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The variety shows in state fair lineup

By Walter Tunis Contributing Music Writer

Ah, the sights, sounds and smells of the Kentucky State Fair. There is absolutely nothing on earth like them.

Where else can you see a tightrope-walking tiger, cheer a pig race, commune with ­everything from goats to chickens to deceptively docile bovines, then chomp down on a corn dog in 95-degree heat?

But, as David Letterman says, that's not why you called. If you're reading this, chances are you're fancying a tune or two to cap off your state fair adventure. As usual, you're in luck and then some. On tap during the fair's 11 days will be country music and rock 'n' roll — sometimes on the same bill (shoot, sometimes it might even come from the same act). But there will also vintage pop, hard-rocking Christian music, a disco flashback, a hearty blast of '90s R&B and more.

The majority of the shows are free. But, as usual, there are guidelines to keep in mind when you're packing up the family for a full day at the wonderland that is the Kentucky State Fair, which opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 24. Here is what you need to know:

■ All fairgrounds concerts, whether at Freedom Hall or ­Cardinal Stadium, start at 8 p.m.

■ All free performances ­require admission to the fair ­itself: Advance tickets — ­available through Wednesday at all Kroger locations — are $5 for adults and $2 for ages 3 to12 and 55 and older. At the gate, tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children and seniors. Parking at the fair is $5 per vehicle.

■ Tickets for paid concerts are ­available through ­TicketMaster, (859) 281-6644 or www.ticketmaster.com. The higher price listed for the ticketed performances includes fair ­admission.

■ If you're attending a ­Cardinal Stadium performance and it starts to pour, the show will go on. Concerts will be ­canceled only if there's lightning.

That's it. Got the sun block? The Pepto-Bismol? The earplugs? If so, get on up to Louisville. Come Thursday, it's state fair time.

The musical lineup

Aug. 14: Brooks and Dunn, ZZ Top, Rodney Atkins: They teamed up awhile back for a CMT ­Crossroads special. Now, that ”Lil' Ol' Band from Texas“ rejoins the ­Goliath country music duo for a full tour. Knoxville's Rodney ”These Are My People“ Atkins will open. Freedom Hall. $41, $46.

Aug. 14: P.O.D., Pop Evil: ­Perhaps the only known link ­between Christian metal music and ­WrestleMania, P.O.D. has forged considerable mainstream p­opularity during the past 15 years. Its new album, When Angels and Serpents Dance, welcomes guitarist Marcos Curiel back to the fold. Cardinal ­Stadium. Free.

Aug. 15: Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu with Jordan Pruitt and Drew Seeley: OK, parents. This is the one you drop the kids off for. Hudgens and Bleu are better known as Gabriella and Chad from the absurdly popular High School Musical franchise, which is preparing its third film, this time for a theatrical release, in October. Freedom Hall. $26, $31.

Aug. 15: Boyz II Men, ­Midnight Star: Boyz II Men defined a new R&B generation in the '90s with hits like End of the Road and 4 Seasons of ­Loneliness. The group boasts three of its five original ­vocalists. ­Midnight Star's roots go back to its formation in the mid-'70s at Kentucky State ­University. Cardinal ­Stadium. Free.

Aug. 16: Brad ­Paisley, Jewel, Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough: Paisley's Vegas-style stage show is a full evening unto itself. Throw in opening sets by the country ­convert Jewel and TV-bred ­Nashville newcomers Wicks and Hough, and you're talking a ­concert that will call for some serious baby-sitter bucks. Freedom Hall. $44, $49.

Aug. 16: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Jett was rocking Rupp Arena as an opening act for The Police in 1982. More than 25 years later, she still loves rock 'n' roll and continues to garner ­ecstatic ­reviews for her live shows. ­Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 17: The Oak Ridge Boys, The Roys: The Oaks might have thrown a few curve balls to their fans during the past year, like recording with country outlaw Shooter Jennings, but the group's Sunday concert spot at the state fair is a bona fide tradition. Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 18: Newsboys, Article One: The Aussie-bred Newsboys have been an unyielding ­presence in contemporary Christian music since the '80s. Canada's Article One, formed in 2003, takes its name from the Universal ­Declaration of Human Rights. Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 19: Josh Turner, Candy Coburn: He has cut duets with Trisha Yearwood and Ralph ­Stanley, but Turner has forged a place in cosmopolitan country music with unaccompanied hits like Long Black Train and Your Man. Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 20: Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Billy J. Kramer, Gary US Bonds, Andy Kim: Where does the state fair find these guys? Lewis' brief pop stardom ended more than 40 years ago. But Quarter to Three hitmaker Bonds, who enjoyed an '80s renaissance through an affiliation with Bruce Springsteen, is the one to catch. Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 21: Leroy Van Dyke and the Auctioneers, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius, Bobby Bare, Steve and Rudy Gatlin, T.G. Sheppard: The country music time machine will spin back to the '60s (for Van Dyke's Walk on By), '70s (for hit duets by Brown and Cornelius) and '80s (heyday for Sheppard and the Gatlins). Bare, on the other hand, has been making Texas-size music since the late '50s. Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 22: Village People: ­Believe it or not, there are still links between the Village People of today and the lineup that was a ­costumed hit at the height of the disco era. Felipe Rose, aka the Indian, has been on board since the ­beginning, while ­vocalist Ray ­Simpson, aka the ­policeman, has performed with the group since 1980. ­Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 23: Travis Tritt: Tritt once gave every sign of being heir apparent to the Southern country rock throne of Hank Williams Jr. Trouble was, Williams never abdicated. After numerous '90s hits and a brief 2000 resurgence, Tritt's thunder has settled. ­Cardinal Stadium. Free.

Aug. 24: Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Keith Anderson: After a season with Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice, Adkins is back to testosterone-heavy country hits. But Lambert, whose Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of the creepiest country singles in recent memory, probably will stir up a fuss of her own. Freedom Hall. $41, $46.