Illinois State Fair: Toby Keith tickets to go on sale

New 'VIPit' tickets available for Grandstand track

[January 24, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- Tickets for the Toby Keith concert this summer at the Illinois State Fair will go on sale Feb. 9. Concertgoers, for the first time, will have the option to buy a special VIP pass for the Grandstand track.

The new "VIPit" ticket includes a guaranteed viewing location close to the stage. Holders will be escorted to this area, which is being called the "Pit," 30 minutes prior to the opening of all other general admission gates. However, only 1,000 of the special tickets will be sold for each show.

"A guaranteed, prime viewing location means VIPit ticket holders no longer will have to stand in line all day to get a spot close to the stage," said Amy Bliefnick, state fair manager. "It's a great value and will allow even the most die-hard fans to enjoy all the attractions the fair has to offer before they go to their concert."

VIPit tickets for the Toby Keith concert cost $65. General admission track tickets cost $50, while Grandstand seats range in price from $40 to $50. Tickets will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. Feb. 9. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet.

Superstar singer-songwriter and entertainer Keith will perform at the state fair on Aug. 14. His albums, including his most recent release, "Hope on the Rocks," have sold more than 37 million copies, ranking him among the top-selling all-genre artists on Billboard's Top 200 Artists of the Decade. His appearance at the Illinois State Fair will be his second. He performed in 2002 as well, a month after his signature song, the patriotic anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

Access to the "Pit" will be through Gate 1, on the south end of the Grandstand.

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