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
No. 3: Steve Miller Band
36,900 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 4: AJR
36,397 people at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 5: Bruno Mars
35,000 at Chevy Court in 2011
No. 6: ZZ Top
33,875 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 7: Nelly
33,713 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 8: Migos
31,900 at Chevy Court in 2017
No. 9: Ludacris (tie)
31,500 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 9: Florida Georgia Line (tie)
31,500 at Chevy Court in 2013
No. 11: Chicago
31,200 at Chevy Court in 2016
No. 12: Nas
30,750 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 13: REO Speedwagon
30,511 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 14: Dropkick Murphys
30,200 at Chevy Court in 2019
No. 15: Lady A (tie)
30,000 at Chevy Court in 2010
No. 15: Sonny & Cher (tie)
30,000 at Empire Court in 1972
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.