Fair adds new acts to 2014 lineup

PALMER — Willie Nelson hates to fly.

Which is why Alaskans won’t see him perform at the Alaska State Fair any time soon, said the fair’s marketing director, Dean Phipps.

“We’ve been trying to get him for years,” he said.

Unfortunately, Alaska’s a long way to drive — from just about anywhere. That, combined with a relatively small seating space and a limited budget, makes booking talent for the Alaska State Fair something of a challenge.

On Friday, Alaska State Fair members got the inside scoop on the last three acts added to the 2014 lineup. KC and The Sunshine Band confirmed for Thursday, Aug. 21, Bachman and Turner with Blue Oyster Cult is confirmed for Sunday, Aug 24, and All American Rejects confirmed for Thursday, Aug. 28.

Members have the opportunity to purchase tickets early. Sales to the general public begin Friday.

Phipps said a lot of things factor into decisions about which acts to book.

“It starts with a wish list, sure,” he said. “But at the same time, Tom Fohn (entertainment consultant at Northwest Events & Marketing Inc. in Oregon) is compiling his lists of who’s available. Not all bands play fairs, for example — some only play festivals or the larger arenas.”

The Alaska fair is a relatively small venue.

“We’ve got room for about 5,000 people, standing,” Phipps said.

And the problem is, it costs a lot to play the Last Frontier.

“You’ve got air fare,” he said. “And another thing is that you lose a day coming up and a day going home. So acts charge more to play here. And when you’re dividing that up among 3,500 or 5,000 people, that comes out to ticket prices that are just too much.”

Of course, sometimes plain old luck factors in.

“Back when Everclear played here (in 2003), the lead singer’s girlfriend was from Palmer. The band came up here in part because he wanted to see the place where she grew up,” Phipps said.

Fohn, who has been involved with booking the fair since 1995, said the fair has changed significantly in recent years.

“The caliber of entertainment has grown,” he said. “The level of talent we’re getting up there has been inching up year by year. It’s different than it was back in the day, when we were really kind of giving stuff away — there were a lot of free shows back then.”

Fohn, who regularly books bands like Three Doors Down, Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown, said some of the most memorable concerts he’s ever attended have been at the Alaska State Fair.

“I’m looking at a framed photo right here on my office wall from when Garrison Keillor played there a couple years back. It was a beautiful afternoon — a gorgeous sunny day, and it was standing-room-only. It’s incredibly cool to see 4,000 people packing a venue … and I tell you what, you could have heard a pin drop.”

And that’s the main selling point Fohn has when he’s rounding up talent for the Last Frontier.

“The thing about up there, one of the biggest selling points is just the crowds. The crowds are just awesome,” he said. “People in Alaska are appreciative, and they’re sincere.”

Case in point: Fohn remembers the year Los Lobos played the fair.

“The night before, they were at a festival where it’s almost like an island — this amphitheater is just huge, and it’s just this big show with these big lights and something like 15,000 people,” he said. “And then the next day they’re on a plane bright and early to do a show in front of maybe 1,100 or 1200 people. But when they were done, they were like, ‘Wow, what a crowd!’”

Fohn said Scott Stapp of Creed had virtually the same reaction after playing the Alaska State Fair.

“He got off the stage and he was just blown away,” Fohn said. “He goes, ‘Man – that’s a crowd!’”

Of course, there is a certain glamour in the 49th state that you just won’t find anywhere else. While for most bands, a venue is just business no matter where it is, Alaska sells itself in subtle ways, Fohn said.

“I have certain pictures I send whenever acts start inquiring about a venue. So I’ll send a couple shots … venue, venue … and then I’ll throw in a picture of a glacier, and they’ll say, ‘Why are you sending me this, I didn’t ask for a picture of a glacier,’ and I tell them, no you don’t understand — you can actually see this glacier from the fairgrounds. It’s right there. I mean where else can you see something like that?”

Of course it’s not always smooth sailing. One well-known country band played here recently, and stayed to play in Alaska’s great outdoors.

“I’d rather not say who, because he’d probably kill me,” Fohn said. “But they wanted to go quadding (four-wheeling) on a glacier, so they did. Two of them fell off, one of them cracked a rib and the lead singer came back with what looked like a broken arm and a possible concussion. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to sing that night or not.”

And sometimes, not everyone is happy with the lineup.

While Phipps said the goal is to include “something for everyone,” the fair has seen its share of controversy. This year’s inclusion of Duck Dynasty has garnered its share of feedback, Phipps said.

“The calls have been about half people complaining about them coming and half people wanting to know how they can get meet-and-greets,” he said.

For more information, or tickets for this year’s shows, visit alaskastatefair.org.