When the Illinois State Fair is going on, many things
around here change: Road directions are altered, bars stay open until 3
a.m., strangers are everywhere, and the fly population skyrockets. But life
does go on, so here are a few entertainment selections from both inside and
outside the fairgrounds.
Tonight (Thursday, Aug. 14) at Marly’s Pub (9
W. Old State Capitol Plaza, 217-522-2280), be on the lookout for another
big damn show by the Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band. The band —
which consists of three people with the surname of Peyton, playing an
acoustic resonator guitar, a washboard, and a small drum kit — is out
supporting a just-released CD, The Whole Fam
Damnily. The Bourbon Bluegrass Band opens the
show.
On Friday, Aug. 15, from 8:30 to 11 p.m., check out
Tin Horse, a modern-country group booked at Country Junction (formerly Key
West), one of the free entertainment theme areas on the fairgrounds that
also serves beer. Fronted by three young women who play fiddle, guitar, and
keyboards, Tin Horse has a nice opening-act résumé, boasting
performances in front of Gretchen Wilson, Diamond Rio, Toby Keith, and
Emerson Drive. The women, who have a bit of that Dixie Chick
mascara-and-music thing going on, bill themselves as “a Southern
rock/country band out of Chicago/Nashville,” which sounds confusing
but reveals a great deal. Also on Friday, from noon to 2 p.m. and again
from 6 to 8 p.m., catch Lori Franke and Miles Station, a high-energy
country act from Shipman, Ill., a small town halfway between Litchfield and
Jerseyville on Route 16, right down the road from an even smaller town
named Miles Station. Cadillac Ranch, a very good local country group with
an outstanding female vocalist, completes the “women of country
music” lineup with a show from 3 to 5 p.m.
Now it’s another day and we’re off to see
the infamous and legendary David Allan Coe at Club Chrome (3075 Normandy
Rd., 217-585-9655) on Saturday night. Coe, who displays Confederate flags
on his guitar and promotional posters, also goes to great pains to declare
his nonracist beliefs and isn’t quite sure why skinheads and others
of their kind flock to his live shows. But whatever you think about him
personally, professionally the man has had a successful run, with several
major hits as a performer and songwriter, and puts on one terrific live
show attended by all kinds of folks.
On Sunday, Aug. 17, let’s scoot back to the
fair to catch four of my favorite area bands under the Miller Lite beer
tent. First off there’s the impeccable and enduring Elvis Himselvis,
playing 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. during the Chilli Cook-Off. Following that
larger-than-life entertainer are the Eva Hunter Band at 4 p.m., the Damwell
Betters at 5:30 p.m., and the Micah Walk Band at 7 p.m.
There is so much more music at the fair that I
haven’t mentioned, from the grandstand concerts to the ever-popular
Ethnic Village and the other free stage areas that host music shows all day
long and into the night. It’s certainly one of those times when
there’s too much to do all at once. Oh well — that’s the
way the funnel cake crumbles.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Aug 7-13, 2008.
