Styx, Cheap Trick to perform at state fair

An evening of classic rock will be showcased on July 22 at 7:30 p.m. as Styx, along with Cheap Trick, performs at the M&T Bank Grandstand at the 2012 Delaware State Fair. Tickets for the concert were set to go on sale Thursday, April 26, at 10 a.m. and can be purchased by visiting www.DelawareStateFair.com.

“As we finalize our 2012 concert lineup, we are very pleased to welcome Styx, along with Cheap Trick, as they bring classic rock to our fairgoers,” said Danny Aguilar, assistant general manager and director of marketing for the Fair.

Tickets cost $44 for track and stadium seats, and $39 for grandstand and clubhouse seating. Tickets for the new orchestra pit section are $69. New in 2012, the Delaware State Fair has developed an orchestra pit section that brings the fan closer to the artist than ever before. The pit section is located just feet away from the stage and will be general admission, standing-room-only, with no chairs.

The pit tickets can be purchased under the Price, Location and Section tabs. Pit tickets cannot be purchased under “Best Available.” All other tickets (track, stadium, grandstand, and clubhouse) will be reserved seating with chairs. Concert attendance does require the purchase of a separate gate admission ticket.

Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 1970s, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late 1970s and early 1980s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads. Releases throughout the late 1970s earned at least platinum certification (1976’s Crystal Ball, 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, and 1979’s Cornerstone), and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.”

Cheap Trick may be one of the most covered bands of all time. Since the 1970s they’ve been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal. With classics such as “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender” and the late 1980s lighter-waving favorite, “The Flame,” Cheap Trick are considered by many to be a musical institution. Their most current release, The Latest, (released on CD, vinyl and 8-track) also celebrates their 35th anniversary together.

The 2012 Delaware State Fair will be held July 19-28. Tickets for Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Sugarland, Larry the Cable Guy, Casting Crowns, and Justin Moore with Colt Ford are already on sale. Other artists in the Delaware State Fair Summer Concert Series will be announced soon.