Nelly at the New York State Fair
Nelly is the new king of New York State Fair concerts.
The “Hot in Herre” rapper broke the record for largest crowd in NYS Fair concert history with an estimated 43,000 fans at Chevy Park on Wednesday night, according to fair officials. That’s even bigger than Nelly’s concert last year, which drew 33,713 people to the same stage, and about 8,000 more than Beatles legend Paul McCartney had at Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome) in June.
Both Nelly shows are among the top 10 largest New York State Fair concert crowds of all time. Nelly is the only artist to appear in the top 20 twice.
The No. 1 spot was previously held by another rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, who attracted more than 40,000 fairgoers to Chevy Court in 2018. Steve Miller Band (36,900 at Chevy Court in 2015), pop group AJR (36,397 people at Chevy Park in 2021) and Bruno Mars (35,000 at Chevy Court in 2011) round out the top five.
Over the years, a number of factors have influenced which performers are the most popular, including weather, genre, day of the week, and general timing. For example, Mars was booked in early 2011, just as his debut album was climbing the charts with hits like “Grenade,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Marry You” and “The Lazy Song”; by summer, he was one of the biggest pop stars in the world and drew a then-record crowd of 35,000 screaming fans to Chevy Court.
One thing that’s changed is where the biggest concerts are held at the New York State Fairgrounds.
From 1978 to 2015, the Grandstand hosted artists like Garth Brooks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Carrie Underwood, Aerosmith, and Justin Bieber, but tickets were required and capacity was limited to about 17,000 people. The Grandstand was demolished in 2016 and the fair started emphasizing Chevy Court, drawing big crowds by offering a variety of talent free with admission to to the fair. Chevy Court still holds two shows daily, but the main stage is now Chevy Park, located at the back of the fairgrounds in a much larger space (five times that of Chevy Court) with a larger stage that can handle requirements of modern concert tours, which often include extensive lighting and sound systems and video walls.
That’s not the only thing that’s changed: Country and classic rock traditionally reigned supreme at the NYS Fair, but hip-hop has become a huge part of the fair concert lineup. Officials have not given estimates for crowds at other concerts this year, but the 2022 schedule reflected that shift with artists like Ice-T, Nelly, TLC, Bryce Vine, 24kGoldn, and City Girls.
In fact, out of the 15 biggest crowds in NYS Fair concert history, six of them are rap shows — more than country (2), classic rock (4) and pop (3).
Attendance at free concerts is estimated by the New York State Fair using a formula that largely centers on estimating crowd sizes in various sections of Chevy Court and Chevy Park, and then adding them up.
In 2018, fair officials showed how Chevy Court is broken up into grids, including the seating area, grassy areas surrounding the seats, the courtyard by the Chevy Court Pavilion, the paved areas in front of the Center of Progress Building and the Dairy Products building. At least three staffers do the counting, accounting for circumstances such as traffic that may force some concert-goers to be late, and they compare figures during or after the second half of a performance. Then-acting director Troy Waffner told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that estimating the crowd in each section as a percentage of the maximum capacity figure leads to a final number that’s likely accurate within five percent.
The Steve Miller band performed at Chevy Court at the 2015 NYS Fair. Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com
Here are the top 20 largest crowds in New York State Fair concert history:
No. 1: Nelly — 43,000 at Chevy Park in 2022
No. 2: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — 40,610 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 3: Steve Miller Band — 36,900 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 4: AJR — 36,397 people at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 5: Bruno Mars — 35,000 at Chevy Court in 2011
Bruno Mars performs on the Chevy Court stage at the New York State Fair in 2011. Mike Greenlar | The Post Standard
No. 6: ZZ Top — 33,875 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 7: Nelly — 33,713 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 8: Migos — 31,900 at Chevy Court in 2017
No. 9: Ludacris (tie) — 31,500 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 9: Florida Georgia Line (tie) — 31,500 at Chevy Court in 2013
No. 11: Chicago — 31,200 at Chevy Court in 2016
No. 12: Nas — 30,750 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 13: REO Speedwagon — 30,511 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 14: Dropkick Murphys — 30,200 at Chevy Court in 2019
No. 15: Sonny & Cher (tie) — 30,000 at Empire Court in 1972
No. 15: Lady A (tie) — 30,000 at Chevy Court in 2010
Lady A, then known as Lady Antebellum, performed at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair in 2010. Jim Commentucci | The Post-Standard
No. 17: Earth, Wind & Fire — 29,900 at Chevy Court in 2017
No. 18: Counting Crows — 29,550 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 19: Train — 28,563 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 20: Lynyrd Skynyrd — 28,400 at Chevy Court in 2017
Note: All attendance figures provided by New York State Fair. Concerts at Chevy Park and Chevy Court are free with admission to the fair.
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