Alaska State Fair announces 2016 AT&T Concert Series

PALMER — After months of preparation, the Alaska State Fair has announced the first 10 performers in its 2016 AT&T Concert Series on Saturday.

State fair general manager Jerome Hertel said the entertainment committee starts making offers to bands for the next year’s fair a month or two after the previous fair ends, beginning with the country acts.

“It seems like the country acts are eager to get their schedules lined up for the next touring season,” Hertel said. “They’re always anxious to get … that done.”

Three of the 10 bands so far confirmed for the 2016 fair are country bands and musicians: Home Free, the five-man band that won NBC’s Season Four “Sing-Off” and last year played at the Fair on one of the smaller stages; Old Dominion, known for its 2015 hit, “Break Up With Him;” and Mississippi singer Randy Houser, who’s most recent hit, “We Went,” comes off his March 2016 album, “Fired Up.”

Rock duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are also slated for the 2016 fair, hopefully making up for last year’s cancellation due to Giraldo’s medical emergency.

Hertel said even non-emergency cancellations or denials of offers can happen as late as February or March before the fair, which can really throw a wrench in people’s plans.

“That’s kinda stressful, when they lead you on that long and then you’ve gotta start over,” he said.

The risk is often greater with acts that are in higher demand, he said, but the payoff is (hopefully) worth it.

“We might be willing to spend more on an act if we know it’s gonna sell out,” Hertel said.

Fans of the poppier music should appreciate The Band Perry — who’s hit single “If I Die Young” broke the top 20 in Billboard’s Top 100 in October 2010 — and Andy Grammer, who’s 2014 song “Honey, I’m Good.” was the singer/songwriter’s highest charting single at No. 9.

Concert-goers looking for alternative and hard rock can look forward to X Ambassadors (“Renegades” and “Unsteady”), Thousand Foot Crutch (won Rock Song of the Year with “Forward Motion”) and Volbeat, who’s 2007 album “Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil” went platinum.

Finally, rapper G-Eazy will be headed north this fall to entertain hip-hop fans after headlined two nationwide tours and being named Best New Artist of 2013 by High Times Magazine.

Dates and times

Home Free, Thursday, August 25, 7 p.m.

X Ambassadors, Friday, August 26, 7 p.m.

The Band Perry, Saturday, August 27, 7 p.m.

Old Dominion, Tuesday, August 30, 7 p.m.

Thousand Foot Krutch, Wednesday, August 31, 7 p.m.

G-Eazy, Thursday, September 1, 7 p.m.

Volbeat, Friday, September 2, 7 p.m.

Randy Houser, Saturday, September 3, 7 p.m.

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Sunday, September 4, 6 p.m.

Andy Grammer, Monday, September 5, 3 p.m.