Kentucky State Fair Announces All Star Lineups

KENTUCKY STATE FAIR ANNOUNCES 2011 MAIN STAGE CONCERT LINEUP First Concerts On Sale April 18

Louisville, Ky. (March 31, 2011)­­ – Four days of concerts at the 2011 Kentucky State Fair reach across multiple genres of music to offer fairgoers and music fans diverse musical performances. The 11-day Fair will feature performances by nine artists on one stage.

Lady Antebellum with special guest Lee Brice – Thursday, August 18

Grammy Award-winning trio Lady Antebellum will open the Main Stage Concert Series with its Need You Now 2011 Tour on Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. The troupe recently took home five gramophone statuettes during the 2011 Grammy Awards, including the coveted Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Lady Antebellum first took to the country music airwaves in 2008 with the release of their self-titled Platinum certified debut album, which generated the hits "Love Don't Live Here," "Lookin' For A Good Time" and their No. 1 hit "I Run To You." Country newcomer Lee Brice has found a home on the Billboard charts both as a singer and songwriter. In September 2010, his fourth-ever single “Love Like Crazy” charted for its fifty-sixth week on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making it the longest-charting song in the chart's history. Brice also co-wrote Garth Brooks' 2007 single "More Than a Memory,” a song which became the first single in the history of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart to debut at No. 1 and Tim McGraw’s 2010 single, “Still.” Ticketing information will be released at a later date.

Def Leppard with special guest Heart – Friday, August 19

The formula for Def Leppard’s success continues to be pure rock. This British hard rock band will strum and drum their way into Freedom Hall blasting blockbuster hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Love Bites,” and “Rock of Ages.” Def Leppard paved the way for new rock bands with the success of their albums, including Pyromania and Hysteria, selling 10 million copies each. The band was ranked No. 31 in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and ranked No. 70 in "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time." Heart sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson, stormed the charts in the ‘70s and ‘80s with hits like "Crazy on You," "Barracuda," "Straight On," “What About Love” and “Alone.” These hits have been featured on numerous movies and television shows, as well as influencing the sale of 30 million records. Ticketing information will be released at a later date.

Jason Aldean with special guests Chris Young & Thompson Square – Saturday, August 20

After selling more than 5 million copies of his four studio album, topping the charts with five No. 1 hits, including “My Kinda Party,” “Big Green Tractor,” and “Hicktown,” and racking up more than a dozen award nominations, country rocker Jason Aldean is working toward another uber-successful year. Aldean was named the Top Male Country Artist of 2010 and the Top Independent Artist of 2010 by Billboard and continues to build on the momentum of 2010 with two singles on the radio charts, the title track “My Kinda Party” and his powerful duet with Kelly Clarkson “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” Special guest Chris Young will perform at the Fair for the second year in a row with hits including "Voices," "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)," and "The Man I Want to Be," all three have reached No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart. The 2006 Nashville Star winner is currently rushing up the country charts with his latest single, “Tomorrow,” the first release from his upcoming album. The quickly emerging husband-wife duo, Thompson Square, will open for Aldean but this week they are proving their star power by having the No. 1 song in the country. “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” tops Billboard’s country singles chart, giving the duo their first victory at the No. 1 position. Tickets are $47 and $30 and go on sale April 18 at 10 a.m.

Maroon 5 and Train – Sunday, August 28

Train leaped out of a three-year hiatus with its fifth studio album, Save Me San Francisco, which has become the biggest release of their 16-year career. The lead single “Hey Soul Sister” broke records and took over speakers everywhere to become the top selling track on iTunes in 2010. The hit song peaked at No.1 in the United States and in 15 countries abroad and also garnered the 2011 Grammy Award for Pop Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals in February. The trio is best known for their monster 2002 hit “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” that was nominated for five Grammy awards, winning two, including Best Rock Song. Maroon 5 will co-headline the Main Stage Concert with Train performing hits from their third studio album, Hands All Over. The album produced their third No.1 hit with “Misery,” topping the charts in the fall of 2010. The band was part of the pregame festivities for Super Bowl XLV in February, performing “Never Gonna Leave This Bed,” the new single from the album. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005, and their biggest hits include “Won’t Go Home Without You,” “She Will Be Loved” and “Makes Me Wonder”. The bands will perform together in Freedom Hall on Aug. 28, the final day of the 11-day Fair. Tickets are $50 and $40 and go on sale on April 18 at 10 a.m.

All concert tickets include admission to the Kentucky State Fair and a facility fee. Tickets can be purchased at the Kentucky Exposition Center, KFC Yum! Center and Kentucky International Convention Center Ticket Offices and all Ticketmaster outlets. Charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or purchase online at http://ticketmaster.com

The 107th Kentucky State Fair will be held Aug. 18-28 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. For more information and continued updates on the 2011 Kentucky State Fair, visit the official website at http://www.kystatefair.org/ or follow us on Facebook and Twitter