Jana Kramer will headline the grandstand concert at the Van Wert County Fair this weekend with the Eli Young Band.
Courtesy of Van Wert Live
VAN WERT — The Van Wert County Fair returns this weekend and to start it off, two country music chart-toppers will headline Van Wert Live’s Grandstand concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Jana Kramer and the Eli Young Band will take the stage and they are geared up for a great show.
“Jana and we all kind of started on the radio side of our careers and so we’ve been around her a ton and done a ton of shows and she’s a fantastic singer and entertainer so it’ll be a bunch of fun,” Eli Young guitarist James Young said. “And it’s been a fun summer playing a lot of these fairs and this show is kind of wrapping up that phase for us.”
“I’m just excited,” Kramer, a Michigan native, said while on the road in Tennessee. “I obviously love the Midwest and I’m happy to get close to home. Midwest fans are so fun and energetic and I just love playing festivals and having a good time so I’m really looking forward to seeing them out there.”
Kramer said that the audience will be able to expect a fun, interactive performance.
“I definitely like to interact with the crowd,” she said. “I love making people feel entertained with some of their favorite songs, including some oldies. I want them to connect with the songs and just have a good time.”
Young said that fans can expect a setlist that covers their entire history from their early rock sound to their country and Americana hits.
“We sort of retooled our setlist like we do almost every year now and we’ve just got kind of these different chunks of brand new music that we put out over a year ago,” he said. “ And then, of course, we’ll play all the hit songs that we’ve had and do a deep dive in our really old stuff from 20 years ago or so. We kind of splice some of that in just for those fans who have been with us this whole time. And we want to entertain.”
The Eli Young Band has been four friends together longer than the band has existed and Young said that he hopes the audience can sense that.
“Sometimes it feels selfish because it’s like we’re just doing it because we like doing it, but I hope that our friendship and the fun that we’re having on stage really comes through to the crowd,” he said. “I think that’s probably the most genuine thing that we have to offer. I think anyone can get on stage and play a song, but I feel like there’s a true friendship and camaraderie and real feelings going on between the performers on stage and that makes it really real and that’s how we approach a live show.”
Following this weekend’s performance, the Eli Young Band will get to work on making a new record and can be found on social media and streaming sites, which are linked on the band’s website.
Kramer’s book “The Next Chapter” will come out in October and fans can stay up to date on her by checking out her podcast “Whine Down” and checking out her website janakramer.com.
Tickets for the grandstand concert at this year’s Van Wert County Fair can be purchased at the Van Wert Live website.
More information on the fair can be found at vanwertcountyfair.com.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
