The Illinois State Fair released its list Tuesday of the first six artists headlining its 2022grandstand performance lineup.
The headliners, ranging from country, pop, reggae to rock, will perform in Springfield on Aug. 11-21.
Sam Hunt is slated to headline the opening weekend of the fair Aug. 12. The multi-platinum-selling artist’s latest album, Southside, landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard country albums chart in 2020, with his song "Body Like A Back Road" becoming a national sensation.
Country-duo Brooks & Dunn will take to the stage Aug. 14. With a storied career stretching over three decades, the two are no strangers to the fair. Their performance this year will tally as their sixth one on the Illinois Lottery Grandstand stage.
The following weekend Aug. 17, TLC and Shaggy are set to bring on the 1990’s nostalgia.
TLC is the four-time-Grammy-winning girl group behind the hits “No Scrubs” and “Waterfall.” Shaggy is the two-time-Grammy-winning reggae artist responsible for “It Wasn’t Me” and most recently “Banana,” a song that has amassed over 50 million uses in TikTok videos.
Jon Pardi will headline a night filled with country music. Pardi has four No. 1 singles, with “Head Over Boots” and “Heartache on the Dancefloor” from his second studio album topping the chart in 2016.
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Artists Lainey Wilson and the trio of Chapel Hart will join Pardi in performing Aug. 18.
The final weekend of the fair will kick off Aug. 20 with the rock band Disturbed. The Chicago-based group formed in 1994 and since have released some big hits, including "Down With the Sickness" and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s "The Sound of Silence."
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Sammy Hagar & The Circle were scheduled to open the 2021 Illinois State Fair, but severe weather prompted the show to be canceled. In a full-circle moment, Hagar and The Circle will be the ones to close out this year’s fair on Aug. 21.
Hagar, a 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, managed a career with various groups, including Van Halen and Montrose, and saw success as a soloist with his 1984 song "I Can't Drive 55."
Among The Circle are bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson.
“We are very excited to bring this many talented artists to the Illinois Lottery Grandstand,” Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark said in a statement. “Our number one goal is to have something for everyone’s musical taste, and I feel like we are well on our way to accomplishing that goal with several nights still to announce.”
Tickets will be released March 11 on Ticketmaster.
