Kellie Pickler

Artist Spotlight: Kellie Pickler

Tilt-A-Whirl October 12 July 29

I have to say that I’m generally not a country music person, with a few expectations. Kellie Pickler is one of those exceptions. I was so surprised at how much I liked Kellie Pickler’s music the first time I heard it, and it’s why I have already bought my ticket for her show on Oct. 23. The three-time CMT Music Award winner has a smooth country-pop fusion sound that keeps her catchy songs on constant replay in my head. Perhaps best known for her appearance on season five of American Idol, Pickler has since released two albums, one of which…

N.C. State Fair ticket sales update

Cotton Candy September 23 September 24

We’re pretty pumped about how well ticket sales are going this year. As of Monday, we’ve sold double the number of admission tickets (16,800) and more than the double the amount of ride tickets (9,303) than we had last year at this point. Dorton Arena shows are also coming along nicely. There are some clear favorites in the lead, but local guys Jason Michael Carroll, who has sold 1,410 tickets, and Anoop Desai, who has sold 1,114, are also doing well. Jamey Johnson has grown the most over the past few weeks. Here’s a roundup of the top five show…

Dorton Arena concerts poster

Cotton Candy August 27 August 26

We really love the look and feel of our design pieces this year, and this fabulous Dorton Arena poster is no different. Speaking of Dorton Arena concerts, do you have your concert tickets yet? Most of the shows will cost you less than a poster. Find the $5, $10 and $15 tickets for all of the artists listed below on our tickets page of the Web site.

Dorton concert ticket sales off to good start; fans can still find good seats

Merrie Go Round August 7 August 7

Advance tickets to the State Fair and Dorton Arena concerts went on sale Monday, and fans of North Carolina native Kellie Pickler hopped online quickly to snap up tickets. As of early Friday, the Albemarle native and BFF of country superstar Taylor Swift led all other acts with 2,130 tickets sold. She is quickly closing in on the half-way mark of ticket sales. Rounding out the top 5 in sales are Third Day with 1,391 tickets sold, Blake Shelton with 1,252 tickets sold, Eric Church with 1,121 tickets sold and Jeremy Camp and Tenth Avenue North with just under 1,000 tickets sold. While sales…

American Idol alum Anoop Desai rounds out Dorton Arena concert line-up

Cotton Candy July 31 July 31

Since we announced the Dorton Arena line-up a couple weeks ago with one missing performer, our Facebook, blog and Twitter sites have been buzzing with suggestions on who should fill that spot. We heard a lot of good suggestions, but there was one particular artist campaign that stood out to us–mainly because the plea came from the artist himself. Our concerts this year have a decidedly local appeal, as N.C. natives Kellie Pickler, Eric Church and Jason Michael Carroll are all performing just a few hours (and in some cases, minutes) from where they grew up, and we’re happy to…

Behind the scenes with…Mike Pleasant, concert manager (Part 2)

Cotton Candy July 23 July 23

Three weeks ago, we introduced you to Mike Pleasant, who books and manages all of the Dorton Arena concert entertainers before and during the Fair. Mike told us about some of his favorite performers over the years (Clay Aiken, Brad Paisley, MercyMe, Chris Daughtry and ’09 returning artist Kellie Pickler all made the cut) right before we announced this year’s lineup here on the Deep Fried Blog. (Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, August 3.) This week, we’re back with part two of Mike’s interview, and this one is juicy. Mike took me on a tour of the…

State Fair Press Conference: Concert lineup announced

Firecracker July 6 August 5

Brian Long, director of the State Fair Press Office, held a press conference today in the Bearded Lady’s office (aka the intern’s office) to announce the 2009 State Fair concert lineup. Check out the video to see who’s going to be playing in Dorton Arena. Note: If video doesn’t appear, try refreshing your browser. I hope you noticed from the video that all concerts are priced at either $5, $10 or $15. You may have also noticed that we skipped Thursday, Oct. 22. One of the bands pulled out of its contract with the Fair late last week, and we…

Behind the scenes with…Mike Pleasant, concert manager (Part 1)

Cotton Candy July 1 August 5

The N.C. State Fair kicks off in a few months, but there’s a ton of preparation already in motion. We’ll bring you behind-the-scenes interviews with fairgrounds employees working to bring you “A Whole Lotta Happy” when the gates open Thursday, Oct. 15. We’re getting really close to announcing our 2009 Dorton Arena concert lineup (check back right here Monday, July 6, for the full scoop), so we wanted to check in with concert manager Mike Pleasant to see how he plans one of the Fair’s most popular attractions. The ’09 Fair will mark Mike’s 30th, and for eight of those…

Artist Profile: Bucky Covington

Merrie Go Round October 12 May 8

For the past couple of years we’ve had plenty of home-grown talent as part of the entertainment line-up in Dorton Arena. In 2007, fans were treated to performances by North Carolina natives Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry. In 2004, Raleigh’s own Clay Aiken performed, followed by High Point’s Fantasia Barrino in 2005. This year, fellow American Idol alum and N.C. native Bucky Covington will bring his country-rock sound to the Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Covington’s performance will draw plenty of family and friends from Rockingham, according to Bucky’s dad, Gene. We caught up with Gene at the family business…

Tag: Kellie Pickler