Live: Def Leppard, Los Lobos cap a full day of State Fair fun

We sampled all the new foods and drinks and attractions during the opening days of the Minnesota State Fair. As we reach the halfway point of the 12-day affair, we thought we’d now spend one day taking in as much entertainment as possible. Concerts tonight are Def Leppard at the grandstand and Los Lobos at the Bandshell, stay tuned for highlights.

Want to stay in the loop on all things fair-related? Sign up for Essential State Fair to get the latest news, updates, and can’t-miss highlights — delivered straight to your inbox for the 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair.

Follow live updates below:

10:46 p.m. - The fair music continues in smaller bars until closing at 11.

10:18 p.m. -

9:54 p.m. - Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas asked if there were any “Jerry’s kids” at the bandshell. As in Jerry Garcia. So David Hidalgo tore into the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” with some guitar noodling, of course. As Los Lobos finished their Dead salute, fireworks exploded from the fair’s grandstand.

— Jon Bream

— Jon Bream

9:40 p.m. - Reaching back to some of his band’s biggest early hits just before the encore at the grandstand, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott sounded like he was also reaching quite a bit vocally. The band ended its regular set with “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” before returning to the stage for “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Attendance was 9,418, quite a step down from the British vets’ other recent Twin Cities shows. Look for our review of the concert at startribune.com after the fireworks blow.

— Chris Riemenschneider

9:23 p.m. - Los Lobos are in a bluesy mood tonight, as the classic “One Way Out” demonstrates. It might be because, as singer/guitarist Cesar Rosas said earlier, “You guys have tremendous corn here. It’s killer.” The band is killing’ it.

— Jon Bream

— Jon Bream

8:58 p.m. - Los Lobos play their 1987 blues nugget “My Baby’s Gone” on their second night at the fair’s Bandshell.

— Jon Bream

8:52 p.m. - At the Frontier Saloon, Thomas Sticha and his band tipped their caps to two rootsy Minnesota bands, the Cactus Blossoms and Trampled by Turtles, with “Whiskey.”

— Jon Bream

- Jon Bream

8:15 p.m. - A song that maybe rings a little too true nowadays, “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” kicked off Def Leppard’s set at the grandstand, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ first time at the Minnesota State Fair in 10 years. Another tune from four decades ago, “Rocket,” came next.

— Chris Riemenschneider

7:45 p.m. - KMOJ, the Twin Cities radio that bills itself as “the People’s Station,” spun Elvis Presley between jams by James Brown and Kendrick Lamar at the fair.

— Jon Bream

— Jon Bream

7:37 p.m. - Not only did Def Leppard push the boundaries of what Minnesota fans are willing to pay for a State Fair grandstand concert (with record-high $143-$287 ticket prices), the British rockers are also testing the limits at the T-shirt stands tonight. In their defense, the dollar is slumping compared to the U.K. pound.

— Chris Riemenschneider

7:21 p.m. - A band that cracked the rock charts in the early 1990s — you’re forgiven if you don’t remember them — Alabaman openers Brother Cane played a throwback brand of hard rock as fans slowly started filing in for the grandstand concert with Def Leppard. The seats are expected to be full for Tuesday’s show ... eventually.

— Chris Riemenschneider

— Aaron Lavinsky

6:45 p.m. - The fair’s 52nd Amateur Talent Contest featured some impressive acts in the preteen semifinals. Performances at the Bandshell included a ballet troupe, a kid channeling Frank Sinatra and a pianist dressed like Spider-Man.

— Neal Justin

6:25 p.m. - Wayne and the Boys, a one-man band who claims to be a South Dakota country music hall of famer, gets the crowd at Giggles’ Campfire Grill to sing along to — surprise — “Sweet Caroline.”

— Jon Bream

- Chris Riemenschneider

5:30 p.m. - Comedian Elise Cole promoted her upcoming gig at Acme Comedy on the myTalk radio show “Brittany & Kendall.”

- Neal Justin

5:15 p.m. - Most of the live music acts that play the State Fair are booked for two-day rotations. Mark Joseph & the American Soul perform every day, though. This is the 22nd year the guitarist in Minnesota’s most enduring jam band, the Big Wu, is serving as the afternoon house band at Cafe Caribe near the DNR Building with his other group. And with four hours to fill every day there, Joseph’s crew plays just about everything. Tuesday’s offerings ranged from the Band to Bobby McFerrin to this Southern-baked take on a Bruce Springsteen classic.

- Chris Riemenschneider

- Neal Justin

4:20 p.m. - Members of Minnesota 4-H sang and danced to a packed house in the 4-H Building. The enthusiastic kids trained for 22 days to perfect their moves.

- Neal Justin

3:50 p.m. - Intoxicats at International Bazaar is primarily an ’80s cover band that makes tunes like Devo’s “Girl U Want” and Blondie’s “Rapture” sound like B-52’s standards. The only thing missing was regular Michele Rundgren (Todd’s wife), who is in Hawaii. (more shows from them: 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.)

- Neal Justin

“I’ll never forget it,” Bella said. “That was enough for me to just walk away and say nothing.”

- Chris Riemenschneider

3 p.m. - The salsa dancing session at Cosgrove Stage seems more like an ’80s aerobics class.

- Neal Justin

2:45 p.m. - The Prior Lake High School marching band led today’s parade across the fairgrounds, playing a modern classic. Can you name that tune?

2:35 p.m. - The KFAN booth is always a popular stop, especially when Mark Rosen swings by to get razzed by The Common Man.

- Neal Justin

2:30 p.m. - Just 15 hours after leaving the same stage as Los Lobos’ special guest, Rosie Flores returned to the Bandshell for her second set of afternoon performances. The Texas country-rock hero had a couple Minnesota music scions in tow as part of her band: bassist Tommy Vee and drummer Bennett Vee, son and grandson of early-1960s pop idol Bobby Vee (“Take Good Care of My Baby”). They didn’t play any of Bobby’s songs in the day’s first set, but they got the audience up and dancing with another classic, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over.” Flores plays her second Bandshell set at 2:30 p.m. ahead of her Lobos compadres, who return at 8:30.

- Chris Riemenschneider

2:20 p.m. - Time for the daily fish pond talk at the DNR fish pond! I don’t want to get too technical on you, but I’m learning a lot about the “toothy fishies.”

2:10 p.m. - The magician at the Miracle of Birth stage dazzled spectators with both farming facts and tricks. This young volunteer seemed more impressed with the latter.

- Neal Justin

1:55 p.m. - The International Bazaar Stage is here to teach us that there’s no song that can’t be polka’d.

— Jennifer Brooks

1:40 p.m. - One not-so-secret perk for fans of bands performing at the State Fair grandstand: Their sound checks are always audible outside the venue on the afternoon of their set. Def Leppard’s came through loud and clear throughout a wide swath of the fairgrounds on Tuesday. The British rock vets breezed through “Bringin’ on the Heartache,” “Armageddon It” and “Animal” prepping for tonight’s concert. So much for trying out new songs; they’ve been playing these hits every night for the past 35-plus years. Tickets for the show — the priciest in State Fair history, at $143-$287 — are still available at the box office or online at eTix.com.

1:20 p.m. - Taking a break from gorging on sinful treats to cleanse with some upbeat Christian music from Eagle Brook Band at the Crossroads Chapel. Punny T-shirts inside!

— Neal Justin

12:55 p.m. - Two lumberjacks and two lumberjills competed in the Timberworks Lumberjack show. Britton Cooke and Samantha LaSalle won today’s first competition. The show includes log sawing, axe throwing, springboard chop, chain sawing, boom run, speed climb and log rolling. Kids took home bits and pieces of wood as souvenirs.

— Eleanor Hildebrandt

12:30 p.m. - They judge everything at the fair — up to and including tap water. Absolutely ferocious Final Four competition on the Eco Stage between St. Paul, Shoreview, Chaska and White Bear Township right now.

— Jennifer Brooks

12:15 p.m. - There are tons of tribute shows scattered across the fair’s free music lineup. Not only can you sing along to Selena’s songs at the fair 30 years after her death, but you can hear live performances of music by other long-deceased artists such as John Denver and Janis Joplin.

Other tributes include a new show on Jimmy Buffett, who died in 2023, and another on the medically sidelined Neil Diamond.

Read more about tribute performances here.

— Chris Riemenschneider

— Jennifer Brooks

11:45 a.m. - If you’re looking for the happiest crowds at the fair, look no further than the All-Star Stunt Dog Splash. Multiple times a day, families crowd in to watch pups dance and dive. Best of all, after the show, you get to meet the all-stars.

— Jennifer Brooks

11:25 a.m. - Gaelic tunes played outside O’Gara’s as onlookers drank an Irish pint at 11 a.m. A bagpiper and snare drummer played to a gaggle of people in traditional kilts and berets. One listener put a $5 bill under bagpiper Jimmy Sherman’s drink as he played alongside his son Oliver, 11, on drums.

— Eleanor Hildebrandt

“I hope you go and thank a young recruit today,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said at the event. “They are living proof that the call to serve still echoes across generations.”

The group played a variety of music, from more classic marches to jazzy tunes.

— Eleanor Hildebrandt

10:57 a.m. - Trust me on this. Come to the State Fair. Grab a plate of Breakfast Gnocchi. Watch the acrobats somersault.

— Jennifer Brooks

— Jennifer Brooks

10:33 a.m. - The Pleasant Valley Cloggers put on their dancing shoes and tapped to the music at the Cosgrove Stage. The all-ages group from Lindstrom, Minn., is only at the fair today and will have performances at 11 a.m. and noon. Free dance lessons are also available throughout the day.

— Eleanor Hildebrandt

10:15 a.m. - Entertainment starts bright and early in the Arts A’Fair area. Ballet dancers twirled, high kicked and leapt in colorful costumes at the East Grandstand Plaza at 9:30 a.m. The dance troupe will be back throughout the day to dance next to the flower garden.

Minnesota’s largest ballet company, Ballet Co. Laboratory, danced to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen and some more traditional classical music like “Clair de Lune” by Debussy.

10 a.m. - We’ll have photos and videos of the myriad entertainment options today at the State Fair. Our reporters are fanning out across the fairgrounds over the course of the day.

— David Taintor