By Joseph Pratt
The multi-platinum group Lonestar is headlining the Scioto County Fair as the grandstand act of Friday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m.
The band is coming armed with a 20-year history of performance, having amassed RIAA-certified sales in excess of 10 million album units since their 1995 launch, as well as 10 number one country hits, including “Amazed,” which was also number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The band has also won many awards for their work, including the 1999 Academy of County Music Awards (ACM) Single of the Year for “Amazed” and the 2001 Country Music Association (CMA) Vocal Group of the Year.
While the group has achieved major success in the entertainment industry, the members claim to have remained down to Earth and humbled, all hailing from from blue collar Texas households.
The band members put emphasis on hard work and spent a lot of time perfecting their art three years prior to making it big in 1995. Within those three years, the group played over 500 shows at concert halls or bars, anywhere that would have them.
The group now has two decades of experience working together and has performed with many timeless acts.
Despite major success, back-up vocalist and guitarist Michael Britt said he still looks forward to all of the fairs, both larger state fairs and those as small as Scioto County, because he is able to see his fans and his country in a different light.
“We have had a busy summer of playing fairs and festivals all over the country. It is always fun to get out and travel to these events, because it seems the people always love country music at these county fairs,” Britt said. “These shows always give us a good time and we look forward to them, because larger shows always feel like we’re playing at people, but these fairs really make us feel like we are playing with people.”
Britt went on to say that the different types of fairs and festivals offer a unique performance and a chance to see America in a vast collection of flavors.
“We’ve been doing these things for a long time and we’ve played many large and small fairs,” Britt said. “Nothing is really new for us anymore, but it is pretty great to get out there and see these small towns and the heartland of America. It is just great to see people and connect to them when we hit the stage.”
Not only does Britt describe the trips and locations as being a unique and different experience, but he says the energy at a fair is a major difference, as compared to a concert venue performance.
“Fairs are all day events,” Britt said. “The guests aren’t coming out after dinner and that is it. When we play a fair, we are usually topping off the entire day, which is always fun, because it provides an energetic night.”
Lonestar is currently hard at work making a new, self-produced album. The group already has seven recordings prepared for the album, but Britt said the band won’t be performing them at the fair, because they plan on playing more known music and possibly covers of recent major hits.
“We’ve been doing this for 23 years. We still love what we do and we are still getting pretty good crowds,” Britt said. “We just like playing music everybody seems to know and love.”
Britt explained that it is always interesting to hear stories from fans, because it has shown them how their music touches such a large variety of people.
“Every night, we hear stories during the meet and greets,” Britt said. “It seems like everyone has a story about a wedding or maybe a song like ‘Already There,’ which helped with the absence of a loved one. We’ve been lucky to have two career songs that have touched such a large amount of people.”
Reach Joseph Pratt at 740-353-3101, ext. 1932, or by Twitter @JosephPratt03.
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Lonestar
