The 15 biggest NYS Fair concert crowds of all time: Nelly, more join the list (update)

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

A crowd of more than 40,000 people watched A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie perform at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair in 2018. Joanna Young | syracuse.com archives

UPDATE: Aug. 31, 2022 - Nelly crushed the previous record for largest crowd in New York State Fair concert history with 43,000 fans at Chevy Park.

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Attendance at the 2021 New York State Fair is down overall compared to pre-pandemic years, but Train still drew one of the largest crowds in NYS Fair concert history Tuesday night.

Fair officials said 28,563 people watched the Pat Monahan-led band perform hits like “Drops of Jupiter,” “Hey Soul Sister” and “Marry Me” at Chevy Park. That’s good enough for the 15th biggest concert ever at the NYS Fair, topping Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 28,400 at Chevy Court in 2017.

UPDATE AUG. 26: Fair officials said 30,511 people watched REO Speedwagon perform at Chevy Park on Wednesday night, the 10th largest NYS Fair concert audience ever. That bumps Train down to No. 16 on the all-time list.

UPDATE SEPT. 1: Fair officials said 33,713 came out to see Nelly perform at Chevy Park on Wednesday, Sept. 1, for the fifth largest crowd in NYS Fair concert history.

UPDATE: AJR drew 36,397 people to Chevy Park on Sept. 3, the third largest crowd in NYS Fair concert history.

What about the rest of the top 15? The list consists of five rock bands, five rap concerts, two country acts, and three pop artists.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie currently holds the No. 1 spot. The rapper drew more than 40,000 fans in 2018, surpassing previous record holders like Steve Miller Band and Florida Georgia Line.

Over the years, a number of factors have influenced which shows are the most popular, including weather, genre, day of the week, and general timing. Example: Bruno Mars was booked in early 2011, just as his debut album was climbing the charts with hits like “Grenade,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Marry You” and “The Lazy Song”; by summer, he was one of the biggest pop stars in the world and played to 35,000 screaming fans at Chevy Court.

All concerts at the NYS Fair are now free on two large stages — Chevy Court and Chevy Park — but for a long time, big-name artists were booked for the Grandstand (which had a capacity limit of 17,000) and smaller acts were booked for Chevy Court. The Grandstand was demolished in 2016 and the focus shifted towards putting bigger acts at Chevy Court; three of the top 10 largest crowds were in 2018.

Nelly and REO Speedwagon are on the list at Chevy Park, the NYS Fair’s newer stage at the west end of the fairgrounds. Chevy Park, formerly known as the New York Experience Stage, has five times the space as Chevy Court and a larger stage that can handle requirements of modern concert tours, which often include extensive lighting and sound systems and video walls.

Scroll down to see the attendance figures for the largest NYS Fair concert crowds below.

15 biggest NYS Fair concerts of all time (by attendance)

No. 1: Nelly

43,000 at Chevy Park in 2022

No. 2: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

40,610 at Chevy Court in 2018

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie performs at the New York State Fair's Chevy Court in 2018. Joanna Young | syracuse.com archives

No. 3: Steve Miller Band

36,900 at Chevy Court in 2015

Steve Miller Band

The Steve Miller band performed at Chevy Court at the 2015 NYS Fair. Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com

No. 4: AJR

36,397 people at Chevy Park in 2021

Thousands of people filled Chevy Park to see AJR perform at the NYS Fair on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.

Thousands of people filled Chevy Park to see AJR perform at the NYS Fair on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.

No. 5: Bruno Mars

35,000 at Chevy Court in 2011

Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars performs on the Chevy Court stage at the New York State Fair in 2011. Mike Greenlar | The Post Standard

No. 6: ZZ Top

33,875 at Chevy Court in 2018

ZZ Top

ZZ Top plays Chevy Court at the New York State Fair. Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

No. 7: Nelly

33,713 at Chevy Park in 2021

Nelly performs at Chevy Park during the New York State Fair

The crowd responds as Nelly performs at Chevy Park during the New York State Fair, Syracuse, N.Y., Wednesday Sept. 1, 2021. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

No. 8: Migos

31,900 at Chevy Court in 2017

Migos

Migos performs at the New York state Fair's Chevy Court on Sept. 3, 2017. Warren Linhart photo

No. 9: Ludacris (tie)

31,500 at Chevy Court in 2018

Ludacris

Ludacris performs at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair on August 24, 2018. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

No. 9: Florida Georgia Line (tie)

31,500 at Chevy Court in 2013

Florida George Line

Fans of Florida Georgia Line overflowing from Chevy Court at the New York State Fair watch the band on a nearby monitor. Gary Walts | gwalts@syracuse.com

No. 11: Chicago

31,200 at Chevy Court in 2016

Chicago

A huge crowd watches Chicago perform Monday, Sept. 5, 2016, at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair. Photo by Warren Linhart

No. 12: Nas

30,750 at Chevy Court in 2015

Nas

Rapper Nas performs on the Chevy Court stage at the New York State Fair, September 2, 2015. Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com

No. 13: REO Speedwagon

30,511 at Chevy Park in 2021

Reo Speedwagon

This photo provided by the New York State Fair shows REO Speedwagon performing on the Chevy Park stage Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021.

No. 14: Dropkick Murphys

30,200 at Chevy Court in 2019

Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys perform on the Chevy Court stage at the New York State Fair on Aug. 25, 2019. Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com

No. 15: Lady A (tie)

30,000 at Chevy Court in 2010

Lady A

Lady A, then known as Lady Antebellum, performed at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair in 2010. Jim Commentucci | The Post-Standard

No. 15: Sonny & Cher (tie)

30,000 at Empire Court in 1972

Sonny and Cher

This file photo shows Sonny Bono and Cher performing at the Royal York Hotel's Imperial Room in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Doug Griffin/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

ALSO:

No. 17: Earth, Wind & Fire — 29,900 at Chevy Court in 2017

No. 18: Counting Crows — 29,550 at Chevy Court in 2018

No. 19: Train — 28,563 at Chevy Park in 2021

No. 20: Lynyrd Skynyrd — 28,400 at Chevy Court in 2017

Note: All attendance figures provided by New York State Fair. Here’s how they calculate crowd sizes.

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