Fair Announces First Seven Acts in 2022 Concerts Line-Up

Sunday, August 21: Blue Öyster Cult. For five decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. Hailed by VH1 as one of the “greatest hard rock bands of all time,” the band is known for classics like “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla,” and “Burnin’ for You.” As one of few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn both genuine mainstream critical acclaim as well as commercial success, Blue Öyster Cult maintains a relentless touring schedule and released an album of new material, THE SYMBOL REMAINS, in October 2020.

Monday, August 22: TobyMac. This Christian hip hop recording artist, music producer, songwriter, and author earned seven Grammy Awards, six gold records from his solo career, and an American Music award. Called one of the most successful innovators in any genre of music, TobyMac was twice named artist of the year at the Dove awards, honored as BMI songwriter of the year, and has numerous other accolades to his credit. “I just need U.,” the lead single from his 2018 album The Elements, spent twelve weeks at the top of the charts, making it the fastest-charting single of TobyMac’s career. He released his latest single, “Promised Land,” featuring Sheryl Crow, in January 2022.

Three other acts are scheduled for the fair’s second weekend:

Friday, August 26: Rise Against. Multi-gold and platinum band Rise Against blurs the lines between punk rock and melodic-driven pop, with their goal to “speak and scream when we feel there are things that are happening that aren’t being addressed.” Described as “maybe the most important punk band on the planet,” Rise Against touches on issues like LGBTQ rights, animal rights, voting rights, environmental causes, and modern warfare in albums like Appeal to Reason, which features the gold-certified hit single “Savior,” and Wolves, which was their fifth-straight top ten record on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Saturday, September 3: Brothers Osborne. This Nashville-based duo blends equal parts country and rock into what’s been called one of the freshest, most identifiable sounds to come out of Music City in recent years. The award-winning Brothers Osborne have collected five CMA and five ACM trophies, including CMA Vocal Duo of the Year and ACM Duo of the Year, and are nine-time Grammy nominees. The singer/songwriter siblings’ discography includes two-time platinum-certified #1 hit “Stay A Little Longer,” platinum-certified hit “It Ain’t My Fault,” and gold-certified hit “21 Summer,” as well as the Grammy-nominated singles “Shoot Me Straight” and “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You).”

Sunday, September 4: Barenaked Ladies. Over the course of thirty-three years, this multi-platinum Canadian rock band has sold 15 million records worldwide and built an arsenal of hits such as “If I Had $1,000,000,” “One Week,” “Pinch Me,” and “The Big Bang Theory Theme.” Widely acknowledged as one of the best live acts on the planet, the Toronto quartet has hosted a cruise, had its own ice cream flavor, won eight Juno Awards in Canada, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The band, known for a diverse sound ranging from verbal playfulness and whimsy to reflective and philosophical, released their 16th studio album Detour de Force in July 2021.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 1, on the Fair website, alaskastatefair.org. Concertgoers have the option to purchase concert-only tickets or tickets including Fair admission. The included admission is at a discounted price and good day of the concert only. Concert tickets including Fair admission must be purchased by August 18. The Fair’s season pass, four-pack and six-pack discounts will also be available for purchase. Convenience fees apply on all ticket purchases.

Concerts take place at the ConocoPhillips Borealis Theatre on the fairgrounds in Palmer, rain or shine.