondocks,” and ACM nominated for Single Record, Song and Video of the Year, “Girl Crush.”

Opening for Little Big Town will be David Nail. The Missouri native is best known for the songs, “Red Light,” “Whatever She’s Got” and “Let It Rain.” Tickets for this concert will range $27 for Tier 3 seating to $49 for VIP tickets.

The Grandstand will be rockin’ on the last night of the Illinois State Fair, August 21 when ZZ Top takes the stage. The group has been praised by critics and fellow musicans aliike for their technical mastery. Known for their long beards and hard-core guitar rifs, ZZ Top has been performing since 1969. Their hits include, “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “La Grange.”

Also performing that night will be Gregg Allman. Allman, a recipient of Classic Rock magazine’s ‘Living Legend’ award, is one of the most-acclaimed and beloved icons in rock and roll. He is best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Tickets will range from $34 for Tier 3 seats to $54 for VIP tickets.

An on-sale date for the above mentioned acts has not been set at this time.

Ticket prices for each of the shows are listed below:

More details regarding ticket sales, special events, and additional grandstand acts will be released in the coming weeks and months. Dates for the 2016 Illinois State Fair are Aug. 12-21.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:33 am

Comments

  1. “The Grandstand will be rockin’ on the last night of the Illinois State Fair…”

    Must we drop G’s in press releases too?

    Comment by Nick Name Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:36 am

  2. LOL
    Looks like I’m skippin’ any concerts!

    Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:38 am

  3. What are they using to pay the performers?

    Comment by SAP Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:39 am

  4. Looks like I’m seeing the Top for the fourth time… first time since 1982!

    Comment by Mr. B.A. Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:54 am

  5. Hi Rich,

    The lineup you received was in error, due to a communications error in our stellar press shop.

    There will be NO musical acts at the Illinois State Fair this year.

    Instead of musical acts, Bruce Rauner has ordered the PA system to play a loop of Bonnie Tyler’s “TurnAround” for the entirety of the Fair.

    Best,
    ck!

    Comment by How Ironic Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:55 am

  6. Count me as among those who think the fair should be cancelled until we can actually pass a freaking budget.

    And yes, I get that other revenue streams, etc allow a lot of the fair to operate on paper. But it sends an awful message about priorities to be 10 months without a budget, and yet still planning the state fair

    Comment by ILPundit Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 11:56 am

  7. “But it sends an awful message about priorities to be 10 months without a budget, and yet still planning the state fair”

    By August, we could very well be 12 months without one budget, two months without the next budget.

    Comment by Nick Name Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 12:05 pm

  8. Hoping you enjoyed your well deserved break, Rich. We missed you.

    Looks to me like ZZ Top and Greg Allman would be the only concert I would be interested in, but let’s see what others may be announced later.

    Comment by illini Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 12:10 pm

  9. I saw the Gregg Allman band at Poplar Creek when Stevie Ray Vaughn was the headliner and the Allman band was the warmup. Enjoyed Allman more.

    Allman played a good bit as an actor in the movie “Rush.” Good soundtrack on that movie for blues fans.

    Comment by Payback Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 12:14 pm

  10. The only one that might interest me is ZZ Top & Gregg Allman, but not at the fair. I’d rather travel to St. Louis and see them at a real concert setting.

    Comment by Dead Head Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 12:22 pm

  11. - Count me as among those who think the fair should be cancelled until we can actually pass a freaking budget.

    And yes, I get that other revenue streams, etc allow a lot of the fair to operate on paper. But it sends an awful message about priorities to be 10 months without a budget, and yet still planning the state fair -

    I agree! The whole state is suffering but the state fair must go on? I know it is required by law, but so is a state budget! No fair … no fair!

    Comment by BBG Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 12:35 pm

  12. Definitely a new country bent. Has the lineup been this lily white in a while?

    Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 1:01 pm

  13. Oh man, ZZ top is what I grew up on! I’d love to take my girls.

    Comment by Honeybear Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 1:30 pm

  14. Ooh, ZZ Top might sway me to come out of concert attendance retirement. Saw them in the mid-80’s, was a great show.

    Comment by Chuckvegas Alum Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 2:13 pm

  15. Do they know to get paid in advance….with cash?

    Comment by Dr X Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 2:22 pm

  16. I said this last year, and I repeat it for this year’s Fairs. If you are opposed to funding the Fairs while schools and social services are NOT being funded, then contact these entertainers. Ask them if they know what’s actually going on in Illinois. Ask them if they feel their fees are more important than the 8-10% that haven’t seen a payment in over a year when August 2017 rolls in. Ask, especially the country performers, what they think about the $0 dollars for Ag Ed, and how Rauner feels about that. Ask them. And then, think about buying that ticket.

    Comment by Anon221 Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 2:25 pm

  17. Love it!

    Comment by Team Warwick Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 2:40 pm

  18. Can the state send the performers to the court of claims? I say cancel, even if their is a budget, we don’t have any money for this.

    Comment by It's official Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 3:32 pm

  19. Will Chris Kaergard be covering the ZZ Top show? #budgetbeard

    Comment by Senator Clay Davis Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 3:50 pm

  20. I notice the first Friday and Saturday aren’t mentioned, which are usually two of the bigger ones. So I suspect more will be named.

    Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 4:00 pm

  21. They still haven’t paid the livestock show winners and many vendors from last year.
    This should be a pretty interesting period leading up to the fair.

    Comment by Austin Blvd Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 4:07 pm

  22. GREG ALLMAN???!!!! I AM THERE!

    And actually, both my daughters and I got our premiums (for our ribbons) about a month ago… (for 4-H and general entries)

    Comment by IBE Monday, Apr 4, 16 @ 7:38 pm

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