One of the few promising concerts in the New York State Fair lineup this year ricocheted between dynamic and off-target Wednesday evening at Chevy Court when country trio Chapel Hart played to a disappointing crowd that failed fill the benches.

The Mississippi trio started strong with original country material that showed off their lush harmony, hinting that this show would live up to its promise. But later they lost their way, covering several hits released by other performers, unfortunately including rock songs from Fleetwood Mac and Journey.

Lead singer Devynn Hart is charismatic and witty, but she doesn’t know when to stop talking and get back to music. Her mildly amusing monologues went way too long, particularly when she gushed about service members and veterans, leading into the ladies singing one of the hokiest, sappiest songs to ever hit the country charts, hypocritical lounge singer Lee Greenwood’s gratuitous “God Bless the USA.”

Devynn Hart invoked legendary women Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton in her talks and Chapel Hart should follow their lead. Overall these ladies showed that they have genuine talent that deserves better presentation.

Another point that was clear on Wednesday is that the Fair has some work to do in terms of training security staff at Chevy Court. Some staff–not all–exhibit a rude and overzealous attitude that was in full force, even though the small audience could have allowed for a less rigid approach. They rarely ask politely, instead arrogantly acting as if any minor issue is a major security risk and treating customers with hostility. They also more subtlety interfere with fan enjoyment by carelessly blocking sight lines when there’s no reason to do so. Rude conduct is rampant at Chevy Court and State Fair employees shouldn’t add to it.

Did you hear that country music icon Clint Black is appearing at a major upstate New York event in August?

No, it’s not the New York State Fair. The dynamic Black will play on Aug. 13 at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg. His 90s country contemporaries Clay Walker and Tracy Byrd are on the bill that night in what sounds like a terrific triple-bill for fans of that cowboy-hat era.

Meanwhile the State Fair’s hopelessly incompetent booking agency has signed yet another–you guessed it– rapper.

The recently-announced shows featuring bland pop-country singer Lainey Wilson and lounge-singer-turned-phony-patriot Lee Greenwood amount to a feeble attempt to appease fans of genuine country music. Many of us remember when Clint Black performed three very entertaining concerts at the State Fair grandstand in 1993, 1994 and 1998. That was back when they had a competent booking agent–the legendary Joe LaGuardia–instead of clueless outsiders.

With nine weeks left until opening day, it may be too soon to predict that the current itinerary of the Chevrolet Music Series will surpass last year as the worst Fair concert line-up in history. But the over-saturation of the Chevy stages–particularly Suburban Park–with rap “artists,” several sporting names that look like typographical errors, has gone way too far. Clint Black is one of many classic country acts that have been ignored for years by the Fair. Its lineup, as currently comprised, desperately needs balance and variety. Bringing in some classic country acts and other performers who can actually sing and play instruments is a good place to start.

A recent article by Geoff Herbert in the Syracuse Post-Standard/syracuse.com makes the case that hip hop has surpassed rock and country as the most popular musical  style at the New York State Fair. It’s hard to accept such a theory based upon the acts booked this year by the incompetent agency used by New York State to create the concert lineup for the two major stages. It’s unreasonable to say that country popularity has faded when fans are given no opportunity to show up for an act with bona fide country cred.

This year may have been the worst lineup in Fair history with a half-dozen hip hop acts and fewer major rock bands, while the handful of country performers were exclusively newcomers or second-stringers with one exception. The biggest name was Jimmie Allen, who sings lightweight pop with a twang and a heavy beat that mimics hip hop. Thus Allen is the definition of what current commercial radio passes off as country, though it’s completely unsatisfying for fans who know real country.

It was nothing less than laughable when clueless local media referred to sideshow goofballs Big and Rich as “country superstars.” These two flakes have cracked the Billboard Country Chart top ten exactly twice over the course of the past 19 years, not exactly superstar credentials. When they played the grandstand in 2009, their crude and insulting show drew a paltry crowd.

While other upstate venues staged impressive artists including Lorrie Morgan, Clint Black, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Emmylou Harris,  Mary Chapin Carpenter and Rhonda Vincent this summer, the Fair whiffed completely on genuine, traditional-style country.

Again.

If other venues can book such talent, why can’t the Fair?

No surprise–they sure don’t know much about country music as they signed unknown country “stars” like American Idol (uh-oh) singer Alex Miller and Niko Moon. Another kid,  Ernest (State Fair Hound refuses to ignore standard journalistic practice to spell his name in capital letters as he prefers) put on an entirely credible show at Chevy Court, but he’s not exactly a big name in capital letters or otherwise.

Rap fans should certainly have a chance to cheer their favorites, but it’s been several years since the Fair brought in a top-flight, real country act, especially one with the track record to draw the fans who consistently filled concert seats in years past. Those folks are still here and they still want to hear country.

It’s unfair to compare the audiences’ response to minor league or fledgling country acts against some of hip hop’s biggest names. Numbers aside, when you book 52 shows over 13 days, a wide variety of acts is the logical way to go.

This infuriating issue is nothing new, but maybe a new exec at the top of the Fair’s team, whether it’s Sean Hennessey or someone else, will do something to correct it. They should start right now.

Our midwinter mood is getting a boost this week as we eagerly look forward just six months to opening day of the 2022 New York State Fair.

You might expect that the earliest announcements of performers booked for shows at the bookend stages–Chevy Court to the east and Chevy Park to the west–would elicit great enthusiasm. Alas, it may be a harbinger of a continuing trend toward acts that appeal primarily to the under-30 crowd as thus far three of the  announced headliners will be rap/hip-hop acts.

There’s nothing wrong with booking people who can’t sing or play instruments as part of a long and varied list of entertainers. Only a few shows have been announced. It’s certainly likely that they’ll sign several performers who appeal to your more mature fans, especially those who value actual talent.

When you look closely, the reason for this uninspiring start is that the booking agency–is it still Triangle?–usually books ticketed major venues that invariably want acts most likely to draw massive crowds. Those customers would generally consist of youthful fans, who are thought to be the most reliable concert ticket buyers.

But the New York State Fair is a cow of a different color due to a more mixed intended audience, many of whom go to free-with-admission concerts as part of a whole package of entertainment geared toward both maintaining traditions and getting the most out of a widely-varied, hours-long day on the grounds.

Maybe a few fans come just for the music, but the Fair is such a wide-ranging event that the concerts presented at both major stages have to fit in with the other attractions. Fair vendors need concert fans to also be customers who put the profit in their businesses.

Thus the fan base to which the 13-day itinerary must appeal is more diverse and surely includes gray-haired fans who appreciate the seasoned entertainers who have been their favorites for decades.

Fortunately, there have been  a few acts for fans of vintage rock, pop, blues and soul, though classic country fans have been ignored year after year. Those devoted fans of 2oth century country are still plentiful, mind you, but the Fair’s incompetent concert agency makes no effort to find acts who attract them.

It comes down to a matter of balance so everyone gets a couple of shows to enjoy on the schedule and no one genre dominates. If only Triangle would wake up and sign a better  variety of acts available to appeal to the Fair’s diverse clientele.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of time–six months–to fill out the Fair concert schedule and reverse a troubling trend, so it could still happen. Stay tuned.

If there’s anything better than one performance by the Mavericks at the 2021 New York State Fair, it’s two (or should we say dos) concerts by that award-winning band.

In a throwback scenario to the days of two Chevrolet Court concerts by the same act every day, the Fair has added a second show by Raul and the boys, the newly-booked set to be performed all in Spanish.

The en Espanol show will actually come first, at 2 p.m. on Sep. 5 on the Stan Colella Stage at Chevy Court, while the previously scheduled concert will play the same venue that evening at 7 p.m.

The last time the versatile, bi-lingual combo played Chevy Court was at the 2019 Fair and the weather couldn’t have been worse, but devoted fans shook off pelting rain and stuck around for a jalapeno-hot time in the old courtyard. Now fans have second and third chances to sample their Tex-Mex talents, this time with hopes that decent weather will greet their Latino virtuosity.

Take it from The Hound; It’s tough to take notes at a concert in a relentless downpour.

That was the case on day 8 of the New York State Fair when the versatile and red hot Mavericks played Chevy Court. The conditions were as awful as the band was dazzling.

The Post-Standard’s Jacob Pucci wrote a review praising the loyal audience that stuck around when it started to rain at the Roots show a few nights later and rightly so. It’s the true fans who brave lousy weather and that’s where Mavericks fans get top prize this year.

The three-decades-old Florida band included nine members, every one from the horn section to the squeezebox player, a standout musician. With Raul Malo’s inimitable vocals leading the way, the Mav’s didn’t speak many words, allowing their Latin-beat virtuosity and irresistible melodies do the talking as solo after solo kept the crowd cheering every thrilling note.

The poncho-clad fans in attendance may have questioned their sanity for dancing on muddy ground or keeping the beat between raindrops, but few left before the familiar strains of “All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down” faded and the band took their final bow, 80 minutes after they started.

What all this should tell Fair promoters is that Syracuse loves the Mavericks enough to bring them back in 2020, hoping they get better weather.