Lady Antebellum: Dave Haywood talks York Fair, new babies and upcoming album
Great Country Radio Grandstand Challenge: Local musicians who earned the highest number of online votes earned the chance to perform during a live showdown on the opening day of the York Fair, 334 Carlisle Ave., West Manchester Township. Brittany Opperman will perform at 7:35 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. Lindsey Erin will perform at 8:10 p.m. Kayla Kroh will perform at 8:45 p.m. Olivia Castriota will perform at 9:25 p.m. The event will be hosted by country singer Jamie Lynn Spears and WGTY-FM radio personality Scott Donato.
Lady Antebellum: The country band will headline the York Fair Grandstand this year with a show 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Joe Nichols will open the show. Tickets cost $73 for the pit area; $65 for track, plaza and box seats; $58 for center grandstand seats; $53 for side plaza seats; and $49 for side grandstand seats.
Jackyl: The classic rockers will perform with special guest Molly Hatchet 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9. All seats are $35. Local band Smokin' Gunnz recently won 98.5 The Peak's Battle of The Classic Bands competition. The prize was an opening slot for the Jackyl concert.
McClain: The sister act, which includes Sierra, Lauryn and China Ann, will perform 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10. The sibling formed their singing trio in Atlanta when they were 9, 7, and 5. China Ann is also a Disney Channel star. Tickets are $10 for all seats.
Jeff Dunham: The comedian and ventriloquist will perform 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12. Dunham has cracked up York Fair audiences for several years. Tickets are $54 for track, center plaza and box seats; $49 for center grandstand seats; $44 for side plaza seats; and $39 for grandstand side seats.
Hunter Hayes: The country star will perform 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13. The Railers will open the show. Hayes recently released his new album "Storyline" and earned a Guinness world record for "most concerts played in multiple cities in 24 hours." Track, center plaza and box seats cost $54; center grandstand seats are $49; side plaza seats are $44; and side grandstand seats are $39.
Ticketing and seating updates: Grandstand show tickets – with the exception of will call tickets – include admission to the fair. Get tickets at the York Fair box office, by phone at 717-848-2033 and online at www.yorkfair.com.
The fair has a new system that relies on barcoding. Customers can now print tickets at home.
Track seating at the fair has also been redesigned. About 1,000 track seats have been eliminated to accommodate wider aisles and more space between rows.
Members of Lady Antebellum have babies and albums on the brain.
And their also in the midst of a massive tour, added band member Dave Haywood while en route to a private acoustic charity benefit Aug. 21.
This summer, the country trio's hit outdoor amphitheaters, festivals and fairs — where they feel right at home.
Haywood said he and group member Charles Kelley grew up going to the Georgia State Fair. The venue introduced Haywood to country acts. Since Haywood has met many young first-time concertgoers this summer, he knows he's carrying on the tradition. He expects to continue to the family-friendly party in York County.
Lady A's bus pulls into the York Fair this weekend, and the band will rock the grandstand Saturday, Sept. 6. Following the York Fair show and another date in Michigan, the group will take a mini break.
Haywood and his wife are expecting their first son. She could give birth any day now.
He won't be the only new parent in the group. Lady Antebellum canceled its 2013 York Fair show after singer Hillary Scott announced she was pregnant. Scott gave birth to a daughter in July 2013.
Haywood said he got a parenting preview when Scott brought her daughter on the road.
"We're all growing up together (and) starting our families," Haywood said. "It feels like a new chapter. We were re-inspired."
To channel their inspiration, group members found time to demo songs while rolling — thanks to an on-bus studio.
"We wrote and wrote and wrote (during) the first few months of touring," Haywood said. "We're kind of nonstop when we're on the road."
The sessions birthed Lady A's upcoming release, "747." This summer, the group has been playing the first single "Bartender" — and one or two other new tunes, Haywood said. And of course, its sets are peppered with past hits.
The group got its start in 2006 and quickly rose on the charts. Its crossover single "Need You Now" — the title track of its 2010 album — sold millions of copies. The album was crowned Best County Album at the 2011 Grammys. Lady Antebellum repeated the win in 2012 with its next release "We Own the Night." And it's earned almost too many country awards to count.
Amid the whirlwind of tours, sessions and play dates, Haywood said that group members also try to stay in top shape.
"You have to have stamina for the show," Haywood added. "We keep it as high energy as possible."
That means passing on the deep-fried Snickers at fairs. For an occasional splurge, he'll pick funnel cake.
"It makes you work out a little longer that day," he added.
Contact Erin McCracken at 717-771-2051.