Concerts

JUST ANNOUNCED! Grammy-Nominee Natasha Bedingfield set to perform at the California State Fair on Wednesday, August 20 and International Superstar Jessica Simpson announced to perform Monday, August 25. State Fair eNewsletter subscribers get exclusive presale access on Friday, July 11.  Public sale starts Saturday, July 12. Sign up today!

The California State fair is booking some big name acts for its FREE Concert Series on the Golden1 Stage. All State Fair concerts are FREE with Fair admission, but you can get Gold Circle reserved seats to guarantee your spot near the stage. Gold Circle Concert tickets are on sale through www.tickets.com. Sign up for the State Fair enewsletter and get special access to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Sign Up Today!

All concerts take place on the Golden1 Stage.  View the Seating Chart Here!

Box Office
Concert tickets are also available for purchase at the Cal Expo Box Office on select days in July and August. If you buy from the Cal Expo Box Office, there are no ticket surcharges. Click here to download the 2008 Box Office Schedule.

2008 Concert Lineup
(Additional acts will be confirmed soon!)

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.
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $10
Please note: Children aged 2 or younger are not required to have their own Gold Circle seat if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian with a paid Gold Circle seat.

‘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).
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $20

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.
FREE SHOW.

Natasha Bedingfield- Wednesday, August 20 JUST ANNOUNCED!
Natasha Bedingfield took the U.S. by storm in 2006 with the first British chart-topping hit by a female in almost twenty years. Her debut album entitled Unwritten was released in 2004, and included such chart-topping singles as “Single,” “These Words,” and her biggest hit “Unwritten,” which went on to become the most played song on U.S. radio stations in 2006. Her newest album, Pocketful of Sunshine, was released in January and has been well received by both critics and fans.
Gold Circle Concert Ticket Price: $30

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.”
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $10

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.
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $20

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.”
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $30

Jessica Simpson- Monday, August 25 JUST ANNOUNCED!
Jessica Simpson took the music industry by storm with her 1999 pop album Sweet Kisses. Her RIAA-certified double platinum debut featured her massive breakthrough hit, “I Wanna Love You Forever,” which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2005 Jessica starred in the highly anticipated remake of The Dukes of Hazzard, landing the highly notable role as Daisy Duke. Simpson’s highly anticipated Country album is due out in Fall 2008. Don’t miss this singing sensation at the California State Fair!
Gold Circle Concert Ticket Price: $40

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.
FREE SHOW.

CHICAGO - Wednesday, August 27
In 1967, eight Chicago musicians formed a group with one dream: to integrate all the musical diversity from their beloved city and weave a new sound … a rock 'n' roll band with horns. Their dream turned into 20 Top Ten singles, 12 Top Ten albums (five of which were #1), and sales of more than 120 million records. To date, Chicago is the only American band to chart Top 40 albums in five decades – a landmark accomplishment. Chicago will return to the California State Fair for one more unforgettable performance.
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $40

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.
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $20

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.”
Gold Circle Ticket Price: $15

All shows will be performed on the Golden1 Stage. All show times are TBD. All dates, times and prices are subject to change. For the most updated information about the 2008 Concert Series and other State Fair news, please check the website often or call 916-263-FAIR.

Other Stages & Entertainment

How to Perform at the Fair