Willie Nelson To Headline At Illinois State Fair

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Country music icon Willie Nelson has been added to the list of headliners for the 2022 Illinois State Fair.

Willie Nelson & Family will play the Illinois Lottery Grandstand on Aug. 16, which is Agriculture Day at the fair, organizers announced Tuesday. Nelson, 89, has won 10 Grammy Awards in his decades-spanning career and co-founded Farm Aid in the 1980s to help family farms stay afloat.

"I can think of no one better to help us celebrate our state's number one industry during the fair,” Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark said in a news release. “On top of his love for agriculture, he will be performing hits that fairgoers from every generation can sing along to."

Tickets for Nelson’s show will range from $38 to $105 and will go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday at ticketmaster.com. Grammy nominee Elle King will open for Nelson.

Four other supporting acts have recently been added to the 2022 Illinois Lottery Grandstand lineup:

• Sean Stemaly and Shelby Darrall will open Aug. 12 for Sam Hunt;
• Southern Illinois native and singer-songwriter Kendell Marvel will open Aug. 14 for Brooks & Dunn;
• Hard rock vocalist Ann Wilson of Heart will open Aug. 21 for Sammy Hagar & The Circle.

In March, the fair announced several of its grandstand headliners, including Demi Lovato, who will perform Aug. 13.