A new evening concert lineup has been added to the already impressive list of free music at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair. While most of the free music happening this year was announced earlier this spring, six new acts were recently added as a part of the Bandshell Tonight series at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell. Unlike the other performances booked at the bandshell, these musicians won't be taking the stage until 8:30 each night. These evening performances feature performers from a variety of genres, including funk, rock, and country. Among the new names are funk master George Clinton, local boys Hippo Campus, and the iconic Pointer Sisters.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee George Clinton is known as an innovative funk musician, credited with developing his own form of funk music, P-Funk. In April, Clinton and his band Parliament-Funkadelic performed at Paisley Park, becoming the first band to perform there since the passing of Prince. Clinton's performance was a surprise for those attending Celebration 2017, as he had not been previously announced as part of the line-up. George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic will be performing again in Minnesota at the fair on August 26 and 27.

Twin Cities indie rock group Hippo Campus are also booked to perform, closing out the fair on September 3 and 4 . The band have been busy as of late with the release of their debut full-length album, Landmark, earlier this year. Hippo Campus have also been on the road performing around the country, but are making time to appear at the "Great Minnesota Get-Together" before heading abroad in the fall.

The Pointer Sisters are an American singing group that gained mainstream success in the 1970s and '80s. Their classic lineup consisted of sisters June, Ruth, and Anita Pointer; today, the band consists of Ruth performing with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako. The last time the Pointer Sisters performed in Minnesota was at last year's Twin Cities Pride Festival. They will be kicking off the evening concert series, taking the Leinie stage on August 24 and 25.

The 1970s English rock band Foghat are also a part of the lineup and will be performing at the bandshell on September 1 and 2. Country singer and songwriter Chris Janson, who co-wrote Tim McGraw's single "Truck Yeah," will be performing on August 28 and 29. Country star Tanya Tucker, who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn," at the age of 13, will take the stage on August 30 and 31.

Lillian Speakman is a recent graduate from Hamline University.