Surprise! There will not be a MN Music on a Stick concert at the Minnesota State Fair grandstand this year after all. The final fair concert is the Avett Brothers on Sept. 5. It is being billed as the Current's Music on a Stick, with sponsorship by 89.3 the Current, the public radio station.
A headliner for MN Music on a Stick, a tradition for the past three years featuring Minnesota-connected acts, fell through, and the Avett Brothers became the alternative. The North Carolina bluegrass-rockers are favorites on the Current and with Twin Cities concert audiences. The Avetts have performed at such outdoor events as the Basilica Block Party and the Somerset Amphitheater.
Opening for the Avetts will be the Preservation Jazz Hall Band.
Tickets, priced at $35 and $45, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at etix.com, 1-800- 514-3849 and the state fair box office.
The only soldout grandstand show thus far is Carrie Underwood on Aug. 29. There is limited availability for Def Leppard on Aug. 27, the fair's opening night, and Keith Urban on Aug 28. Tickets are available for all other performances.
For more information, go to www. mnstatefair.org.
Jon Bream
