Macklemore/ Photo by Tony Nelson
The act with the year's biggest hit song, one of country music's biggest names and one of England's biggest rock bands of the '90s are the first grandstand headliners announced by the Minnesota State Fair.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who have 2013's biggest hit with "Thrift Shop," will land at the State Fair on Aug. 31. That makes two consecutive years of hip-hop headliners at the grandstand, following Wiz Khalifa in 2012. Macklemore has been in the Twin Cities before – at the big Soundset festival and at First Avenue. But the indie rapper from Seattle blew up in the last several months, first with "Same Love" and then with "Thrift Shop," which has accounted more than 4 million digital sales.
Country superstar Tim McGraw, who played at Target Field last summer with Kenny Chesney, returns to the grandstand Sept. 2. He's promoting a new album, "Two Lanes of Freedom," featuring the singles "Truck Yeah" and "One of Those Nights." McGraw last played at the state fair in 2010.
Depeche Mode, the enduring synth rockers known for the '90s hits "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence," performs Aug. 27."Delta Machine," the band's 13th album, was released this month.
Tickets for these three shows will go on sale April 6 but at different times at the State Fair box office and www.mnstatefair.org; www.etix.com; or 1-800 514-3849..
Macklemore: $30 (general admission) and $20 reserved, at 11 a.m.
McGraw: $71 and $56 at noon.
