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Entertainers on the way

Entertainment announced for 2021 North Dakota State Fair

Following the cancellation of the 2020 North Dakota State Fair due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the show will go on. The State Fair has announced its entertainment lineup for the July 23-31 run.

Once again country music headliners will appear before grandstand crowds, but there’s a good mix of entertainment regardless of age or musical preference with some impressive and well-known names scheduled to perform – Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde, Sawyer Brown, Casey Donahew, Billy Idol, and Kane Brown.

Opening for the fair will be Lynyrd Skynyd, a legendary rock band that just keeps on rock & rollin’. The ever popular band has its roots in Florida in 1964, lost several band members in a fateful plane crash in 1977, and has since rebounded to remain a top draw wherever it perform. It has more than 60 albums to its impressive history and really struck the charts with the blockbuster hit “Sweet Home Alabama” in 1974.

Dan + Shay are songwriters turned performers, particularly on the “softer side of modern country.” They had a major hit with “Nothin’ Like You” in 2015 and continued on with chart-toppers “Tequila” in 2018 and “All to Myself” in 2019. Dan + Shay are set to perform for the first Saturday night of the fair.

Sunday evening will see the very talented and in-demand Ashley McBryde take to the stage. She’s been described as both “tender and tough,” sometimes likened to a female version of Hank Williams Jr. for her songs about “broken hearts, hard drinking, and the honkey tonk life.”

Sawyer Brown is a name long recognized by music fans of all walks of life. Led by lead singer Mark Miller, they signed with Capitol Records in 1984 and have since released 18 studio albums and have had more than 50 songs on the Hot Country Songs charts. Number one singles by Sawyer Brown include “Step by Step,” “Some Girls Do,” and “Thank God for You.”

A man who is a mixture of down-home Texas and rock & roll will entertain fairgoers Thursday, July 29. Casey Donahew rose from the local Texas music scene to 21 number one singles and a hot touring act. His “Let’s Make A Love Song” was the most played independent song on country radio in 2019.

Ageless Billy Idol will do his thing on stage Friday, July 30. Idol has sold 40 million albums in his entertaining career. He was responsible for some of punk rock’s most memorable moments. Top sings by Idol include “Dancing With Myself” and “Rebel Yell.”

Honors of closing out the fair’s 2021 lineup goes to Kane Brown who will perform Saturday, July 31. The four-time American Music Awards winner is the only artist in history to notch two titles in the genre’s Top 5 most-streamed songs of all time. Featured songs included “Heaven” and “What Ifs.”

Tickets go on sale March 31 at 8 a.m. All five country concerts plus two auto events are on a Grandstand Showpass for $110.

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