The final three headliners in the Minnesota State Fair's 2018 grandstand concert series were announced Tuesday, including: the country-pop act that just opened for Kenny Chesney at U.S. Bank Stadium last weekend; the newly revived Minnesota acoustic band that sold out two nights at Palace Theatre last weekend, and the costumed heavy-metal covers band you can catch at rural casinos and county fairs on most other weekends.
Tickets for all shows go on sale at varying times Friday via the fair's box office, eTix.com or by calling 800-514-3849.
Use these guides to explore the fair
OLD DOMINION (Wednesday, Aug. 29): Following up Saturday's big gig with Chesney, the Nashville-based quintet will graduate to headliner status with Aussie twanger Morgan Evans as an opener. The group broke into country radio playlists two years ago with the good-timey hits "Break Up with Him" and "Snapback." To add to O.D.'s rowdy vibe, the plaza level at the grandstand will be general-admission for the concert (no chairs). Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. for $25-$35.
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES (Saturday, Aug. 25): Returning from a nearly two-year hiatus last week with two very-sold-out Palace gigs, Minnesota's bluegrassy Americana sextet will headline the latest installment of 89.3 the Current's Music-on-a-Stick night at the fair with a Los Angeles-based indie strummer who also just packed the Palace Theatre a couple weeks ago, Lord Huron, plus Iowa-based singer/songwriter and local favorite Lissie.
Tickets go on sale noon Friday for $35. That show will also offer seatless general-admission on the grandstand plaza. Also a big draw at the Music-on-a-Stick concert with the Suburbs in 2013, Trampled is playing the fair again in lieu of the Palomino Festival, which it put on for three years prior to going on hiatus but has no plans to offer again. The group also has a big in-state gig already scheduled July 7 at the beautiful Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth.
HAIRBALL (Saturday, Sept. 1): With Treasure Island and Mystic Lake casinos nabbing a lot of the bigger tours that likely would have gone to the grandstand in years past, the fair's talent bookers went ahead and took a smaller but easily sellable act out of the casinos' playbook. The locally based tribute band's "bombastic celebration of arena rock" usually includes songs by Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and Journey. Tickets go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. for $15 (all general-admission). Fair vendors may want to stock up on Bic lighters that day.
