Arizona State Fair concerts start this weekend. Here are the headliners

Ed Masley, Arizona Republic

Updated October 13, 2023 at 10:00 PM·2 min read

Concerts will return to Veterans Memorial Coliseum after a three-year hiatus when the Arizona State Fair 2023 opens on Friday, Sept. 22, in Phoenix.

Alt-rock pioneers Violent Femmes were recently added to the Arizona State Fair concert series lineup, with a performance planned for Friday, Oct. 27.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the folk-punk legends' iconic self-titled debut and they've been selling out concerts across the country as fans flock to see them play the album in its entirety, including such obvious highlights as "Add It Up," "Gone Daddy Gone" and "Blister in the Sun."

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Concerts returning to the Arizona State Fair after 3-year absence

Arizona State Fair concerts were paused in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they're back, and fans can expect some changes to the popular concert series, which added Becky G, fresh from rocking Coachella, after initially announcing four acts for its first year back.

Violent Femmes bring the total to six.

“For decades, the Madhouse on McDowell hosted nightly concerts during the State Fair — Snoop Dogg, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and even Selena Gomez,” Wanell Costello, the fair's executive director, said in a press release.

“The post-pandemic music industry forced us to evolve our business model, and in order to bring back headliner talent, every seat is reserved and includes your fair admission.”

This year's concerts are billed as "An Evening With…" That means there's no opening act "so you can grab a turkey leg before the show and have time for a funnel cake," according to the press release.

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