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A decidedly mixed bag, to say the least. Just announced via press release.
# Friday, August 12th The Illinois State Fair kicks off with 2005 County Music Association Award winners Rascal Flatts taking the stage. […]# Saturday, August 13th: Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform over thirty years of hits. […]
# Sunday, August 14th: Classic Rock group REO Speedwagon returns to the grandstand.[…]
# Wednesday, August 17th: The Illinois State Fair presents Velvet Revolver: Scott Weiland (lead vocals), Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), Matt Sorum (drums), and Dave Kushner (guitar) - - are touring arenas in connection with their platinum-plus debut Contraband album. [..]
# Friday, August 19th: Award winning country music artist Brad Paisley will perform on the Grandstand stage. […]
# Saturday, August 20th: Simple Plan will take the stage. […] Jesse McCartney will open the show. […]
# Sunday, August 21nd: The grandstand entertainment concludes with a free concert by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m.
Update: I put this in comments, but it’s worth repeating here:
[The comments on this post] prove what my good friend Keith always says.“Rich,” he says, “Music is like food. We all have our own tastes.”
I should have known better than to make that wisecrack in the post. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes and opinions. I just wish there was something on the buffet table for me besides Velvet Revolver (and the symphony).
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 2:25 pm
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Well with that lineup my hopes are crushed for hearing a rousing rendition of “Rock you like a hurricane”
At least they are hosting a good Illinois band in REO Speedwagon
Comment by PrairieStateDem Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 3:19 pm
I wish REO were from Iowa and not Illinois.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 3:22 pm
Wish they could get Cheap Trick-another good Illinois band.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 3:50 pm
A decidedly mixed bag? C’mon Rich. It pains me to give credit to anything associated with this administration, but Velvet Revolver is one of the most solid bookings for the fair in years! And I should know. Sure, Skynyrd and REO are pretty stale, but they come cheap and they still sell tickets. But Velvet Revolver, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Simple Plan for a State Fair? I think most any fair would take that lineup in a heartbeat.
Comment by John Herath Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 3:56 pm
Ive not been to a show at the state fair in my life, but i will go to see velvet revolver.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 4:09 pm
Don’t forget they need to make up for last year! (ticket sales didn’t exactly go as planned)
In the end, they were advertising free tickets.
Comment by BMc Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 5:31 pm
Getting Velvet Revolver and Simple Plan is tremendous. Those bands will bring in the young people. REO and Skynrd are a bit so-so, but alot of people that go to the state fair like that kind of music. Paisley is hot right now and he will draw the country crowd. Overall - a great lineup.
Once again, so much negativity on the board. This is great!
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 5:32 pm
This is the best line-up the Fair has had in years…however, based on past, miserable years - that ain’t saying much!
The improvement is duly noted.
Comment by Tom DeLay's Mom Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 8:18 pm
For the money, I’d still go see Skynard. Saw them a few years back with ZZ Top. I might actually have to go to the fair.
An interesting lineup indeed for a state fair.
Comment by Tessa Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 8:33 pm
I just saw John Cougar Mellencamp in Moline at The Mark. May I suggest to the State Fair staff that that’s the perfect Heartland rocker to snag for next year.
My most vivid rock experience from any state fair experience was from 1986 watching Stevie Ray Vaughn electrify the audience (almost literally) under a dark sky full of lightning. Rich probably remembers that concert.
Comment by blue state Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 10:04 pm
So will they be selling the week of acts as “Velvet Revolver and 5 other nights of music that sucks out loud”?
(I’ll let the Symphony slide by)
But I guess when your music bill is Velvet Revolver (good) and the other 5 nights (not so much) you do pretty much nail the concept of a “mixed bag”
Comment by Rich O. Thursday, Apr 21, 05 @ 11:10 pm
My sentiments exactly, rich o.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 22, 05 @ 7:32 am
Um, Cheap Trick IS on the bill, same night as REO. For an old band, they still sound great, they sound the way you remember them.
I used to love hearing the Beach Boys every summer at the fair, but they finally got too worn out and diluted, it became like watching your loved one get Alzheimers and lose everything that made them unique.
Some of my favorite ISF concerts included B-52’s, Robert Palmer and Ray Charles. They also did some nice bookings for the smaller “rodeo” multipurpose arena, particularly some excellent blues acts, at very reasonable prices. I wish they could get Keb Mo this year. Anyway, keep your eyes open for the press release about that other venue, often times in previous years I would completely ignore the grandstand just to go enjoy the smaller venue with cooler acts.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 22, 05 @ 8:48 am
This all goes to prove what my good friend Keith always says.
“Rich,” he says, “Music is like food. We all have our own tastes.”
I should have known better than to make that wisecrack in the post. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes and opinions. I just wish there was something on the buffet table for me besides Velvet Revolver (and the symphony).
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 22, 05 @ 8:54 am
A little seen item in the line up is the addition of Cross Canadian Ragweed opening for Skynyrd. For those of you not familiar with CCR they are a kind of alt-country / roots rock group in the mold of a Wilco or Son Volt, but with a little more Texas sensibility. In short, they are awesome and it will be worth fighting your way through the mulletts and tube tops that normally populate the fair.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 22, 05 @ 1:03 pm
Ooh, Keb Mo. There’d be a good reason to come to the fair. Too bad. Or a good blues band would bring me there.
Skynard isn’t enough. None of these are. Maybe I’ll make the trip next year.
Comment by Tessa Friday, Apr 22, 05 @ 4:25 pm
I’d go see Velvet Revolver just because I know Scott Weiland is an awesome performer from his Stone Temple Pilots days. I haven’t ever gotten to see them, but I constantly hear good things about how awesome it is to see Weiland perform.
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