Lonestar, whose power ballad “Amazed” topped both the country and pop charts, will be among the performers at the Grand Central Stage at the Illinois State Fair.
The daily free shows are at the south end of the Reisch Pavilion (the former Food-A-Rama structure). In addition to up-and-coming talent, Grand Central Station is designed to showcase a wide variety of talent, including rock, country and funk.
Fairgoers can also find free musical entertainment at the Apex Stage (corner of Grandstand and Illinois Avenue); the Busch Light True Music Tent (on the Avenue of Flags behind the Commodity Pavilion); the Coors Light Tent (across from the Grandstand); the Illinois Building/Senior Center (just inside the Main Gate); the Lincoln Stage (on Central Avenue across from The Shed); the Miller Lite Tent (on Illinois Avenue) and Village of Cultures.
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The fair opens Aug. 10 and runs through Aug. 20.
For a full lineup of artists at the Grand Central Stage, visit the state fair website.
Here are five Grand Central Stage acts you won’t want to miss:
Lonestar, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 16
The quartet’s quadruple-platinum 1999 album “Lonely Grill” generated four chart toppers, including the beloved global smash “Amazed,” cementing it as one of music’s preeminent pop-country bands.
In a career that has spanned three decades, Lonestar has notched nine No. 1 country hits: “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me,” “Amazed,” “Smile,” “What About Now,” “Tell Her,” “I’m Already There,” “My Front Porch Looking In” and “Mr. Mom.”
All of those songs are found on 2022’s album “TEN to 1,” where the band re-worked the songs.
Lonestar’s lineup has changed over the years. Drew Womack (Sons of the Desert) now handles the lead vocals. Womack is forever linked with another huge crossover hit, singing backing vocals on “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack (no relation).
Red Clay Strays, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 15
The name is an ode to its Mobile, Alabama, home, but Red Clay Strays aren’t stuck in the mud.
The band barrels into Springfield after an appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago earlier this month. Its sound, which weaves together southern music, classic country, rockabilly and gospel-fed soul, also has lassoed fans at major festival appearances like Bristol Rhythm and Roots, Hangout Music Fest, and Mile-0 Fest.
“Good Godly Woman,” “Stone’s Throw” and “Doin’ Time” do more than hold their own, but lead singer’s Brandon Coleman’s stripped-down version of “Sunshine” (“That’s when my God comes like warming rays of summer/Melting all my worries”) is, to put it mildly, other worldly.
New Medicine, 7 p.m., Aug. 11
New Medicine, originally formed as A Verse Unsung and combining hard rock with the emotion of post-grunge with a hip-hop flair, vaulted out of Minneapolis in 2009 with its debut album “Race You to the Bottom.”
That brought tours with hard rockers like Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach and Halestorm, among others.
After a four-year hiatus, the band came back in 2019 with “Die Tryin’.” New Medicine has paired up with former tour mates Adelitas Way (“Invincible”) on two recent singles, “Own It” and “Up.”
Avery Anna, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 17
It’s no stretch to say a bathtub video posted TikTok launched Avery Anna’s career.
The Flagstaff, Arizona teen’s version of A Great Big World/Christina Aguilera’s Grammy-winning “Say Something” went viral, eventually nabbing her a record contract.
“Just ‘Cause I Love You,” “Can’t Miss You Anymore” and “Narcissist” have followed. She’s recently toured with Spencer Crandall and Josh Turner and heads to Europe later this fall.
The Main Squeeze, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 13
The five-piece jazz-funk-fusion band The Main Squeeze formed as a party band at Indiana University in 2010.
Its live shows caught the eye of producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, who was at the controls of their second full-length album, “Mind Your Head.”
Now based in Los Angeles, The Main Squeeze has shared stages with George Clinton & the Parliament Funkadelic, The Roots, Jane’s Addiction, Umphrey’s McGee and the String Cheese Incident, among others.
The band’s sixth album “To Be Determined” was just released.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, [email protected], twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
