MADERA - The Madera Fair has become known for its first-class FREE entertainment with your paid fair admission. This year that tradition continues with two legendary bands from the 60s and 70s and a top country music act with over a dozen chart-topping hits. In addition to these acts playing on the Headliner Stage as part of the Table Mountain Concert Series presented by Estrella Jalisco, several up-and-comers to the California music scene will perform on the 20/30 Party Stage to kick off each night with pre-concert festivities.
As if that were not enough, the entertainment continues after the headliners perform with after-party concert performances also on the 20/30 Party Stage. Only at the Madera Fair can you see three awesome live bands each night for less than the cost of a movie ticket this September.
Three Bands Per Night on Two Different Stages
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8th
On Thursday, September 8th at 7:30 PM, multi-platinum award-winning 70s Southern Rock masters, The Marshall Tucker Band, will take the Headliner Stage to celebrate their 50 years together with hits from their over 20 studio and live albums. A typical setlist for an evening with Marshall Tucker is bubbling over with a healthy dose of hits like the heartfelt singalong ‘Heard It in a Love Song’, the insistent pleading of ‘Can’t You See’, the testifying ‘Fire on the Mountain’, the wanderlust gallop of ‘Long Hard Ride’, and the explosive testimony of ‘Rambin’ to name but a few. The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry, and quite driven six-piece outfit in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space. They have been in tune with tearing it up on big and small live stages all over the globe ever since. “We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg,” explains founding member and lead vocals Doug Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flutist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks. “The framework for Marshall Tucker’s music is more like a spaceship than a house.” Gray continues, “because you can look out of a lot of windows and see a variety of things that show where we’ve been and what we’ve done, and how we’ve traveled through time to bring those experiences out in all of our songs.”
Before the Marshall Tucker Band takes the main Headliners Stage, Thunder Rolls, a Tribute to Garth Brooks, will hit the 20/30 Party Stage to kick off the evening. This year the 20/30 Party Stage will feature a dance floor so you can kick it up while watching the free live entertainment behind the old skating rink. This is also the perfect time to eat dinner before the main show or get a beer from any number of service clubs in the area. After the Marshall Tucker Band show, Patrick Contreras presents his ‘Violin on Fire’ show at the party stage. Patrick was born and raised in Fresno and has been playing the violin since he was four. Patrick has branded his playing style with influences from Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana to become a rising star with a unique sound amongst violinists. Fair guests will be thrilled by Patrick’s original music and explosive interpretations. Patrick will return Sunday for the early show at the 20/30 Party Stage, which he promises will be a completely different show.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9th
On Friday, September 9th at 8:00 PM, Country music star Rodney Atkins who has earned twelve Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum RIAA certifications over his 16-year career, will take the Headliner Stage. Atkins is touring in support of his fifth studio album, Caught Up in the Country, which was released just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, showing an artist who is confident enough to know that making your best music can require patience and experimentation. While his storied career has reached such heights as being named the Top New Male Vocalist at the 2006 ACM awards and seeing his single ‘Watching You’ become the Number One Song of the Decade according to Country Aircheck, it has been more than eleven years since Take a Back Road, his last record of new material. But Atkins knew that he wanted to bring his songs further than he had ever gone before this time. The songs on Caught Up in the Country date back to 2013, when Atkins started with ‘All My Friends Are Drunk’. “As I worked on that, I started writing, and you sort of get an idea of what you’re looking for,” Atkins says. “It starts defining itself, the picture you are trying to build. So, ask yourself if you are covering the gamut of how this whole body of work will make somebody feel. With an album, you are building a house, not just trying to build a back porch.” That same year, Atkins married singer Rose Falcon, a relationship that determined much of the new music’s direction. “She just encouraged me on so many different levels,” he says. “I really fell back in love with singing, and she was so important to that. I remember we had a meeting with the label, and I had written a song called ‘So Good,’ and they said, “You’ve been successful at making a song sound like a hit, but I don’t know if people really know what you’re capable of. Just being vulnerable, that is the biggest impact Rose has had, is just me putting myself out there.” Atkins’ other project has been an EP he and Falcon recorded during the pandemic, which features the country’s newest wedding anthem, ‘Figure You Out.’ Rose is not scheduled to perform with Atkins in Madera. Still, she hinted last month to Big Valley News in an email that she might be on the bus with the couple’s two boys. So, anything is possible.
Before Rodney Atkins takes the stage, the pre-party starts at the 20/30 Party Stage with the Josh Day Band, the band combines modern country with timeless classic rock for an entertaining experience second to none. The band came together in the foothills of Central California as a group of guys who just wanted to jam and has built a following, playing at fairs and festivals all over California. After the Rodney Atkins concert, head back to the 20/30 Party Stage for one of the most unique bands to play at the Madera Fair. Two founders formed Outlaw Mariachi when the world’s first Heavy Metal Mariachi band Metalachi broke up a couple of years ago. Friday night, they will unleash their style of mariachi on Madera. This act combines the music of Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, and Van Halen with the humor of Cheech and Chong. You will not want to miss this concert event. It will be the talk of Madera on Monday morning.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10th
On Saturday, September 10th at 8:00 PM, the sounds of summer will flow over the Headliner Stage like the perfect wave when the Beach Boys celebrate Sixty years of good vibrations for one of the biggest shows in Madera’s history. The Beach Boys are credited with creating the first wave of the California Sound and spreading the mythologized surfer lifestyle to come out of this state. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the band has received more than 33 RIAA Platinum and Gold record awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were also honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Since the band’s co-founder, lead singer, and chief lyricist Mike Love penned the lyrics to The Beach Boys’ first hit, ‘Surfin’ (1961), dozens of the band’s chart-toppers have become eternal anthems of American youth: ‘Surfin’ USA,’ ‘Surfer Girl,’ ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ ‘I Get Around,’ ‘California Girls,’ ‘Help Me Rhonda,’ ‘Barbara Ann,’ ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice,’ ‘Rock and Roll Music’ and ‘Kokomo.’ This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the release of the Beach Boys’ first album. The Beach Boys have performed more concerts than any major rock band in history. Mike Love leads the Beach Boys. The latter, along with longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Scott Totten, Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, Keith Hubacher, and Randy Leago, continue the legacy of the iconic band. This concert will not feature Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, or David Marks. But who knows if Uncle Jessie, John Stamos will jump on the tour bus when it leaves Los Angeles for Madera?
If the classic music of the Beach Boys was not enough for a great Saturday night, the Kings of Queen: Tribute to Queen will kick off the evening with the classic sounds of the Eagles will be brought to you by One of These Nights, a tribute band to the music and solo work of the Eagles, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Glenn Frey. One of These Nights promises they will bring you a playlist of Eagles’ fan favorites. But they not only play the music of the Eagles while they are on stage; they become the Eagles. This will be a great show to get you amped for the Beach Boys later in the evening. After the Beach Boys, the music of Queen and their front man Freddy Mercury. Based out of Southern California, the Kings of Queen bring classic queen anthems to life like ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ with commanding vocals and costume changes.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11th
On Sunday, September 11th at 7:30 PM, two Spanish language acts will grace the Headliners Stage. Banda Carnaval and Cuarto de Milla will close out the 2022 Madera Fair with an evening of traditional Hispanic music. Both bands are touring the United States with Calibre 50, who played at the Madera Fair a couple of years ago and will bring their full bands to the Madera stage. Entertainment around the grounds will also feature mariachi bands and traditional dance groups from the local community.
Violin on Fire will kick off the night, again featuring Patrick Contreras on the 20/30 Party Stage before the Headlines Stage show. Sunday’s show will feature a more Latin influence than his show on Thursday. After the show on the Headliners Stage, the Bay Area’s premier Cumbia and Latin band Sonora San Jose will take the 20/30 Party Stage to close out the 2022 Madera Fait. Founded in San Jose, California, the band has an array of talented and flavorful musicians from all walks of life and backgrounds. Not only do they perform favorite hits that everybody loves to dance to, but they also perform a few hits of their own with "No Vuelvo" & "Que Bonito," which you can stream or download on your favorite music platform.
With paid gate admission, guests can enjoy Madera Fair’s Free Table Mountain Concert Series, presented by Estrella Jalisco, nightly at the Fair. Standing room only is available front and center of the stage a first come, first serve. There is also ample bleacher seating surrounding the back of the viewing area. Additionally, the Madera Fair is happy to offer a $5 camp-style chair rental within the venue for specified seating areas. While outside, food or drink will not be allowed into the Madera Fair; feel free to bring your own beach chairs or blankets to kick back on during the shows. Advance tickets are still on sale at the Madera Fair offices, online at the Madera Fair’s website, and starting August 24th at Rancho San Miguel on East Yosemite Avenue in Madera.
