The Doobie brothers, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and Kevin Costner among the headliners of the MN State Fair – Twin Cities stand

The Minnesota State Fair stand comes back to life with programming that includes country hitmakers (Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Tim McGraw), retro R&B (TLC and Shaggy, the Spinners), classic rockers (The Doobie Brothers, George Thorogood and the Destroyers) and… Kevin Costner.

Tickets are available through Etix, by phone at 800-514-3849, and in person at the State Fairgrounds box office.

Here is an overview of what is available.

Miranda Lambert

August 26: Country star Miranda Lambert started writing songs as a teenager in Texas, and in 2003 placed third in the first season of “Nashville Star,” an American Idol-style competition show that airs on USA. Network. That same year, she signed a contract with Epic Records and began working on what would become her debut album, “Kerosene” from 2005. It surpassed one million sales and introduced the young performer as a strong, independent woman. who does not want to be defined by a man. She scored her first charts with “The House that Built Me” in 2010 and has since returned to this place with “Heart Like Mine”, “Over You”, “Something Bad” and “Bluebird”. Lambert’s latest album “The Marfa Tapes”, a collaboration with longtime friends Jon Randall and Jack Ingram, was released to rave reviews in May. Opener Lindsay Ell scored a No. 1 hit with her duo Brantley Gilbert “What Happens in a Small Town”. $ 65 to $ 40.

Maren Morris

August 27: Maren Morris has been one of the hottest artists of recent years, both in Nashville and outside. Her first single in 2016, “My Church,” was double platinum and won a Grammy. “I Could Use a Love Song,” “80s Mercedes” and “Rich” also hit the country charts and her voice on electronic music star Zedd’s single “The Middle” introduced Morris to pop music fans. She also provided guest vocals on songs by Thomas Rhett and Niall Horan and served as the opening act for Horan’s tour. Morris released his second album, “Girl”, in 2019 and he produced hits with the title track and “The Bones”. She is also a member of the acclaimed Supergroup Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires. Noah Schnacky and Patrick Murphy open. $ 65 to $ 40.

The music of the stream on a stick

August 28: The Current’s annual grandstand showcase features three highly rotating acts on indie rock station MPR. With a name inspired by Minneapolis’ Lake Street (guitarist / trumpeter Mike “McDuck” Olson grew up in the city), Lake Street Dive plays Beatles-inspired pop music with heavy doses of country, jazz and R&B. Directed by Adam Weiner, Low Cut Connie quickly established itself as a must-see live. Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Howard Stern are among the most prominent fans of Low Cut Connie. Local favorites Kiss the Tiger have spent the past five years building a fan base and recently reached No. 1 on the Current’s Chart Show with “Hold on to Love”. $ 38- $ 28.

TLC and Shaggy

August 29: Two 90s R&B groups share the headliner of this retro soul night. TLC dominated the decade with four # 1 hits still heard today: “Creep”, “Waterfalls”, “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty”. Jamaican reggae musician Shaggy’s biggest hits include “Boombastic”, “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel”. In 2018, he surprised everyone by releasing a collaborative album with Sting, “44/876”, which won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Openers Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are best known for their success at the 1996 Grammy Awards “Tha Crossroads”. which was dedicated to the group’s mentor, the late Eazy-E. $ 57 to $ 37.

The spinners

August 30: The Spinners were formed in 1954 in Detroit, and the current version of the touring group includes Henry Fambrough, 83, who is the only original surviving member. They first hit the R&B charts in 1961 with “That’s What Girls Are Made For,” but they didn’t really take off until almost a decade later with “It’s a Shame”. The Spinners went on to carve out careers as enduring hitmakers with “I’ll Be Around”, “Could He Be Falling In Love”, “Then Came You”, “Games People Play”, “The Rubberband Man ”and“ I am coming back to you ”. Retro rock bands Little Anthony and the Imperials and Grass Roots are also on the bill. $ 31.

The Doobie brothers

August 31 : Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons formed the Doobie Brothers in 1970 and released a series of hit singles including “Listen to the Music”, “Jesus Is Just Alright”, “Long Train Runnin ‘”, “China Grove”, “Black Water ”and“ Hold me in your arms (Rock Me). ” In 1975 health problems forced Johnston to sit on the sidelines and the group invited singer / songwriter Michael McDonald to join the lineup. Along with McDonald’s, the Doobies returned to the charts with “Takin ‘It to the Streets”, “It Keeps You Runnin'” and “What a Fool Believes”. Now, in a (belated) celebration of the group’s 50th anniversary, McDonald’s has joined his old group on the road. Opening of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. $ 65 to $ 50.

Tim mcgraw

September 1st : Hunky country star Tim McGraw returns to the stands for the sixth time and the first since 2014. The 54-year-old Louisiana native first hit No.1 with “Don’t Take the Girl” by 1994 and returned to this place two dozen more times over the years, with smashes like “I love it, I love it”, “Unbroken”, “Live like you are dying” , “Last Dollar (Fly Away),” “I felt good on my lips,” “Shotgun Rider,” and “Humble and Kind.” The Midland openers scored a double platinum hit with their single “Drinkin ‘Problem” in 2017. $ 88 to $ 60.

The Chainsmokers

September 2: Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart hit the masses with their 2014 single “#Selfie”, which went platinum in the US and hit charts across Europe. They scored big goals again the following year with “Roses” and then released the hits “Don’t Let Me Down”, “Closer”, “All We Know”, “Paris”, “Something Just Like This “,” Sick Boy “and” That feeling “. Although the pair’s momentum has slowed in recent years, they remain remarkably prolific and released 10 singles in 2019. Brooklyn-based rapper Gashi is opening his doors. $ 70 to $ 50.

Kevin costner

September 3: In the weirdest booking of the season, lead actor Kevin Costner is headlining an evening called Music, Movie, and Conversation with Kevin Costner with special guest Modern West. Costner has worked regularly in film since the early 1980s and won the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for his 1991 film “Dancing with the Wolves”. These days he is best known for starring in the television drama “Yellowstone”. He founded his band, Modern West, in 2007 and has since released four albums. $ 75 to $ 25.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers

September 4: A native of Delaware, George Thorogood began his career in the late 1970s, playing simple blues rock. But early on, he stood out from the pack, his early albums helping put his debut label, Rounder Records, on the map. After opening for the Rolling Stones in 1981, Thorogood signed with EMI and recorded a surprise mainstream success in 1982 with “Bad to the Bone”, a stammering Bo Diddley-style rocker who still gets used to the music to this day. movies, TV shows and commercials. . The current tour marks the band’s 45th anniversary and features 80s rockers Night Ranger as the opening act. $ 46 to $ 36.

Darci lynne

September 6: Ventriloquist and singer Darci Lynne Farmer grew up in Oklahoma City and loved to sing since childhood, but lacked the confidence to perform in front of an audience. To help her overcome her shyness, her parents encouraged her to enter the pageant circuit and she was crowned Mini Miss International at the 2014 International Cinderella Scholarship Program. There, she met a young ventriloquist who inspired Farmer to try it out herself. The following year, Farmer began participating in regional talent contests and subsequently appeared on several reality TV shows in the United States and England. In 2017, she appeared in the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent” and was the winner of that year. Local family favorites are opened by the Okee Dokee brothers. $ 25.