19 September 21 - 27, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Big Boppin’ Tex A complete guide to the State Fair’s concerts this year. BY DANNY GALLAGHER A nother edition of the Texas State Fair is slowly creeping up on us, and if you’re the kind of person who fears it because you can’t resist the alluring urge of the decadent fair food, we’ve got an alternative. If you’re walking in an easterly direction down the Fairway and the scent of some deep-fried, beer-battered, cheese-covered something or other assaults your nostrils, stop immediately. Then pull out your com- pass (yes, your phone has one) and turn your entire body 180 degrees and start walking in the opposite direction until you hit Lone Star Boulevard. Then turn to the north and walk straight ahead until you see the giant Chevrolet Main Stage. The same goes for any stage at the fair. The chances are good that a singer or band will be playing something amazing and you’ll be so enthralled by the performance that you’ll forget your unholy urges to eat something that will eventually kill you. The State Fair of Texas’ lineup for concerts on the main stage, between the Go Texas Pavil- ion and the Centennial Building, has scored some pretty impressive names this year that you can attend simply by purchasing a ticket to the fair. Grammy-winning singer, rapper and The Voice judge CeeLo Green will perform on Saturday. Sept. 30, and even though the fair is usually a family event, we’re kind of hop- ing he does a certain song with a certain four-letter word. Two of the other big names scheduled to take the main stage at the fair include the rapper Lil Jon, who performs on Sat- urday, Oct. 7, and the deep-fried Southern rock group 38 Special, scheduled to per- form on Sunday, Oct. 8. Both of these are expected to draw a crowd so don’t bring any food or beverage that you’re definitely gonna spill if you wanna get close to the stage. You can’t have a fair in Texas without country music. Lonestar will kick off the fair concert series on Friday, Sept. 29. The Nash- ville country quartet features singer Drew Womack, who started his music career in the late 1980s in Waco with Sons of the Des- ert. The Houston country rock duo The Powell Brothers will perform on Thursday, Oct. 12. Country singers Dallas Burrow and Jake Worthington will perform back-to- back shows on Thursday, Oct. 19. Former Houndmouth alt-country singer Katie Toupin will perform two shows on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Former 1100 Springs frontman Matt Hill- yer performs on Friday, Oct. 6, a must-see performance for the week. Hillyer’s latest solo album, Glorietta, published by State Fair Records, takes the singer’s sounds in some bold new directions with tracks such as the jazzy “Diablo Motel” and the pop-protest sound of “Ordinary Man.” Some other notable names from the Dallas music scene scheduled to play at the fair include rock group The 40 Acre Mule, with three shows on the main stage on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Yuengling Flight Stage will present performances by local jazz favorite Shelley Carrol on Sun- day, Sept. 30, the always entertaining Brave Combo on Thursday, Oct. 5, and the Denton psychedelic rock outfit Pearl Earl on Friday, Oct. 6. Then there are the outliers on the con- cert schedule who are harder to pigeonhole. This category starts on Friday, Oct. 6, with a cover group called Hairball, who seem to have a “throw it all up in the air and make everything stick” kind of attitude when it comes to stage presence, attire and song se- lection. The band’s website describes it as “a two-plus hour, mind-blowing and dropdead accurate homage to some of the biggest arena acts in the world” including names like KISS, Queen and Journey. We’re in- trigued. The very next day (and hear us out) will feature a live performance by the rock ma- riachi group OutLaw Mariachi. It may sound like someone created a group with one of those random internet generators, but this is a must-see show. The Los Ange- les group performs traditional mariachi covers of rock staples like Pink Floyd and the Beastie Boys, but the dedication and se- riousness they bring to the sound makes you forget that they’re covers. It’s like the ultimate party rock show if the band took their practice time very seriously. Here are all the concerts at this year’s State Fair of Texas: ▼ Music Shane Kislack Rapper Lil Jon performs on Oct. 7. Friday, Sept. 29 Lonestar 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Angel White 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Bud Light Stage John Pedigo & Chad Stockslager 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Max Stalling 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Deep Fried Comedy 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Saturday, Sept. 30 Tomea 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Shelley Carrol 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage CeeLo Green 4 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Chrisette Michele 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Sunday, Oct. 1 Mariachi Rosas Divinas 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Ceci Ceci 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage La Zenda Nortena 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Monday, Oct. 2 Cory Cross and the Burden 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage John Pedigo 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage The UNT Four O’Clock Lab Band 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Tuesday, Oct. 3 Club Wood 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Igimèjí 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Bowling for Soup 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Wednesday, Oct. 4 Linny Nance & Network 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Davey 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage South Texas Homies 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Thursday, Oct. 5 DJ Mark Ridlen 1 p.m. Bud Light Stage Charming Gardeners 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Brave Combo 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Sabor Puro 5:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Clayton Mullet 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Friday, Oct. 6 Pearl Earl 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Bud Light Stage Katrina Cain 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Matt Hillyer 5:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Courtney Patton 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Deep Fried Comedy 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Hairball 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Saturday, Oct. 7 Spinster Records 9:45 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage DJ Mark Ridlen 9:45 a.m. and 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Bud Light Stage Squeezebox Bandits Duo 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage The Clinton Years 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Lil Jon 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Sunday, Oct. 8 State Fair Records All-Star Band 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage Ken Ebo Quintet 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Yuengling Flight Stage Experience Selena 4 and 6 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage 38 Special 8:30 p.m. Chevrolet Main Stage Monday, Oct. 9 La Bell 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Bud Light Stage State Fair of Texas Concerts 2023 Fair Thee Well S t a t e F a i r H a c k s f o r N o n - F a i r P e o p l e f r o m t h e D a l l a s O b s e r v e r s t a f f *
