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From contemporary Christian's Forrest Frank to rap's Pitbull or country icon Hank Williams Jr. The initial response to this 2025 Iowa State Fair Grandstand concert lineup did not add up to a record-setting 130,000-plus tickets sold, says Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons."It was probably panned more than any," he says. "And by 'panned,' I mean very negative response to the lineup, quite frankly."The total ticket number this year: 131,755 tickets.It taught the state fair staff something."I think we really learned how diverse Iowans are about their musical tastes," Parsons says. "It ended up being the most successful lineup in history."That lineup brought surprises."We had some heavy hitters in this year's lineup — Def Leppard, Rascal Flatts," Parsons says. "But interestingly, those were not the top four selling concerts."The top four: Frank, Megan Maroney and rap artists Pitbull and T-Pain.Frank: 15,804Maroney: 16,371Pitbull: 16,090T-Pain: 16,202This summer beat the previous record of 128,504 tickets sold set in 2019.In fact, three of the top selling one-show concerts in the last seven years were this summer. That is based on sales of shows held there after the Grandstand was renovated in 2018.Parsons says there is an assumption that country music rules the Grandstand."This year only, I think, four of our 11 nights were country music. We had something for kids. We had, again, something for a little older audience with Lynyrd Skynyrd and, you know, I mean, we really just kind of went across the gamut," Parsons says.There is a little bit of science, a little bit art and some luck to putting together a record-setter. The fair being held in August means that many artists have limited availability."We know classic rock sells well here at the Iowa State Fair. Some of those things are going to be every year. Other genres of music, you know, we're going to try to hit every so often. But as I mentioned, it really just comes back to who is available at that time," Parsons says.The negotiations are left to a booking company out of Kentucky."We present them with the shopping list. You know, we'd like to see these acts in the Grandstand, and they then begin those negotiations to make them happen. Really, though, for us, it is fairgoers' feedback," Parsons says.Big names are suggested. "Lainey Wilson, for example, you know, and of course, everybody would love, you know, loves to have Tim McGraw at the fair, but we would love to see Garth Brooks or George Strait at the fair," Parsons says.Again, it's not all country."Taylor Swift's name comes up, of course, quite often," he says.Another factor is the size of the Grandstand. "I think the other thing for people to think about is what we've talked about with the, with the limitation of 15,000 to 17,000 people, and they're selling out a 75,000 seat NFL stadium, you're probably not going to see them here at the Iowa State Fair," Parsons says.For 2026, four acts are already booked. Parsons declined to give anything away.By spring, the fair staff will begin on Grandstand acts for 2027.What does 2025's success mean for the future?"There are hundreds of different types of music. And so, I think for us, really diversity is going to be the way we're going to look booking Grandstand in the future," says Parsons. Parsons says they also pay attention to industry trends.Country artist Maroney is a great example.She played a free stage a few years ago and returned this year and sold out the Grandstand.She also shattered the record for most merchandise sold.The next state fair is Aug. 13-23 in 2026.This year's full Grandstand lineup and attendanceAug. 7: Forrest Frank with special guest Lecrae, 15,804Aug. 8: Parker McCollum with special guest Josh Abbott Band, 9,256Aug. 9: Megan Moroney with special guest Kameron Marlowe, 16,371Aug. 10: Pitbull with special guest Neon Union, 16,090Aug. 11: Lynyrd Skynyrd with special guest The Outlaws, 6,960Aug. 12: Rascal Flatts with special guest Neal McCoy, 13,322Aug. 13: Hairball's Silver Anniversary Tour, 8,358Aug. 14: Def Leppard with special guest Phil X & The Drills, 14,733Aug. 15: Hank Williams Jr. with special guest Old Crow Medicine Show, 11,185Aug. 16: T-Pain with special guest charlieonnafriday, 16,202Aug. 17: KIDZ BOP LIVE Certified Bop Tour, 3,474» Subscribe to ����vlog's YouTube page» Download the free ����vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play