Could you have asked for a better 2023 Mississippi Valley Fair? I don't think so. The Grandstand acts this year were amazing. Sam Hunt, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Limp Bizkit, Three Days Grace, Austin Snell, Tyler Farr, and of course, Lil Jon and Ludacris.

It's official, we are less than a year away from Mississippi Valley Fair 2024. We know of at least one Grandstand act that is coming next year, but we won't know the rest of the acts who will take the Grandstand stage in 2024 for a while, but if you could have a say in another pop act like Lil Jon and Ludacris, Nelly and Flo Rida, or Pitbull at the Mississippi Valley Fair, who would it be?

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As I do every year we go backstage to announce the pop/rap act at the Mississippi Valley Fair, I thanked Shawn Loter about 1,000 times but publicly let me say it again. Thank you to Shawn and the amazing crew at the Mississippi Valley Fair.

Once again, they put on 6 incredible days and a bonus concert filled with great entertainment on the grandstand stage and throughout the fairgrounds. We met some new vendors who were grateful to be there and saw some old friends. Like every year, there was just so much fun to be had at MVF 2023.

Connor Kenney

With Thomas Rhett being the first Grandstand act announced for 2024, you know know the rest of the lineup is going to be insane. We know there will be more country artists than Thomas Rhett, but it's super exciting when they surprise us with acts like Pitbull, Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, Flo Rida, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and other artists and bands that you wouldn't think would come to the Quad Cities.

Pop acts are a little different when it comes to booking. Pop music means "popular music". While that should mean that the majority of people like that music, that isn't necessarily the case. First, let's look at the pop artists who probably won't be making the trip to the MVF.

Pop Artist Who Won't Play MVF

After Pitbull performed in 2021, we've been giving you a similar list every year and the list of artists most likely not coming hasn't changed much. There are several major pop artists we know that won't come here because they ask for way too much money and are just "too big" for the Quad Cities.

Those artists include:

Ariana Grande
Ed Sheeran
The Weeknd
Harry Styles
Rihanna
Lady Gaga
Justin Bieber
Tayor Swift
Bruno Mars
Maroon 5
Drake
Katy Perry

...or any other top B100 artists aren't coming.

Last year a couple of years, I said if Shawn and the promoters prove us wrong and bring any of the artists above, I will LITERALLY stand outside the station for a week in my underwear with a sign announcing all 6 grandstand acts.

Connor Kenney

The offer still stands...

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Pop Artists That Can't Fill MVF

It's exciting when you see artists like Nelly and Flo Rida or even Lil Jon fill the Grandstands and throw one heck of a party.

But other pop acts that I don't think (pretty dang certain) could fill MVF would include newer pop artists like Bakar, Leah Kate, Gayle, Jax, Lauren Spencer-Smith, and other newer artists that aren't well-known in the QC. If bigger artists came, a lot of them would be great openers

A lot of the artists from the 2000s and early 2010s either aren't touring, broke up, were one-hit-wonders, or just aren't big enough to bring in an MVF crowd either.

Finding The Right Pop Artist/Sounds

This is always a challenge when it comes to booking a pop act. As I mentioned before, pop music is supposed to be popular music. But "pop artists" really span all genres. From rap and hip-hop to Indie and country, to stereotypical pop songs and straight-up beats.

Connor Kenney

Finding an artist or band that can truly play an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes of straight-up, up-tempo hits that everyone knows and loves can be challenging. So far, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and Nelly have been great picks and have proven to work at the Mississippi Valley Fair.

So, who would be able and make sense to take the MVF 2024 grandstand stage?

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Pop Artist Perfect For MVF

There are the following pop artists I think would be perfect for next year's MVF Grandstand stage lineup. I believe they have enough hits to put on one hell of a show., not too many slow songs (if any), and they are likable artists that people would love to see.

Connor Kenney

Plus, they could bring in a pretty decent size crowd and wouldn't cost the fair a fortune. If you disagree with me, that's cool. If you have better suggestions we would love to hear them. Do you know who might also want to hear your suggestions? The Mississippi Valley Fair!

Here are a few of my suggestions: