Prairie State Wire

Lil Wayne's concert at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand on Wednesday night set a new attendance record, drawing 15,427 attendees. This surpasses the previous record of 15,329 set by Jason Aldean in 2011.

Other notable past performances include Florida Georgia Line with 15,204 tickets sold in 2014, Reba McEntire with 14,823 in 2019, and Hootie and the Blowfish with 13,956 in 1995.

"The Illinois State Fair brings people together," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Yesterday, our naturalization ceremony welcomed nearly 200 new citizens from 49 countries. That night, Lil Wayne smashed concert attendance records. Both events provided opportunities for people of all backgrounds, faiths and musical tastes to come together and celebrate our differences as well as our similarities."

"Our team worked hard to ensure something for everyone at the Grandstand, and Lil Wayne is a rap legend," said Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "To break the previous attendance records underscores the importance of a diverse lineup at the Illinois State Fair."

The Grandstand shows will continue through Sunday with performances by the Jonas Brothers tonight, Smashing Pumpkins on Friday night, Miranda Lambert on Saturday night, and Shaboozey closing out the fair on Sunday night. Concert tickets are still available online at ticketmaster.com or at the Grandstand box office.