• The precipitation went away, but perspiration took over during the smooth soul provided by The Four Tops on the evening of Aug. 31, followed by the Sept. 1 nighttime show with country rockers .38 Special. Both drew appreciative crowds.
• It wasn’t that humid on Sept. 2 for the evening show from Rick Springfield,
but he still managed to take off his shirt and show off his
still-sculpted bod to entertain the estrogen-heavy audience on hand.
His roster of 1980s pop-rock hits is deeper than you’d think, and he
even covered Paul McCartney’s “Jet.” But oh those aureoles!
• Still riding a wave of patriotic fervor, Lee Greenwood
was an easy choice to lead the 2 p.m. Sept. 3 show during the Fair’s
daylong salute to veterans. Highlights included his saxophone turn for
a cover of “Tequila,” and he even baited the audience by introducing a
song as the one that made him famous—but instead of the expected “God
Bless the USA,” he warbled a McDonald’s TV commercial verse from his
days as a jingle writer.
• The inspirational rock’n’roll of Switchfoot
on Sept. 4 drew the nicest bunch of kids you’d ever see at a rock
concert, as the crowd helped warm up a chilly night. The band even
promised to autograph everyone’s merchandise after the show, but after
80 minutes of glad-handing several hundred patient fans, the band
suddenly bolted and retreated to the rear of Chevy Court. They left
behind about 30 people, who were still in the queue and understandably
upset, and all it would have taken was just 10 more minutes of
autographs. Even for a free show, it was bad form, ’Foot.
