Tag: Dorton concerts

Tribute to musical icon will launch Dorton Arena concerts this year

Gabriel Bello promises big things when he performs in Dorton Arena on the opening night of the N.C. State Fair this year. “We’ll be playing some of the best music that’s been put out in the last 50 to 100 years,” Bello recently told me. “Hopefully one of best bands people have ever heard.” Bello leads a Stevie Wonder tribute band (complete with backup singers and instrumentalists) called Natural Wonder. He obviously thinks highly of the legendary artist he emulates. However, he didn’t always think he’d be going on tour and entertaining people who love the music of Stevie Wonder….

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Raleigh metal band Demon Eye wins online contest to open for Corrosion of Conformity

Dorton will be rocking out on Friday, Oct. 21, as Raleigh band Corrosion of Conformity comes to the fair with local band Demon Eye opening for the classic metal band. “Corrosion of Conformity is definitely a big one that made it from the 90’s from this area,” said John Booker of Deep South Entertainment. “Their popularity extended nationally and even internationally. It was fun to have a contest among the local metal bands and their fans to find the perfect fit for an opening act. “Eight different local heavy metal bands competed to be the opening act for COC,” Booker…

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Ready, Set, Buy! Advance ticket sales open Thursday

Advance tickets for the 2013 N.C. State Fair go on sale Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. Buying early is the best way to save if you want to stretch your dollar as far as you can on admission and ride tickets. And, if you’re looking for a front-row seat to one of the Dorton Arena concerts, you’re definitely going to want to be in front of a computer when tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. We want your ticket-buying experience to be as smooth as possible, so here are some tips to have a stress-free experience: BE PATIENT! Things…

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Artist Spotlight: Brian McKnight

With a career that spans more than 20 years, Brian McKnight continues to be a powerful voice in the R&B community. Dedicated fans can probably remember playing his self-titled 1992 debut album on their Walkmans, and rewinding “One Last Cry” over and over and over again. For some fans, including yours truly, Brian McKnight will always be 1999’s “Back at One” album. That album was great for slow dancing and the title track, “Back at One,” taught millions of us about a five-step process to win over our loves. Flash forward to 2012 and Brian McKnight has a new album,…

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Top Deep Fried Blog posts of 2009

2009 was a great year here in the deep-fried N.C. State Fair offices. We broke individual and overall attendance records, had a Twitter-ific tweetup, collected more cans on Food Lion Hunger Relief Day than ever before, crowned our first Deep Fried Ambassador and, of course, taste-tested some pretty interesting deep-fried food. As we cross into another year, we thought we’d take a look back at the top five Deep Fried Blog posts of 2009. 5. Deep-fried Ho Hos and chocolate-covered bacon Note: If video doesn’t appear, try refreshing your browser. 4. State Fair Press Office: Concert lineup announced Note: If…

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