State Fair adds Blake Shelton & Demi Lovato to grandstand

Tickets to the country and teenybopper concerts go on sale Saturday.

August 17, 2013 at 2:27PM
Blake Shelton performs during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, California, on April 28, 2012.
Blake Shelton performs during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, California, on April 28, 2012. (Mct - Mct/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A show kept under wraps until after his appearance this past weekend at the Winstock festival, country music star and "The Voice" coach Blake Shelton will perform at the Minnesota State Fair grandstand on Saturday, Aug. 25. That makes two country shows for the grandstand in one weekend (also: Alan Jackson on Aug. 24), but the fair was still missing its usual teenybopper pop show concert until this morning's other announcement: Demi Lovato will also perform at the grandstand with Hot Chelle Rae on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Tickets to Shelton's show, with "From a Table Away" singer Sunny Sweeney as an opener, go on sale Saturday at noon for $41 and $31. Lovato's tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. for $35.

Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

One more name was dropped by the fair staff today, too: Big K.R.I.T., the Mississippi rapper who was a big hit at Soundset three weekends ago, was added to the Sept. 3 grandstand lineup with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.

There is one more grandstand concert the fair has yet to announce for contractual reasons similar to the Shelton show, but here's a hint: It's one that will appeal to 89.3 the Current and Cities 97 listeners. Stay tuned.

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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