Nelly is returning to the Great New York State Fair in 2022, a year after drawing one of the 10 largest crowds in NYS Fair concert history.
The “Hot in Herre” rapper will perform on the Chevy Park stage again on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. The concert is free with admission to the fair.
More than 33,700 fans watched Nelly perform in 2021 at Chevy Park, performing hits like “Country Grammar,” “Ride wit Me,” “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” “Dilemma,” and the country crossover smash “Over and Over.” It’s the sixth largest show ever at the NYS Fair, behind A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (40,610 in 2018), Steve Miller Band (36,900 in 2015), AJR (36,397 people in 2021), Bruno Mars (35,000 in 2011), and ZZ Top (33,875 in 2018).
“Nelly’s show last year was one of the biggest in Fair history and we are fortunate to be able to bring him back so quickly. This will be a great night for those who love hip-hop like I do,” said Fair Director Troy Waffner.
It’s not just Waffner that loves hip-hop: Five of the 11 biggest crowds in New York State Fair concert history were rap shows. Migos drew 31,900 in 2017, Ludacris drew 31,500 in 2018 and Nas drew 30,750 in 2015.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the first NYS Fair shows announced for 2022 are also hip-hop acts: The Art of Rap featuring Ice-T will perform Aug. 25 and 24KGoldn will perform Sept. 2. 8 p.m. All three concerts are scheduled for Chevy Park, the new, larger stage located in the New York Experience festival grounds that’s part of the Chevrolet Music Festival, along with Chevy Court.
The 2022 NYS Fair is scheduled to run from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
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