Lainey Wilson can add another superlative to her extensive musical resume.
With hours to go until curtain, the country superstar’s Sunday night performance has officially sold the most tickets of any Iowa State Fair Grandstand show since the venue was renovated in 2018. Wilson’s performance Sunday, Aug. 16 drew 17,360 fans.
The previous record holder was Chris Stapleton, who drew 17,320 fans to the fairgrounds in 2021.
And hometown metal band Slipknot held the mark before that for its 2019 show, which brought in 17,032 concertgoers.
The Grandstand’s 2026 lineup was on track to break 2025’s record as the best-selling in fair history, but Rod Stewart canceling his show meant this year’s numbers were thrown a bit off.
An estimated 2,000 people attended John Waite’s replacement show Friday night, but attendance was open and no tickets were collected.
Here’s the attendance from this year’s Grandstand acts:
Here’s the attendance from the 2025 Grandstand acts:
Here are the biggest single shows on the Grandstand:
Some of the biggest shows since the Grandstand was renovated in 2018:
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Lainey Wilson just broke this Iowa State Fair Grandstand record
Reporting by Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
