California State Fair Announces ’08 Concert Lineup

SACRAMENTO, CA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The California State Fair’s Free Concert Series is an annual tradition that marks the unofficial end of summer. Each year, State Fair organizers find a unique blend of big name entertainment that includes music legends and the latest chart toppers. Today the State Fair announced the following preliminary lineup for the 2008 California State Fair Concert Series, to be held August 15 – September 1 at Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA.

Confirmed Shows
THE DOODLEBOPS LIVE! – Saturday, August 16
The Doodlebops LIVE is an exciting stage show for preschool aged children based on the hit television series on Playhouse Disney. The Doodlebops LIVE will feature a mix of music, dancing, humor and skits that teach social lessons while entertaining fairgoers of all ages. Families with small children will love this engaging and interactive concert that will encourage parents and kids to sing and dance. There will be two special matinee shows on Saturday, August 16.

‘WEIRD AL’ YANKOVIC – Monday, August 18
"Weird Al" Yankovic, the undisputed king of pop culture parody, will return to the State Fair by popular demand as part of his ‘Straight Outta Lynwood’ 2008 tour. Yankovic performed at the State Fair in 2007 to a sold out crowd of screaming fans. His unique musical and comedic performances cross all genres, with hits that include: “White & Nerdy,” Amish Paradise,” and “Eat It.” In a career spanning nearly three decades, he has amassed 30 Gold and Platinum albums, 7 Gold and Platinum-certified home videos and 3 Grammy Awards (with 11 nominations).

THE FAB FOUR – Tuesday, August 19
In celebration of Cal Expo’s 40th anniversary, the State Fair is bringing legendary tribute band, the Fab Four to Sacramento as a way of highlighting one of the most popular and memorable acts of that decade. The Fab Four is arguably America’s Ultimate Tribute to the Beatles, with authentic costumes, makeup and musicology.

AIR SUPPLY – Thursday, August 21
The trademark sound of Air Supply, created by Russell Hitchcock’s soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell’s simple yet majestic songs, have been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years. Their classic and unforgettable hits include: “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” “The One That You Love,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”

VANESSA HUDGENS – Friday, August 22
Still riding high from the whirlwind success of High School Musical and High School Musical 2, Salinas, California-native Vanessa Hudgens is taking the world by storm. Her debut solo album, ‘V’ hit stores in September 2006 and her California State Fair performance will be her only Sacramento Valley performance this summer.

GARY ALLAN – Saturday, August 23
Gary Allan’s hard-rockin’, no apologies country music is coming to the California State Fair. His new CD ‘Living Hard’ has recently stormed up the charts with a huge #1 single, “Watching Airplanes,” but Allan already has a long history of producing hits on the country music charts. Fan favorites include: “Right Where I Need To Be," “Songs About Rain” and “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful.”

THE LOW RIDER BAND – Tuesday, August 26
The Low Rider Band consists of four of the five surviving original members of the multi-platinum selling band War, the legendary multicultural American funk band of the 1970s. These musicians are perhaps most well known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine" and "Why Can't We Be Friends." Their rock, funk, jazz, R&B and Latin sounds transcend racial, cultural and generational barriers with a distinctly California flair.

AL JARREAU – Thursday, August 28
Five time Grammy Award winning jazz and crossover legend Al Jarreau is one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time. With hits spanning 30 years, Jarreau was most recently awarded the 2007 Grammy for the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, with "God Bless the Child", together with George Benson and Jill Scott.

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD – Friday, August 29
The top selling American rock group of the ‘70s is “COMING TO YOUR TOWN TO HELP YOU PARTY IT DOWN!” After playing to millions of fans on the band’s tours from 1996 to 2007, Grand Funk Railroad will continue to reach both new and long-time fans with its 2008 tour. Known as “The American Band,” they boast an impressive lineup of crowd-pleasing songs that include: “We’re an American Band,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Locomotion.”

–by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers