Illinois State Fair Grandstand lineup announced

Entertainers include blues-rock trio ZZ Top, county music stars Brooks and Dunn, Trace Adkins and Trent Tomlinson, Huey Lewis and the News, Weird Al Yankovic, and ‘High School Musical' star Vanessa Hudgens

[May 03, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced that classic rock trio ZZ Top and the highest-selling duo in the history of country music, Brooks and Dunn, will perform at the 2008 Illinois State Fair. This year's fair theme, "A Family Tradition," complements the Grandstand lineup, which includes artists for family members of all ages, including Grammy Award-winning Huey Lewis and the News and Vanessa Hudgens, the star of the hit movie "High School Musical."

"Once again, the Illinois State Fair offers something for everyone," Blagojevich said. "I encourage everyone to come out and experience all the great entertainers playing the Grandstand this year."

ZZ Top will bring the sounds of boogie and blues to the Grandstand on Aug. 15. The trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Their 1973 album, Tres Hombres, reached No. 8 on the charts and became the first in an unbroken string of 11 gold and platinum albums for the Texas trio. Toyota Tundra presents Brooks and Dunn the same evening. The duo has sold more than 30 million records, had 23 No. 1 hits and won over 80 major industry awards.

Huey Lewis and the News has been one of the quintessential American rock bands for more than 25 years. The Grammy Award-winning band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts four times. The group will take the stage Aug. 10.

Weird Al Yankovic, the king of pop music parodies, will perform Aug. 9. Yankovic has won two Grammys for his work, one for "Eat It," a parody of Michael Jackson's smash hit "Beat It," and another for his 2003 "Poodle Hat" album.

Hudgens, the 17-year-old star of Disney's "High School Musical," will perform Aug. 16, with songs from her debut solo album, "V," a mix of pop, rock, electronic, and rhythm and blues.

Baritone Trace Adkins will entertain Aug. 17. Adkins, a Grand Ole Opry inductee in 2005, landed a surprise smash hit with "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" from his album "Songs About Me," which sold nearly 2 million copies. Adkins and opening act Trent Tomlinson will conclude this year's Grandstand concerts.

Besides musical entertainment, the Grandstand also will feature horse racing and motor sports. Harness racing is scheduled for Aug. 8-12, with the exception of Aug. 10. The USAC Silver Crown cars and the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series will race on the famous one-mile dirt oval at the fairgrounds Aug. 16. On Aug. 17, the ARCA Car Series will run the Allen Crowe Memorial. New this year, go-carts will race Saturday and Sunday night at twilight in the Multi-Purpose Arena. The Arena will host motocross events Aug. 8 and 9.

The ZZ Top and Brooks and Dunn concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. All other concerts begin at 8 p.m. Grandstand reserved seats and track tickets will go on sale May 10 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-827-8927 or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet. Ticket order forms can be downloaded from www.illinoisstatefair.info. The Grandstand ticket office will open June 7 at 9 a.m.

All adults and children 3 years of age and older must have a ticket for the concerts and tractor pulls. All sales are final. The fair does not provide refunds or exchanges on ticket purchases.

Grandstand lineup
(Date; performer*; ticket prices: reserved, track)

Aug. 8 -- Harness racing, noon post-time; free admission

Aug. 8 -- Performer TBA

Aug. 9 -- Harness racing, noon post-time; free admission

Aug. 9 -- Weird Al Yankovic; $20-10-10, $20

Aug. 10 -- Huey Lewis and the News; $30-25-20, $30

Aug. 11 -- Harness racing, noon post-time; free admission

Aug. 11 -- Illinois Symphony; free admission

Aug. 12 -- Twilight harness racing; free admission

Aug. 13 -- Twilight harness racing; free admission

Aug. 14 -- Twilight harness racing; free admission

Aug. 15 -- Toyota Tundra presents ZZ Top and Brooks and Dunn; $38-34-30, $38

Aug. 16 -- Vanessa Hudgens; $25-20-20, $25

Aug. 16 -- USAC Silver Crown Series auto races; adult $20, child $10

Aug. 17 -- Trace Adkins with Trent Tomlinson; $25-20-18, $25

Aug. 17 -- ARCA Super Series auto races; adults $20, child $10

*All artists above have approved this announcement; however, concerts are subject to contracts being finalized.

[Text from Illinois State Fair  file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]