It has been a banner year for country music star Lainey Wilson. After back-to-back Academy of Country Music Award wins for “Entertainer of the Year” and “Female Artist of the Year” in both 2025 and 2026, Wilson’s Iowa State Fair Grandstand performance showed exactly why she is one of country music’s biggest stars today.
It was not just the record-breaking crowd that proved it, but a magnetic stage presence and boot-scootin’ anthems that kept fans hooked.
Performing to a sold-out crowd of 17,360 fans at the Grandstand Sunday, Aug. 16, the Grammy Award winner performed the largest single Grandstand show since it was renovated in 2018, breaking Chris Stapleton’s record. Wilson is a special guest on select dates for Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show,” all whilst she’s headlining her own, proving that she isn’t letting her foot off the gas anytime soon.
Lainey Wilson brings star power and heart to Iowa State Fair
The house lights dimmed, and the stage lights slowly began to turn up as the music started to play. Audience members held up their phones to capture the grand entrance. Others clapped along to the beat as Wilson seemingly appeared backstage with the opening notes of the high-energy and bit funky “Can’t Sit Still,” her backing ensemble giving the audience more than just a taste of what was in store for the night.
Wilson played hits like “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” and “Dirty Looks” back-to-back before taking the chance to thank the audience sincerely, something she would do throughout the night.
“This is crazy, thank you so much for making me feel welcomed tonight,” Wilson said. “I’m originally from Baskin, Louisiana, a town of about 170 people, and I’m very proud of where I come from. I feel like I am who I am because of the people and the place that raised me. And my dreams have taken me crazy places, and I feel like my dreams are coming true a bit more every single day, right before my eyes, and I have ya’ll fighting for that.”
Wilson brought out opening act Tigirlily Gold to perform “Good Horses,” a song she described as “about home,” before playing her latest release “Phone, Keys, Wallet,” a collaboration with guitar hero John Mayer. She got her band to do the dance that goes along with the song.
Wilson’s excitement to be performing at the fair was ever-present and radiating, so much so that when she went to start singing, she did the wrong verse. It wasn’t enough to ruffle Wilson; she just counted the band back in.
Wilson was unafraid to be herself on stage. She left not an inch of the Grandstand stage untouched as she strutted from end to end and fell to her knees to shred on her acoustic guitar. Wilson delivered every song with magnetic charisma and a powerful country rasp that captivated the audience from the very start to the very end.
Whether it was from the lyrics or ad-libs like “Ya’ll sound like a redneck choir,” or “happy birthday” to a lucky fan in the audience, or expanded jam sessions of her four-piece, her live show gave her studio recordings pizazz that can’t be recreated.
Even when Wilson transitioned into her slower country ballads, her energy never let up. She shared the story behind “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song),” and crowned the “cowgirl of the night,” a concert tradition that happens during “Things a Man Oughta Know,” a song that became Wilson’s first No. 1 hit and set her off on the journey to country music superstardom.
During the song, Wilson picked a young fan named Layla out of the audience to be crowned the “cowgirl of the night,” due to her cheeky sign that said, “My papa said if I get on that stage, he’ll buy me a horse.” Wilson gifted her signature cowgirl hat to the fan and led her through positive affirmations like “I’m beautiful, I’m smart, I’m fearless,” and, of course, “I’m getting a horse.”
“Cowgirl of the night” wasn’t the only special fan interaction of the evening. Wilson left her stage post to perform “Watermelon Moonshine” from the barricade, walking from the right side all the way down to the left to take selfies and sign merchandise. It was another song she started over when a fan project to hold up signs saying “You deserve this” caught her off guard. With earnest thanks to her fans, Wilson swallowed back her tears and started the song up again.
Finishing out the hour-and-a-half set of 18 songs including “Bell Bottoms Up,” “Smell Like Smoke,” “4x4xU,” and “Heart Like a Truck,” Wilson again thanked the fans for helping her break the record. She was met with uproarious cheers from the audience while the band played on. As the stage lights dimmed, it was obvious that neither Wilson nor the fans wanted the night to end.
Next up at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand is rock band Staind on Monday, Aug. 17.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Lainey Wilson proves superstar status in record Iowa State Fair show
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY Network
