Kennedie Cearlock and Brandi Moore were already first in line outside the Illinois State Fair Grandstand at 11 a.m. — nine hours before Ella Langley’s scheduled 8 p.m. concert.
Despite the long wait ahead, the two fans, from Tazewell and Christian counties, were in exceptionally positive moods. With Langley’s growing popularity and reputation for selling out shows, they arrived early to make sure they could be in the front row for her performance.
When first encountered, Cearlock and Moore were sitting on the pavement with nearly empty entrance lanes stretching behind them. By 3 p.m., more concertgoers had joined the line, and the pair had obtained folding chairs as they waited in the full afternoon sun.
A nearby food truck added to the anticipation by playing Langley’s music for the waiting fans. Music coming from the stage sounded as though Langley was warming up during a sound check — and the audio already sounded notably good.
Still smiling and holding the first positions in line, Cearlock and Moore remained determined to be among the first fans through the gates for Langley’s evening performance.
According to preliminary reports, Langley’s sold-out show drew 15,533 fans, tying the grandstand attendance record set by fellow country star Lainey Wilson just six days earlier. Jason Aldean’s show in 2011 held the record for more than a decade at 15,329 fans before being surpassed by Lil Wayne’s crowd of 15,427 people in August 2024. That record only lasted for a year before Megan Moroney’s show in 2025 saw 15,532 in attendance.
Timothy Schinsky is an Illinois-based documentary photographer, videographer and visual storyteller who has photographed the Illinois State Fair for nearly a decade. Through Ivy League Video, he documents the people, traditions and agricultural communities that shape Illinois culture.
Whoah…now who are those nice young ladies!?
-Burt Stanton