Hip-hop singer Fergie will be paid $270,000 for her appearance at the San Diego County Fair next month, the largest sum the fair has paid a performer for a grandstand show.
Hip-hop singer Fergie, shown at Street Scene at Qualcomm Stadium in 2005, will make an appearance at the San Diego County Fair next month.
“We’re investing a lot of money in her,” acknowledged Barry Nussbaum, board member for the 22nd District Agricultural Association, a state agency that oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
As the economy continues its decline, officials say they are marketing the fair – which runs from June 14 to July 6 – as a bargain for families looking for a day of entertainment across the 344-acre venue.
Most shows in the 9,000-seat grandstand are free with fair admission, which ranges from $6 to $12, although some shows offer reserve seating at a separate price.
Tickets for “An Evening with Fergie” on June 27 range from $35 for general admission to $131 for reserved seats.
Before Fergie’s record-setting fee, the most expensive fair acts have been $150,000 for Earth, Wind & Fire, which is booked for this summer and also performed last year. The same was paid to ZZ Top, which performed in 2005.
Third place is held by Barry Manilow, paid $130,000 in 2002.
“Our staff is incredibly scientific about this,” Nussbaum said. “In the past, we’ve done fine on expensive acts.”
Extensive research is done on every performer or group selected for the fair’s Summer Concert Series, he said.
“I think Fergie will be a tremendous draw,” Nussbaum said. “She’s the biggest female act in America today.”
Last year, attendance at the fair was a record 1,265,997.
Despite Fergie’s performance fee, this year’s $1.2 million budget for the Summer Concert Series is the same as last year’s, fair officials said.
Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, performs as a solo act and with the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas.
She has won numerous awards, including best pop/rock female artist at the 2007 American Music Awards.
Source: SignOnSanDiego
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