Lainey Wilson’s A+ North Dakota State Fair Performance & Photos

Country's Cool Again and Lainey Wilson is a big reason for that.

The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year showed us why to a full house on Saturday, July 28th, 2024 at the North Dakota State Fair. Both the grandstand and the pit were jam-packed to see Lainey Wilson perform in North Dakota.

I spoke to people who not only came from all over the state to see Lainey Wilson but as far as places like Texas, Idaho, and Lainey's home state of Louisana.

Her small-town roots in Baskin, Louisiana (250 people) fit right in with our rural state. She told the crowd how her father was a farmer and her mother was a schoolteacher.

She talked about her struggles when she moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams of being a country music star.  She spent her first several years living out of a camper trailer in her friend's yard.

I was so impressed with Lainey Wilson's show, and I especially loved it when she made a young woman with Down Syndrome one of her two "cowgirls" of the evening (photos of this below).

All those years of paying her dues have really paid off because Lainey Wilson is now the Queen of country music.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with her backstage before the show. The first question I asked her was, "If she had ever performed in North Dakota before?"

As a big country music fan, I don't recall a Lainey Wilson North Dakota show.  To my surprise, she told me she had performed in North Dakota before at a casino.  However, she couldn't recall which one.

I spoke to her about her boyfriend and how he's a big duck hunter like myself and my son. His name is Devlin Hodges, and they have been dating since 2021.  You might remember that he is also a former NFL quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even Delvin's nickname is "Duck".  She told me he duck hunted in North Dakota last year and she doesn't even see him during the duck season.

Our US103-3 group was the only people allowed backstage to meet Lainey Wilson.

We all had so much fun just hanging out with the down-to-earth singer.  I knew right off the bat that Lainey was going to be fun to be with. When I reached out to shake her hand, she instead pulled me close and gave me a hug.

After we snapped several photos with our group, we all just sat around and got to know each other.  Lainey was asking as many questions as we did. She told us she had just been at Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming the night before.  Thomas Rhett and her just flip-flopped locations.

Time flies when you're having fun, and it was time to let Lainey get ready for her show. 

My last question was will we see you in Yellowstone coming up in November?  She gave me a smile, that led me to believe we just might.  Lainey Wilson then thanked me for all that US 103-3 has done for her on the radio and it was time for the show. And what a show it was!  Enjoy all of the photos!