Shoppers and fairgoers flocked to Suburban Park as Melissa Etheridge closed LGBTQ+ Pride Day at the Great New York State Fair, delivering a night of singalongs, stories and cross-generational love that reminded everyone why live music still feels necessary.

Essential Takeaways

  • Headliner: Melissa Etheridge closed Pride Day at Suburban Park with a career-spanning set that felt both celebratory and intimate.
  • Set highlights: Opened with “Don’t You Want a Woman,” paid tribute to Dolly Parton during “Matches,” and closed with a reflective “More Love.”
  • Audience vibe: Generational warmth , fans cheered, laughed and sang along; moments were both playful (kazoo cameo) and tender.
  • Performance texture: Etheridge switched between guitar, drums and vocal banter, including a duet with interpreter Amber Galloway and a drum jam with Eric Gardener.
  • Message: Songs like “To Be a Woman” and “Tomboy” underscored identity, resilience and the joy of living loudly after 60.

A crowd-pleasing opener that set the tone

Etheridge kicked things off with “Don’t You Want a Woman,” and the crowd’s roar made it clear this was going to be a livewire night. The sound was warm, the stage lights soft, and you could tell people were here to celebrate community as much as the songs. According to the fair’s schedule, the artist has returned to this stage before, so there was a comfortable familiarity in the air.

Backstory: the Great New York State Fair has leaned into Pride Day programming in recent years, bringing entertainers and events to spotlight queer visibility. That context makes Etheridge’s appearance feel like both performance and ceremony. If you’re choosing shows to catch next year, look for headliners on marquee Pride dates , they tend to draw the best singalongs.

Practical tip: arrive early for a good spot near Suburban Park’s main stage; the atmosphere builds fast and you’ll want room to join the chorus.

Tributes, jokes and a Dolly Parton wink

Midway through the set Etheridge threaded in a salute to Dolly Parton, weaving a snippet of Jolene into “Matches.” It landed like a shared joke with the audience , affectionate and celebratory. Celebrity tributes like that keep live gigs feeling spontaneous, and TMZ noted the nod to Parton ahead of the fair.

Why it matters: these little recognitions connect artists across generations and genres, and they give fans a moment of surprise. If you love Easter‑egg moments at concerts, watch for setlist detours and acoustic snippets , they’re often the most memorable.

Practical tip: if you’re recording clips on your phone, capture the first chorus and any transitions , that’s where unexpected flourishes usually happen.

Songs of wisdom: writing for fans and later life

Before performing “To Be a Woman,” Etheridge reflected on the last few years of her life, joking about the wisdom of being over 60. That kind of straight‑talk shaped the night: songs were framed as lessons, thank‑yous and shared history. It gave newer tracks the same emotional weight as the classics.

Context: festival and fair stages often compress a long career into a single set, so artists lean on storytelling to tie songs together. Etheridge’s choice to write with fans in mind, and to highlight longevity over novelty, resonated with the mixed-age crowd.

Practical tip: when artists talk between songs, listen , those anecdotes often reveal why a track matters and make the next chorus hit harder.

Playful energy: kazoo, drums and crowd banter

“Tomboy” brought a lighter moment when Etheridge picked up a kazoo and playfully flexed a lyric about strength. Later, she duetted with interpreter Amber Galloway on guitar and jumped behind the drum kit with Eric Gardener for a raucous finish to “Like the Way I Do.” The mix of instruments and onstage banter kept the pace lively.

Trend note: audiences at state fairs want big emotional swings , humour, reflection, and full-tilt rock. Artists who move around the stage and switch instruments usually walk away with the loudest applause.

Practical tip: for best audio and video, stand slightly off-centre from the main sound stack , you’ll avoid the boomy bass and still catch the nuances of banter and small instruments like kazoo.

Closing with "More Love" , why it landed

Etheridge ended on “More Love,” a fitting capstone about lessons learned and the search for connection at any age. The line about living 60 years and learning to seek more love landed soft and true with the audience, who’d spent the night singing, cheering and reflecting together.

Reaction: the Great New York State Fair has been building a Pride programme with concerts and community events, and this set felt like a statement , live music can be both entertainment and a way to gather people around values.

Practical takeaway: if you missed the show, catch fair announcements next year , organisers often repeat successful Pride Day bookings and community-focused programming.

It's a small change that can make every fair visit feel more personal.

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