Utah County Fair to kick off with ‘Country Triple’ concert
In this undated publicity image released by MCA Nashville, singer Gary Allan is shown.
Lauren Alaina
RaeLynn
Country-western star Gary Allan will headline the opening-night concert at the Utah County Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 16.
The concert is being billed as a “Country Triple” performance with Allan being joined by artists Lauren Alaina and RaeLynn.
“We wanted to grow the fair and we thought that having a big concert like this in the middle of the summer would a great benefit to the community,” said Mike Stansfield, director of the Utah County Fair. “It’s a great way to kick off the fair and give everyone a big welcome.”
Allan has been touring the country as he continues work on his forthcoming 10th studio album, beginning the year with a string of sold-out shows in Nevada, Texas and Minnesota.
With over 7 million albums sold, Allan’s most recent record, “Set You Free,” debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Country Album Chart and the Billboard 200 Pop Chart, which was benefited by the critically acclaimed hit song “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).” The album sold 100,000 units in its first week and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
“We wanted to bring in a good country-western group, so we’d thought we’d really give it a shot” said Stansfield. “A lot of it came down to timing, really, but I feel like we lucked out more than anything.”
Stansfield and his team are preparing for a big turnout to the show after the success of last year’s Lonestar concert. They’ve expanded the seating options, setting chairs up in the bowl of the grand arena in front of the stage. Much of the draw this year also comes from the opening acts that will precede Allan’s performance, who have recently seen huge successes in their careers.
RaeLynn, who is currently touring in support of her freshman album, “WildHorse,” was a contestant on the second season of NBC’s “The Voice.” Though she was eliminated from the competition during the quarterfinals, she’s found success in the country music scene, signing a record deal with Warner bros. Nashville and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Alaina, who is no stranger to televised singing competitions, will also be taking the stage prior to Allan. The runner-up from the 10th season of “American Idol,” Alaina has been celebrating the success of her sophomore release, “Road Less Traveled,” the first single of which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
“With this concert, we really wanted to give something to Utah County residents that we think they’ll enjoy,” said Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves. “We thought it was a great way to celebrate the culture here and what our culture likes.”
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the concert set to begin at 7 p.m. It will be held in the Grand Arena at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds. A fireworks show is planned following the entertainment.
Tickets are available at sfcitytix.com.