Nelly, Atmosphere and Def Leppard: The 2025 Minnesota State Fair Grandstand lineup
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It is never too early to start thinking about the Minnesota State Fair, including the 2025 Grandstand Concert Series.
Here’s the official lineup for the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand shows, which run from Aug. 21 through Sept. 1, 2025.
Seats for all shows must be reserved. Find tickets on the Minnesota State Fair’s website.
Old Dominion
with special guest Yam Haus
Thursday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $67
Old Dominion’s skyscraping anthems and electrifying live shows have put the multi-platinum-selling band prominently at the forefront of country music. Fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound, their lyrical wit and hook-heavy songwriting have certainly proved to be a winning formula for Nashville’s hottest band. It’s no wonder Rolling Stone cited Old Dominion as “one of mainstream country music’s most popular live groups.
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Yam Haus is a Midwest alt-rock outfit that has covered lots of sonic territory since their 2018 pop-leaning inception. From their early days selling out First Avenue in their native Minnesota, to being one of the only bands on NBC’s “American Song Contest,” to sell-out headline tour dates across the U.S., they are a modern American rock band that is committed to the craft and building a loyal fan base along the way.
Meghan Trainor
with special guest ellis
Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $56
Meghan Trainor leaped into stardom in 2014 with her smash single “All About That Bass.” Since, she has become an award-winning singer and songwriter winning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, receiving eight multiplatinum singles and two multiplatinum albums and penning hits for peers across pop and country.
ellis is a Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and artist whose journey began as a bass player in a U.K. punk band. ellis has carved out a distinctive voice in the world of electronic-pop, blending funk-inspired grooves with cutting-edge production.
Atmosphere & Friends
Cypress Hill, Lupe Fiasco, The Pharcyde and DJ Abilities
Saturday, Aug. 23 at 5 p.m.
Tickets start at $51.50
Atmosphere, the venerated duo that has brought a legacy of bringing honesty, humility and vulnerability to the forefront of their music, will headline The Current’s Music On-A-Stick Show 2025. At its essence, Atmosphere has been a musical shepherd, and with each new album comes a new journey as they guide generations of listeners through this thing called life.
Cypress Hill burst on the scene in 1991 with the release of their self-titled debut album, and followed their debut with “Black Sunday” in the summer of 1993, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200, garnered three Grammy Award nominations, and went triple platinum in the U.S.
Lupe Fiasco, also known as Wasalu Jaco, is a Chicago-born, Grammy Award-winning American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and community advocate. The independent rapper is considered one of the most gifted lyricists and visionaries to grace the mic. Rising to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, “Food & Liquor,” Lupe has released acclaimed studio albums, including “Drogas Light,” released in 2017 on his own label, 1st & 15th. These albums have netted three platinum singles, three RIAA gold certifications, 12 Grammy nominations and one Grammy Award in 2008 for his infectious single “Daydreamin” feat. Jill Scott.
With a career spanning over three decades, The Pharcyde remains one of the most influential and beloved groups in hip-hop history. Formed in Los Angeles, the group made an indelible mark on the culture with their groundbreaking debut album, “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde,” an instant classic known for its playful lyricism, jazz-infused production and infectious energy. The album spawned timeless hits such as “Passin’ Me By,” “Otha Fish” and “Ya Mama.”
Growing up in a family of artists, DJ Abilities became a DJ at age 17 and found himself deeply embedded in the hip-hop scenes of Minneapolis and St. Paul, linking up with friends and future collaborators who would become the foundation of Rhymesayers Entertainment, and it wasn’t long before he established a name for himself. After only two short years of intense practice on the turntables, DJ Abilities went on to compete in the legendary DMC DJ competitions in 1999. He won the regional title and advanced to the U.S. finals, and did it again in 2001. His project “Phonograph Phoenix” finds the DJ/producer returning to the forefront and embracing an entirely new approach to making music.
Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls
Yes We Are Tour
Sunday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $56
Melissa Etheridge released her first album in 1988 and is known for songs like “Ain’t It Heavy,” for which she won a Grammy in 1992 and “Come to My Window,” released in 1993 on her fourth studio album. Etheridge also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song with the song “I Need to Wake Up” from the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray make up the Indigo Girls duo. In addition to their decades of musical experience and Grammy wins, Saliers and Ray have also advocated for immigration reform, LGBTQ+ rights, Native American rights, reproductive rights and other communities and issues. Their 1989 single “Closer to Fine” became an earworm again in 2023 when it was featured in the Barbie movie in the scene where Barbie is singing in the car.
Happy Together Tour 2025
featuring The Turtles, Jay and the Americans, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues and The Cowsills
Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $33
The Turtles are best known for their harmony-heavy California pop sounds with hits such as “Elenore,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “You Showed Me,” and the title of the tour, “Happy Together.”
From 1962 to 1971, Jay and the Americans charted five Billboard Top 10 hits and had 12 records in the Top 20. Their breakout hit was “She Cried,” followed by the hit songs “Only in America,” “Come a Little Bit Closer,” “Cara Mia” and “This Magic Moment,” which hit the Billboard Top 10.
Little Anthony’s timeless classics include “Tears on My Pillow,” “Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop,” “I’m on the Outside (Looking In),” “Goin’ Out of My Head,” “Take Me Back,” “Hurt So Bad,” and more.
Gary Puckett’s trademark voice will be belting out his hits “Young Girl,” “Over You,” “Woman, Woman,” “This Girl Is a Woman Now,” “Lady Willpower,” “Don’t Give in to Him,” and more.
Known for their harmony-driven soaring pop sound, The Vogues had numerous Top 10 hits with singles such as “Five O’Clock World,” “You’re the One,” “My Special Angel” and “Turn Around, Look at Me,” among others.
A harmonious singing family of two brothers and a sister, which inspired the smash ‘60s hit television show “The Partridge Family,” The Cowsills are sure to delight with their best-known songs “Hair,” “Indian Lake,” “The Rain, the Park & Other Things (I Love the Flower Girl)” and more.
Def Leppard
with special guest Brother Cane
Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $77
With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard — Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. The English rock band was formed in Sheffield in 1976. They are one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums — “Pyromania” and “Hysteria” — selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S.
Brother Cane is an American rock band originally from Birmingham, Ala. Formed by singer-guitarist Damon Johnson and bassist Glenn Maxey in 1991, the group released three studio albums with several charting singles, including three No. 1s and five Top 10 hits. The band found immediate success with the release of its self-titled debut album, which delivered three singles: “Got No Shame,” “That Don’t Satisfy Me” and “Hard Act To Follow.”
Hank Williams Jr.
with special guest Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $56
Hank Williams Jr. has sold 70 million albums and reached 14 No. 1 albums and 10 No. 1 singles. His most recent album, “Rich White Honky Blues,” which came out in 2022, was a genre-blending mix of rock and country music that topped-charts. Williams’ career has spanned more than 60 years, he continues to add accolades including a Grammy win and coveted inductions into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame.
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives newest work explores a country landscape brimming with “dreamers and drifters, misfits and angels, honky-tonk heroes and lonesome lovers.” The album captures Stuart’s yearning for growth and discovery, a metaphor for his career that has spanned backing up country and bluegrass royalty as well as a 40-plus standing as a solo artist. He is a Country Music Hall of Famer and five-time Grammy Award winner who landed his first big gig at age 13.
Daryl Hall
with special guest The Rascals
Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $44
Daryl Hall is a modern-day renaissance man, an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the star of his very own award-winning web series, “Live from Daryl’s House,” as well as a successful venue owner with Daryl’s House, a restored venue and live music space in Pawling, N.Y.
Two legendary founders of The Rascals are together again. Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish cite the fans and love of their timeless songs as reasons for collaboration. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Grammy Hall of Fame, The Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame members, The Rascals are widely considered the best “blue-eyed soul” group to come out of the 1960s, and their music is the soundtrack of a generation.
The concert previously announced for Thursday, Aug. 28, was the Steve Miller Band who has since canceled their tour.
The Avett Brothers with
special guest The Milk Carton Kids
Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $54
Four-time Grammy Award nominee The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their critically acclaimed 2009 major label debut “I and Love and You.” The Avett Brothers have been inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and have earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.
Founded in 2011, The Milk Carton Kids — Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale — swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft. Their 2013 debut “The Ash & Clay” marked their national breakthrough, earning them their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Album.
Nelly
with special guests Ja Rule, Mýa and Ying Yang Twins
Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $54
Nelly is a multiplatinum, three-time Grammy award-winning rap star. He is also an entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor. Since stepping into the scene in 2000 with his bold personality and distinctive sound, Nelly continues to set a high standard for the industry.
Ja Rule is an award-winning rapper, actor and entrepreneur. He was born and raised in New York City, and has topped charts throughout his widely successful career. He is a songwriter for top artists, including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez and Fat Joe, among many others.
Mýa is an internationally acclaimed, Grammy-winning R&B and pop artist. She first rose to fame in the late ’90s and has chart-topping hits spanning her over 25 years as a performer. She is also an actress, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in the film “Chicago.” Billboard recognized Mýa as one of the “Top Female Artists of the 21st Century” in 2025.
Ying Yang Twins, including members D-Roc and Kaine, debuted in 1996 with the single “Whistle While You Twurk.” Their song “Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk)” is now a standard at many NFL football games and was considered to be the unofficial anthem of the New Orleans Saints during their Super Bowl victory season.
Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Finals
Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Free admission
An event almost as legendary as corndogs and cotton candy, this extra-special evening brings together the 20 nightly first-place winners from 10 days of Amateur Talent Contest Semifinals competition and 6 winners from the MSF County Fair Talent Contest Finals competition. Enjoy a showcase of singers, dancers, instrumentalists and every type of performer in between as these 26 acts compete for the right to be named Minnesota’s top talent.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse Plays Music of Taylor Swift & more for kids
featuring Bri & The Anti-Heroes
Monday, Sept. 1, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tickets start at $10
The Rock and Roll Playhouse performs their family concert series at historic music venues across the country. They cover rock classics for their core audience of families with children ages 10 and under. The concert includes games, stories and an opportunity to rock out while educating kids and encouraging them to explore their creativity.
Bri & the Anti-Heroes is a group of six friends who joined their musical backgrounds to become the Midwest’s own Eras tour. They cover music from Taylor Swift’s repertoire, as well as parading some of Swift’s most iconic costumes. Taylor’s voice is captured by country solo artist Brianna Helbling. She is joined by Tim Melin and Lars Hegland (Tripwire Fargo), Art Hoffman (About to Run), Joe Dretsch (Redline) and Anna Jennings (Jensen Sisters).
