Indiana State Fair announces first wave of free stage performers

The Indiana State Fair has announced the first wave of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts for 2024. Included is the band Dogstar, which features actor (and bassist) Keanu Reeves. (Provided Photo/Indiana State Fair)
The Indiana State Fair has announced the first wave of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts for 2024. Included is the band Dogstar, which features actor (and bassist) Keanu Reeves. (Provided Photo/Indiana State Fair)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Fair has announced the first wave of Hoosier Lottery Free Stage concerts for 2024.

This year’s free stage lineup includes the Empress of Soul, a trio of hip-hop legends, and classic rockers who were forced to cancel last year’s performance because of weather.

The performers are:

  • Three Dog Night | Friday, Aug. 2 (rescheduled from 2023)
  • Gladys Knight | Sunday, Aug. 4
  • Dogstar | Thursday, Aug. 8
  • Bell Biv DeVoe | Friday, Aug. 9
  • Gary Allan | Friday, Aug. 16

Additional performers will be announced soon.

All shows at the free stage are free with fair admission and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of reserved viewing area tickets will be available for these concerts in July.

The 2024 Indiana State Fair is set to open on Friday, Aug. 2 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 18. The state fair will be closed on Mondays.

For more information, visit www.indianastatefair.com.

Enter to win an All-Inclusive Indiana State Fair Prize Package

The Hoosier Lottery invites fairgoers 18 and up to enter the free myLOTTERY All-Inclusive Indiana State Fair Prize Package contest. Six grand prize winners will receive state fair tickets, parking, Fair Bucks, the opportunity to see a concert at the Free Stage, and a Hoosier Lottery prize pack.

Enter by signing up to become a myLottery member or confirm your existing account at HoosierLottery.com/StateFair by July 8, 2024.

About the artists

Three Dog Night dominated the charts between 1969 and 1974 with their pop-rock sound, racking up more top 10 hits than any other group. Marking nearly 50 years on the road, Three Dog Night continues to captivate audiences with boundary breaking sounds and nostalgic music from their beginning.

Gladys Knight is an icon of the music industry and a trailblazer as both a solo singer and a group musician. Known as the “Empress of Soul,” she has recorded nearly 40 albums during her career, including four solo albums.

Dogstar is an American alt-rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1991. Its current members are guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Robert Mailhouse and bassist Keanu Reeves. The band saw its greatest success in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, started up again in 2020, and announced their reunion in 2022.

Bell Biv DeVoe formed in 1989 as a spinoff of R&B group New Edition. Their music combines elements of soul, R&B and hip hop, with their multi-platinum album Poison having a song reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.

Gary Allan is a Nashville-based country singer. Since releasing his debut single “Her Man” in 1996, Allan has had three certified platinum albums, and three certified gold albums. His most recent album, titled “Ruthless,” telss the story of the Nashville country music scene from the 1990s to today.