It appears that this year’s Grandstand concert series generally won’t be well attended, especially since Jon Bon Jovi has been diverted to raise funds for our overexposed governor. That’s disappointing, but the public should understand that the process of booking acts for those 10 days—remember that for the last two days the venue is used for motorsports—is much more complicated and difficult than just coming up with the names of some acts that may be well-received.

The late Joe LaGuardia taught us that booking the Fair is a tricky combination of timing, balance and luck and that you’ve got to work on it all year. It’s not easy when you consider that some acts won’t play outdoors, some are priced beyond what would be reasonable in a 17,000-seat venue and other are touring another part of the world in late August/early September.

To be fair, some of the acts on the bill could have logically been expected to draw bigger numbers. Reasons for the slow sales could include multiple previous appearances for some acts, ticket prices being higher than some fans will pay and the shortcomings of the Grandstand, referenced in our Venues on the menu post. Ironically, a major reason may be the emergence of Chevy Court in drawing monster crowds as it did with Bruno Mars, Lady Antebellum and Shinedown. This year Vince Gill, one of the most talented musicians of our time, will play there. Since he plays adult music, he’s definitely on the outs with hot country radio, but he’ll still draw, as will Grace Potter, Austin Mahone and others. Fairgoers take in the free acts and skip the pricey ones.

So what’s the answer? Well, a new venue would be great. Failing that, making the current accommodation more customer-friendly would be nice. Allow plastic bottles and snacks to be carried in and work on courtesy with security personnel. Get creative on ways to make those seated at the fringes feel closer. Try multiple-bill shows and more emphasis on rising acts that haven’t played here. And let’s recognize that a poorly-attended show isn’t necessarily better than no show at all. A break-even show is OK as bringing more patrons through the gates is important, but losing money makes it hard to justify the concert. In fact, a few real blockbusters among some dark evenings as a complement to a strong Chevy Court line-up may be the wave of the future.