Wow, HOW many people? This concert shattered the old Western Idaho Fair attendance record.
The Western Idaho Fair wrapped up Sunday, so it’s time for my favorite annual post-fair exercise: Analyzing concert attendance numbers.
It’s fun to see which acts drew the most people to the grandstand shows, which are free with paid fair admission.
It’s impressive how many Boise folks actually do go. To estimate attendance, fair employees use a clicker counter. When a handful of fans leave a full performance, a few more are allowed to enter.
This year’s fair concerts averaged nearly 10,000 fans per night. That’s huge.
Here’s how the four shows fared.
▪ Rock band 3 Doors Down got the ball rolling Tuesday with a whopping 8,600 concertgoers. Folks streamed in to hear the band’s 2000 breakout smash, “Kryptonite,” and other radio hits.
▪ Country-rock group the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was the least popular show this year. But the influential roots band still pulled in a very respectable 6,400 concertgoers Wednesday. The crowd was treated to classic tunes such as “Mr. Bojangles” and “Fishin’ in the Dark.”
▪ Thursday was a “Hell of a Night,” thanks to singer Dustin Lynch. He lured a massive 10,200 fans to his grandstand set. Lynch, who released his first studio album seven years ago, has an arsenal of country radio singles such as “Seein’ Red,” “Cowboys and Angels” and “Mind Reader.”
▪ But Friday is when the grandstands creaked with the weight of a bazillion excited fairgoers. Classic-rock band REO Speedwagon shifted into high gear for Boise, setting a new fair concert attendance record: 14,400 fans.
REO’s record-setting evening obliterated the former biggest number, 13,103, held by country singer Josh Turner. He did that in 2016 on a Tuesday evening.
You knew REO was going to be big. First of all, the band has a boatload of singalong anthems that everyone knows: “Take It on Run,” “Keep on Loving You,” “I Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Time for Me to Fly” and more. Secondly, REO performed on a Friday, when Expo Idaho already was packed with weekend crowds.
Still — 14,400? That’s like, ridiculous, Boise. Almost as ridiculous as frontman Kevin’s Cronin’s amazing hair circa 1980.
Just for fun, here are prior years’ concert attendance numbers at the fair. Acts are listed in their order of performance.
• • •
2018
Bret Michaels — 3,900
Styx — 10,700
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias — 12,800
Randy Houser — 9,200
• • •
2017
Scott McCreery — 6,100
Huey Lewis and the News — 12,200
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — 6,700
Trace Adkins — 12,800
• • •
2016
Josh Turner – 13,103
Foreigner – 9,234
Sawyer Brown/LoCash – 6,157
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo – 11,582
• • •
2015
Jerrod Niemann — 2,900
Theory of a Deadman — 4,200
Gary Allan — 8,900
Queensryche — 4,500
• • •
2014
Seether — 6,500
Montgomery Gentry — 8,200
Doobie Brothers — 9,800
Thompson Square — 7,900
• • •
2013
Los Cuates de Sinaloa — 2,500
Kutless — 4,000
Foreigner — 9,000
The Guess Who — 3,500
Brantley Gilbert — 9,000
Clay Walker — 6,500
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 11:29 AM.