Photography courtesy of Fair Saint Louis Foundation
This year’s free Fair Saint Louis concerts will feature Trace Adkins, Bret Michaels, and Counting Crows. It seems to some like a lineup better suited for a state fair than Fair Saint Louis, which over the years has hosted the likes of Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Kool and the Gang, Tina Turner, and Kenny Rogers. So maybe the committee that selects these acts just had an off year. Are there lessons to be learned?
Midwesterners love Michaels. If you’re a butt-rocker from the ’80s, no matter how much time passes, you’ll still be worshiped here. The Fair Saint Louis website actually calls the Poison frontman the “leader of his own global empire.” And by “global empire,” they must mean the legions of brain-dead Barbie wannabes (made of plastic) who’ve hooked up with him on reality TV.
“Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” qualifies as family-friendly. Nothing says Independence Day like a country star spewing arena-friendly sing-alongs that extol the virtues of “workin’ that money-maker.” Happy birthday, Amurika!
You get what you pay for. Organizers are tasked with throwing a series of free parties for the whole city on a tight budget, no small chore. Sure, you can see The Killers and The National at LouFest, but it will cost you. We’re willing to cut Fair Saint Louis some slack; we just won’t be hopping on the Rock of Love Bus.
