Poll Results: Who You Want to See at the 2022 Missouri State Fair
After the Missouri State Fair, we took a poll of the artists you'd most like to see play the Missouri State Fair in 2022. This year we did the poll a little differently. We broke the poll into different sections: Country artists you want to see play the fair. Classic artists you want to see play the fair. More or less current artists you'd like to play the fair. And then we asked you to tell us what Christian artists and Red Dirt / Texas Country / Americana artists you'd like to see at next year's Fair. Here are the results:
Response to Each of the Poll Sections
People were not required to fill out the entire poll to participate. Therefore different amounts of people responded to each section. By far, the most popular section of the poll was on what Country acts you'd like to see perform. That was followed by the sections which asked you to tell us which classic and more or less current artists you'd like to see perform. The section on what legends you'd like to see perform at next year's State Fair was filled out by significantly fewer people. And significantly fewer people took the time to write in responses to the section that required write-in answers.
People's enthusiasm for Country music is quite apparent by the number of respondents to that section, yet, you can't discount interest in classic artists or current artists either. All three sections had a very healthy number of responses.
That said, to say the Missouri State Fair shouldn't book a genre of music because significantly fewer people participated in that part of the poll is short-sighted. Yes, Christian music or Red Dirt Country or Americana may not have been as popular in our poll, but our radio stations don't play many of these artists and we asked those familiar with those genres of music to work a little harder to tell us who they wanted the Fair to book.
What Country Acts Do You Want to See at the 2022 Missouri State Fair?
Luke Combs was the #1 Country artist you'd like to see at the Missouri State Fair. He's followed by Morgan Wallen, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Kane Brown.
These artists finished in the middle of the poll: Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Reba, and Dolly Parton.
What Classic Acts Do You Want to See at the 2022 Missouri State Fair?
Guns 'N' Roses was the #1 classic artist you'd like to see at the Missouri State Fair. They're followed by Snoop Dogg, Aerosmith, Usher, Backstreet Boys, AC/DC, and Fall Out Boy.
These artists finished in the middle of the poll: Journey, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alicia Keys, Def Leppard, Weezer, Matchbox 20, and the New Kids on the Block.
What more or less Current Acts Do You Want to See at the Missouri State Fair?
Post Malone was the #1 current act you'd like to see at the Missouri State Fair. He's followed by Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, The Weekend, and Pink!
These artists finished in the middle of the poll: Green Day, Megan Thee Stallion, Machine Gun Kelley, Ed Sheeran, Twenty One Pilots, and Imagine Dragons.
What Musical Legends Do You Want to See at the Missouri State Fair?
The top five musical legends in the poll are, David Allan Coe #1, followed by Loretta Lynn, The Temptations, Bob Dylan, and Neil Diamond.
These artists finished 5 -10 in the poll: Ronnie Milsap, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Other Concert Questions About the Missouri State Fair.
The most popular Christian music artists mentioned were Casting Crowns and Lauren Daigle. And the most popular Red Dirt / Texas Country / Americana artists mentioned were Koe Wetzel, Tyler Childres, and Struggle Jennings.
Additionally, many respondents answered favorably when asked if they'd be interested in "package tours" of 70s, 80s, 90s pop/rock artists, and 90s / 2000's country artists.
Other suggestions for the fair included a deal that includes a backstage pass; holding a Missouri artist night; not charging fair admission if you have a concert ticket; more pop and rock music and; stop bringing the same artists back every year.
Conclusions
What I see from the results is people want big, recognizable artists who have a reputation for putting on great shows and have a proven track record of hits. Additionally, many of the artists that performed very well in our poll have an appeal beyond their loyal fan base.
Can the State Fair get any of these artists? Look, there are definitely some artists who won't play the State Fair circuit. Yet, music is constantly changing. Artists are always aging and ebbing and flowing in popularity. There will be a day when Bon Jovi will play state fairs. That fits their brand more and more every year. KISS has played state fairs, and I never thought that would happen. So anything's possible. And with the exception of Garth, I don't think you could rule out any of the Country acts on the list.
The bottom line is, whose touring, how much do they cost, and can the State Fair outbid the arenas, sheds, casinos, and other state fairs happening at the same time. Regardless though, if they spend some time meeting the spirit of these poll results. We could have one heck of a concert lineup.