The Minnesota State Fair is turning to — surprise! — some familiar names for its grandstand lineup.
Newly announced Tuesday is Patti LaBelle, the soaring soul singer behind "Lady Marmalade" and "New Attitude," for Sept. 2 at the fair. The Commodores, who no longer have Lionel Richie to sing "Lady" and "Brickhouse," will open. LaBelle is also performing at Mystic Lake on June 6. Grandstand tickets, priced at $45, will go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday.
Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd will return to the grandstand on Sept. 3. Guitarist Gary Rossington is the only original member still on board but singer Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Rickey Medlocke have been playing "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird" for decades. Opening are 1990s rockers Collective Soul, best remembered for "Shine." Tickets, priced at $42, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
Garrison Keillor brings his radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" to the fairgrounds once again on Sept. 4. It will be taped for radio broadcast the next evening. Tickets, priced at $25 and $32, will go on sale at noon Friday.
Tickets will be available at etix.com and 800-514-3849 and, for a limited time on Friday, at the State Fair ticket office (651-288-4427).
Previously announced grandstand shows are Def Leppard Aug. 27, Carrie Underwood Aug. 29, Alan Jackson Aug. 30; the Happy Together Tour with the Turtles and other oldies acts Aug. 31; Meghan Trainor Sept. 1, and Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson Sept. 7. Two more concerts and the amateur talent contest are expected to be announced later.
