AV Beat - Entertainment

LANCASTER, – The 2008 Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival, Aug. 22 -Sept. 1, proudly announced a dazzling seven days of concerts featuring contemporary star
Fergie, swamp-rock/blues legend John Fogerty, heavy metal icons Poison and Sebastian Bach, country masters Gary Allan, Jason Aldean and Terri Clark, ‘merengue/ranchera’ group, Grupo Montez de Durango and musical satirist, Weird Al Yankovic.

“It’s a terrific array of acts, with big productions and family friendly appeal,” said Antelope Valley Fair Deputy Manager Debbie Smith, who oversees the complicated concert booking process. “Each year we try to get the best entertainers for our concert series. We’re very excited about this year’s line up.” The Fair, she said, crafts the lineup of the hugely popular shows to appeal to the diverse tastes of the people of the Antelope Valley. Opening acts include country pros Diamond Rio, norteña singer, Lupillo Rivera, and country comedy act Williams & Ree.

The performer Fergie, born Stacy Ann Ferguson at Hacienda Heights, California, is a pop/ R&B singer-songwriter, actress and rapper phenomenon who has carved out her own niche in the entertainment world. Fergie is currently a vocalist for the hip-hop/pop group Black Eyed Peas as well as a solo artist. She brings “An Evening with Fergie” to the Antelope Valley Fair on Aug. 23. Fergie is a consummate performer who breaks through age barriers. Fergie’s Grammy-nominated monster single “Big Girls Don’t Cry” from her debut album “The Dutchess,” was a world-wide chart-topper and the most downloaded track in the United States in 2007. The album produced five top five hits.

Fans from afar will descend on the Antelope Valley Fair for the Aug. 26 appearance of multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter legend John Fogerty, whose group Creedence Clearwater Revival created a swamp rock sound flavored by Fogerty’s burly baritone vocals. The group and Fogerty gave birth to such classic sing-able songs as “Proud Mary,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Green River,” and “Bad Moon Rising.” The band broke up in 1972, never to reunite. Berkeley, California-born Fogerty, 63, has reinvented himself and his career numerous times through the years. Fans can expect nothing less than perfection from this musician on the last date of his “Revival” tour, which begins June 24 at Royal Albert Hall in London, where he first (and last) played 37 years ago. Fogerty’s current album release is “Revival,” on Fantasy Records.