Breaking down your 2010 Ozark Empire Fair musical performers

It’s barely spring and we already have reason to think about summer. Late last week the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds released the lineup of performers for this year’s Ozark Empire Fair, which gets underway July 30 and continues through August 8. Well, they released all but one; apparently, there’s one opening left August 5 for a surprise additional announcement. (Anyone want to speculate on who it will be in the comments below? Here, I’ll start: I’m betting it’s not Muse, even though it looks like they may be free that day.) As it stands now, the concert schedule is as follows:

Friday, 7/30: Molly Hatchet, The Marshall Tucker Band and Atlanta Rhythm Section

Saturday, 7/31: KC & The Sunshine Band

Sunday, 8/1: Rodney Atkins and Gloriana

Monday, 8/2: Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Tuesday, 8/3: Kellie Pickler

Wednesday, 8/4: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Thursday, 8/5: ?

The fair characteristically starts off with a bang, with three Southern-rock acts teaming up on the opening-night bill. Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ With Disaster” and The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Fire On the Mountain” and “Can’t You See” (which was even covered by the late, great Waylon Jennings) are staples of classic rock radio stations across the country, while Atlanta Rhythm Section’s biggest hit “Imaginary Lover,” is a ballad far from their roots in the Southern rock genre. The following night keeps things similarly old school, though KC & The Sunshine Band are symbols of the disco era and are arguably best known to younger audiences today for reminding us which banks didn’t take bailout money from the government. A legion of older fans will surely turn out with their boogie shoes already on, though. Then the weekend closes out with two more contemporary artists added to SGF’s already impressive list in that category with Atkins (the man behind “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)”) and Gloriana, who is racking up new-artist trophies seemingly every time one is handed out; they won the CMT Music Award and American Music Award in such categories last year and just won the Academy of Country Music award for Top New Vocal Group this year. How long can you continue to be a “new” artist, again?

From there the grandstand performers list becomes even more eclectic, with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound holding down the gospel end of the spectrum while Kellie Pickler, the sixth-place finisher in season five of American Idol in 2005, brings back the contemporary country flavor before Joan Jett & The Blackhearts ratchet things up with rock on Wednesday. Jett is the only performer on this year’s lineup to have performed at the fair before (the Fairgrounds staff says it was in 2004 or 2005; my research came up empty), and her profile has been raised considerably in recent weeks thanks to the debut of the film The Runaways, a biopic of the all-female rock group Jett was a member of and a movie she consulted on. (It’s still showing at Moxie Cinema downtown as of this writing, by the way.)

That leaves us awaiting the announcement of the final music act on August 5, an announcement likely a couple of weeks away, at least. What could it be? More country? Is Adam Lambert touring yet? How about some Foghat? No one is telling. For the acts you already know, though, you can buy tickets through the fair’s official ticket website or by calling 1-800-833-4386. All of the shows are $15 to $30, depending on seating, with the exception of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, which is $10 to $16.