INDIANAPOLIS – Today, the Indiana State Fair unveiled additional concerts, including the return of Buddy Guy, the lineup for Latino-Fest 2024, rocker Lita Ford for the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage, and more, August 2-18 (the Fair is closed on Mondays). The Hoosier Lottery Free Stage has become a summertime staple for concertgoers and music lovers.
Each year’s lineup consists of some of music’s most legendary and diverse acts; this year is no exception. All shows at the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage are free with paid fair admission, and seating is first-come, first-served. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. Discount tickets can be purchased for the 2024 Indiana State Fair today at IndianaStateFair.com.
The 2024 lineup for the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage at the Indiana State Fair includes:
- Three Dog Night – Friday, August 2 (opening day)
- Celebrating The Beatles at the Indiana State Fair – Saturday, August 3 featuring Hard Day’s Night-Beatles Tribute (afternoon) & Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney (evening)
- Gladys Knight – Sunday, August 4
- *84 – Van Halen Tribute – Tuesday, August 6
- *Buddy Guy Damn Right Farewell – Wednesday, August 7
- Dogstar (guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Robert Mailhouse and bassist
Keanu Reeves) – Thursday, August 8
- Bell Biv DeVoe – Friday, August 9
- Fearless: The Taylor Swift Tribute – Saturday, August 10
- Newsboys (evening)and Blessing Offor (afternoon) – Sunday, August 11
- *Latino-Fest En La Feria Del Estado De Indiana presented by Radio Latina 107.1 FM feat. Con La Sonora Dinamita de Colombia – Tuesday, August 13
- Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Jay & The Americans, The Association, Badfinger ft. Joey Molland, The Vogues and The Cowsills – Wednesday, August 14
- Sublime with Rome – Thursday, August 15
- Gary Allan – Friday, August 16
- *Lita Ford – Saturday, August 17
- Gospel Music Festival featuring Yolanda Adams – Sunday, August 18
*Just Added
As the Free Stage title sponsor, the Hoosier Lottery invites fairgoers 18 or older to enter the free myLOTTERY All-Inclusive Indiana State Fair Prize Package promotion. Six Grand Prize winners will receive State Fair tickets, parking, Fair Bucks, the opportunity to take in a concert at the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage, and a Hoosier Lottery Prize Pack. Enter by signing up to become a myLOTTERY member or confirming your account at HoosierLottery.com/StateFair by July 8, 2024. Promotional odds are dependent upon the number of entries received.
There will be a limited amount of reserved viewing area tickets available for these concerts made available in July. The 2024 Indiana State Fair is scheduled to open on Friday, August 2, and runs through August 18, when you can enjoy The Greatest 15 Days of Summer at this iconic Hoosier tradition. For more information, please visit www.indianastatefair.com or follow the Indiana State Fair on Facebook, Instagram, and X. The Indiana State Fair will be highlighted by its 2024 theme, ‘The Art & Nature of Fun,’ presented by Newfields.
2024 Artist Bios:
Three Dog Night
This legendary pop-rock band dominated the charts between 1969 and 1974, with no other group having more top 10 hits. Three Dog Night has maintained and grown its audience, adapting to new music technology and continuing to tour yearly, giving fans new and old the chance to experience the dynamic performances of its classic hits and several new songs. Marking nearly 50 years on the road, Three Dog Night continues to captivate audiences with boundary-breaking sounds and nostalgic music from the beginning.
Hard Days Night
Hailing from the rock & roll city of Cleveland, Ohio, Hard Days Night, a Beatles tribute band, has been entertaining America since 1996. With four different show routines covering all eras of the Beatles, including stitch-for-stitch replications of the costumes, the band strives to recreate the original feel of The Beatles.
Live & Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney
Formed and led by Tony Kishman, Live & Let Die is a multimedia experience that celebrates the music of Paul McCartney. Alongside Tony Kishman are four multi-talented musicians. After starring in Broadway’s smash hit musical ‘Beatlemania’ and the International Symphonic Beatles Production ‘Classical Mystery Tour,’ Tony formed Live & Let Die. Live & Let Die has been touring around the globe for more than a decade.
Gladys Knight
As a solo singer and a group musician, Gladys Knight has solidified herself as an icon of the music industry. Known as the “Empress of Soul,” Knight has received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to the R&B and Soul genres. She has also made appearances in multiple films and television shows. During her career, she has recorded more than 38 albums, four of which are solo albums.
84 – Van Halen Tribute
The Ultimate Van Halen Experience!! 84 has quickly become the most sought-after Van Halen tribute band. Faithfully recreating the original Van Halen lineup’s sound, look, and energy (1978-1984), 84 brings a jaw-droppingly authentic, passion-filled show to packed venues and sold-out crowds throughout the Southeast and beyond. 84’s Dave, Eddie, Michael, and Alex work to bring you the most accurate concert experience possible. And it isn’t a joke! Eighty-four covers material from the original self-titled album Van Halen (1978) through their most famous album, 1984. You will be on your feet with David Lee Roth-era hits like Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher, Runnin’ With the Devil, Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love, Eruption, Unchained, You Got Me, and many more! If your favorite isn’t listed, you can be sure you will catch it at a show. Witness stage chemistry like no other, and once again, live the experience of your youth when Van Halen delivered all the glory of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Alex Van Halen. It was PERFECT, and 84 strives to bring that perfection to you.
Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell
At age 87, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a significant influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Dogstar feat. Robert Mailhouse, Bret Domrose & Keanu Reeves
Dogstar is an American Alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1991. Its members are guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Robert Mailhouse, and bassist Keanu Reeves. The band saw its most tremendous success in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, gathering significant attention from the media due to the presence of Keanu. The band started back up again in 2020, announcing their reunion in 2022. Their latest album was released on October 6, 2023.
Bell Biv DeVoe
Formed in 1989, Bell Biv DeVoe is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts. Their music aims to combine elements of soul, R&B, and hip hop with their multi-platinum album Poison, which has a song that reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. Their last album, ‘Three Stripes,’ was released on January 27, 2017, and despite only having four albums of original material, the group has continuously toured and performed live. The group formed as a spinoff of an R&B group called New Edition, and it has participated in several of its reunion tours.
Fearless: The Taylor Swift Tribute
Calling all SWIFTIES! We are FEARLESS!! The ULTIMATE Taylor Tribute! We celebrate all things TAYLOR – from all the chart-topping HITS to her ICONIC style! Composed of some of the top musicians in CHICAGO, Fearless brings the magic of TAYLOR’s music to life with passion, energy, and STYLE! Get ready to sing, dance, and make your WILDEST DREAMS come true! See you at the show!
Newsboys
Newsboys is a Christian rock band formed in Queensland, Australia in 1985. Their debut album, He’s Coming Back, was recorded and released in 1987 and is the first of two albums recorded in Australia before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. Their fourth album, ‘Not Ashamed,’ released in 1992, was their first commercially successful album. In 2001, their fifth album was recognized by CCM magazine as one of the “100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.” One of their singles, ‘Shine,’ was included at No. 9 on CCM Magazine’s “100 Greatest Songs of Christian Music.” Their thirteenth studio album, ‘In the Hands of God’, released on May 5, 2009, debuted at No. 1 on the CCM charts. Their newest album is 2024’s ‘Worldwide Revival.’
Blessing Offor
Born in Nigeria and raised in Connecticut, Blessing Offor combines Soul, R&B, pop, and music from his African roots. Blessing describes this combination as “the genre of humanity.” Having suffered from vision loss at a young age, Offor learned to train his ears for musical talent. His 2023 debut album, written and recorded in Nashville, combines all the elements of his upbringing. Through a combination of personal lyrics and a soundscape rooted in Motown spirit and an “afro-inspired undercurrent,” Offor works to combine his dynamic background. To honor his African heritage, Offor included three unique recordings of a call with his uncle to translate a Nigerian tune called ‘Akwa Uwa,’ which means “Tears for the World.”
WEDJ Latino-Fest featuring: Con La Sonora Dinamita de Colombia
WEDJ is a Danville and Indianapolis-based radio station that broadcasts in a regional Mexican format. Formed in 1960, Con La Sonora Dinamita de Colombia is a Mexican and Colombian musical group that focuses on Cumbia, a tropical musical genre from Colombia. The group disbanded in 1963 but was later re-formed in 1975. The group’s first successful recordings were released in 1981. The group has released 31 albums in its 50-year history.
Happy Together Tour 2024
The Happy Together Tour 2024 consists of six acts: The Turtles, Jay & The Americans, The Association, Badfinger ft. Joey Molland, The Vogues and The Cowsills. These artists had their biggest hits in the 60’s and 70’s and brought timeless sounds and songs like ‘Happy Together’ by the Turtles, one of the most recognizable songs of that period. These bands combined have multiple No. 1 hits, and this tour started in 1984. Since then, the band has consistently knocked out 50 shows a year, making this tour an iconic homage to an era of music that has influenced many of today’s artists. The tour has consisted of several different bands and artists throughout the nearly 40 years it has been running, with the only constant band being The Turtles.
Sublime with Rome
Formed in California in 2010 by former members of the band Sublime and singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez, Sublime with Rome is a ska alternative rock group. The group’s debut album, ‘Yours Truly’, was released on July 12, 2011, and broke the top ten of the Billboard 200. After releasing their third album, ‘Blessings’ the band went on a major tour. In 2023, they collaborated with Slightly Stoopid on ‘Cool & Collected,’ which was their first new release in several years. To celebrate the release, the group went on a massive summer tour to 27 different cities. Their latest album, recorded at Sonic Ranch, celebrates their fifteen-year run and is a thank-you note to many fans.
Gary Allan
Gary Allan is a Nashville-based country music singer. He got his start in 1996 after signing to Decca Records. His debut single, ‘Her Man’ was released in 1996 and was the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album, ‘Used Heart for Sale’. He has had three certified platinum albums and three certified gold albums. Two albums reached the top two spots on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums. His newest album, ‘Ruthless’, tells the story of Nashville country from the 1990s to the present.
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. She was the lead guitarist for an all-female rock band in the late 1970s called “The Runaways,” but then embarked on her solo career. Her solo career peaked in the late 1980s with her 1989 single ‘Close My Eyes Forever,’ a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, reaching number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. Her singles ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ and ‘Fire in My Heart’ are also hits. Ford released her album ‘Black’ in the mid-1990s before taking a hiatus from 1996-2007 but has been touring and rockin’ stages across the globe for many years.
Gospel Music Festival featuring: Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams is an American gospel singer and syndicated gospel show host. Adams started singing gospel music in the early 1980s as part of Houston’s Southeast Inspirational Choir, which was affiliated with the Church of God in Christ. She was a featured vocalist on the Choir’s single ‘For My Liberty.’ In 1987, Adams signed a contract with The Sound of Gospel and released her first album, ‘Just As I Am.’ In 1990, she was discovered by producer Ben Tankard, and after signing to his independent label, she released another album titled ‘Through the Storm.’ In 2009, Billboard named her the number-one gospel artist of the decade. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave her the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding volunteer service, and in 2017, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Adams has five number-one albums on Billboard’s Top Gospel Album list. In 2022, she was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
