Willie Nelson and Family Added to 2022 Illinois State Fair Lineup

The singer will join Demi Lovato, Sam Hunt and other artists at the fair

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Willie Nelson and Family will join the 2022 Illinois State Fair, rounding out the fair’s lineup of Grandstand Stage headliners.

With a seven-decade-long career, the country singer has created numerous top-charting albums, including “Shotgun Willie,” “Stardust” and “God’s Problem Child.” Most recently, Nelson released “A Beautiful Time.”

While Nelson is known for his music, he also is an actor, activist and author. He will hit the stage alongside alternative country singer Elle King on Aug. 16. 

Tickets for Nelson’s show will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday on Ticketmaster. Tickets for the remaining artists are available now here

Pop singer Demi Lovato also will be on the lineup. The Grammy-nominated singer and actor most recently released the album "Dancing with the Devil," though they are best known for their hits "Sorry Not Sorry," "Heart Attack" and "Skyscraper."

“We are excited to bring Demi Lovato to the Illinois State Fair, not only for their artistic showcase but to help amplify the message that they bring to the table include mental health awareness, social acceptance and inclusiveness,” Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark said in a statement.

Lovato, who is also a strong advocate for their work with the LGBTQ community, is set to perform Aug. 12 along with another artist who has not yet been announced.

The headliners announced so far range in genre from country, pop, reggae to rock, and 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.

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."

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,” Clark said in a statement from March. “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.”

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