With one day of concerts in the books, the Chevrolet Court concert series at the 2018 New York State Fair is underway. Evaluation of the lineup is completely subjective, but it’s hard to view this one without tempering optimism with some doubt. 
State Fair hound is not a fan of big, multinational companies booking acts for our Fair, especially if it’s the monopolistic Live Nation. For many years the Fair did its own booking. That’s a difficult, challenging process, but it produced better results, probably because acts were selected solely for their marketability to State Fair fans. The agency that booked acts before Live Nation–Triangle if memory serves–was also far better. Live Nation is too focused on its own corporate interest to focus on satisfying Fair fans.
Though there are some sure winners among the 26 acts on the bill, the continuing tendency to snub traditional-style country is disturbing and self-
defeating. More on that in a later post. The final flurry of acts announced includes several local CNY bands, a real oddity on the Stan Colella Stage. They may be talented and popular, certainly cheaper, but they lack the draw of real Chevy Court acts. There are numerous stages around the grounds that regularly host local acts. Chevy Court, one of the Fair’s top drawing cards, shouldn’t be one of them.
Then there’s a tribute band, which is musicians you don’t know playing a famous act’s music. There was one Johnny Cash and he died in 2003.
One big positive is that this year’s lineup is unquestionably diverse, just as the state that hosts it. With 26 concerts in 13 days, there’s bound to be something for almost every fan.
It’s always interesting to see how things shake out when a court act draws an overflow crowd, which is challenging for fans and Fair organizers alike.
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