A few thoughts on free music at the State Fair

*Wain McFarlane, one of the Twin Cities most seasoned reggae singers, is a great addition to Mojo Roots, at night at Cafe Caribe. *Late afternoon is a good time to chill at the bandshell. Loved the Louisiana soaked piano of Marcia Ball and the guitar wizardy of Junior Brown. *The dance line routine at the corn roast booth is a hoot as soiled corn workers don sunglasses and strut on palettes atop the roasters, breezing through a quick-switching medley of favorites -- though they refuse to dance to "The Macarena." *Dino's Opaa added live music this year after doing exclusively karaoke. Despite modest instrumental accompaniment, the live singers have been unreasonably loud -- as if Dino's doesn't want diners to linger too long while they eat. Is the music about turnover or entertainment? I say bring back the karaoke fulltime instead of a mixture of live music and karaoke. *Speaking of karaoke, the Giant Sing-Along is a massive hit. New this year across from the Pet Center, it offers 49 songs (chosen in an online survey) to sing-along with at about two dozen microphones. If you don't know the words, there is a giant screen scrolling the lyrics. It's everything from Lady Gaga to Neil Diamond to "You Are My Sunshine." One recent evening, I waited outside a gate on Larpenteur Av. for my son who was at the fair and about to leave for college the next morning. He was late. Why? "Because I stopped at the Giant Sing-Along."