Brad Paisley, Lynyrd Skynyrd playing Canfield Fair
Brad Paisley and Lynyrd Skynyrd will be the Grandstand concerts for this year’s Canfield Fair.
Paisley will perform Aug. 31 at the fair and Lynyrd Skynyrd will close out the 179th fair with a Grandstand concert on Labor Day.
Paisley’s stage will be a bit bigger than his first Canfield Fair appearance.
According to fair board President Dave Mannion, “24 years ago in 2001, Brad Paisley, with just a 2-year-old record contract, played the Canfield Fair on a portable stage in front of a blue tarp. I can guarantee you that is not the same experience our Fairgoers will experience this year.”
The following year Paisley played Stambaugh Auditorium, and he headlined the Covelli Centre in 2015. He also performed locally in 2008 when ABC’s “Good Morning America” did a whistle stop train tour and broadcasted its show from Gustavus.
Paisley has won three Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association awards, including being named Entertainer of the Year in 2010. His songs have been streamed nearly 4 billion times.
Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd have an even longer history in the Mahoning Valley. The band has played the Canfield Fairgrounds Grandstand before, headlined the Covelli Centre and played outdoor festivals at Yankee Lake. And the original lineup appeared at Packard Music Hall in 1974, three years before the plane crash that killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitar player Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
Known for such songs as “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Gimme Three Steps,” Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and was included on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 100 Bands of All Time.
Lady A originally was announced last December as one of the Canfield Fair headliners, but the band canceled its summer touring plans after singer Hillary Scott revealed she was pregnant in February.
Tickets for Brad Paisley range from $39.50 to $125.00 (plus applicable fees), and tickets for Lynyrd Skynyrd range from $50.50 to $126.00 (plus applicable fees). Both shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday only through Ticketmaster. Tickets won’t be sold at the fairgrounds box office until later this summer.
An online presale runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday with the password: ROOSTER.