The Euphoria Brass Band may not be the hardest-working band in show business, at least not yet. But this rollicking group’s 11 performances between Wednesday and July 5 at the San Diego County Fair’s Chevrolet Paddock Stage certainly qualify as a testament to the tenacity and talent of these hometown favorites.
Euphoria, formed in 2011, salutes the propulsive, dance-happy traditions of New Orleans street marching bands. Salutes of another type dominate this year’s musical fare at the fair, where no fewer than 16 tribute acts are booked. They will play the music of everyone from Tina Turner, Elton John, Gloria Estefan and the Spice Girls to Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, The Police and Guns N’ Roses.
But the biggest guns — star-wise — will be appearing as part of the fair’s Toyota Summer Concert Series on the Corona Grandstand Stage.
Here, in chronological order, is a look at four upcoming grandstand artists. Performances are at 7:30 p.m.
TLC will perform June 14 at the San Diego County. From left, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.
(Dennis Leupold)
TLC
Speaking of tributes, expect some of the biggest applause of the night to come when TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas pay homage to the late TLC rapper and co-founder Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. With four Grammy wins and four chart-topping hits to its credit — including 1999’s “No Scrubs” and 1994’s “Waterfalls” and “Creep” — this veteran Atlanta R&B group has some crowd-pleasing favorites ready to throw down. June 14.
Led by singer-guitarist Cody Cannon, Whiskey Myers has become one of the most popular Southern-rock bands around.
(Amy Harris / Amy Harris/invision/ap)
Whiskey Myers
Depending on the song at hand, this 18-year-old Texas band can evoke the music of everyone from Lynyrd Skynrd and Led Zeppelin to Neil Young and the Rolling Stones, by way of Waylon Jennings and ZZ Top. The six-man group’s forte is Southern-rock. Its music — while not as distinctive as that of the artists who inspired it — is well-crafted and performed with a winning combination of fire and polish. June 19.
Del Mar-bound Smokey Robinson is shown here at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 51st Annual Induction and Awards Gala in New York City in 2022.
(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame)
Smokey Robinson
This Motown music legend has been touring steadily since bouncing back from a 2021 bout with COVID that saw him hospitalized for nearly two weeks. Robinson spent more than a month regaining his singing voice before returning to the stage. Now, at 84, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation is armed with a new album, last year’s “Gasms,” and has a Spanish-language in the works. But no matter how sound his latest material may be, Robinson knows his audiences want to hear his improbably rich catalog of songs. He is savvy enough to include nearly a dozen of them — among them “I Second That Emotion,” “Tracks of My Tears” and “Get Ready” — at each of his concerts. June 26.
Film star and three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper Ludacris will perform in Del Mar this summer.
(Chris Pizzello / Chris Pizzello/invision/ap)
Ludacris
Usher, Missy Elliott, Justin Bieber and Black Eyed Peas’ alum Fergie won’t be performing with “The Fast and the Furious” film star and three-time Grammy Award-winner Christopher “Ludacris” Evans. But you can count on this veteran Dirty South rapper to drops verses from their hit songs on which he guested, including Elliott’s “One Minute Man,” Bieber’s “Baby” and Usher’s “Yeah!” Where his early releases were misogynistic enough to earn condemnation from President Obama and Oprah Winfrey, Luda — as many fans call him — is now a 46-year-old father of four. His recent credits include a Disney+ holiday comedy, “Dashing Through the Snow,” and an animated Netflix coming-of age musical comedy series, “Karma’s World.” And his rapid-fire raps can still excite his concert audiences. June 28.
The 2204 San Diego County Fair
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: Prices vary per show.
Phone: (800) 745-3000
Online: sdfair.com