Even though he has three albums and three No. 1 country songs, Jason Aldean managed to play for only 70 minutes on Friday at the Fair. And that included three cover songs.

This country star from Macon, Ga., loves his classic rock, as evidenced by his covers of  Tom Petty and Bryan Adams (with whom he teamed for an episode of CMT Crossroads) and his sidemen’s guitar licks evoking AC/DC, the Stones, Petty and others. He also rocked on his country hits, especially “Johnny Cash,” “She’s Country” and “Hicktown.”

For the full review, click here: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/55989307.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUss

Here is Aldean’s set list from Friday:

Wide Open/Crazy Town/Amarillo Sky/Why/I Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty)/Big Green Tractor/I Break Everything I Touch/Grown Woman/Johnny Cash/Relentless/Asphalt Cowboy/Laughed Until We Cried/I Use What I Got/She’s Country/Hicktown  ENCORE Heaven (Bryan Adams)/Summer of 69 (Bryan Adams)

How emotional was it for Bonnie Raitt at the State Fair on Thursday?

She cried during the fireworks after her show, she told me a short time later. She said it was particularly tough on Wednesday when she went on Lake Minnetonka with a bunch of friends of her older brother, Twin Cities producer Steve Raitt, who died in April of brain cancer.

 She admitted that there were a couple moments onstage Thursday where she had to summon Steve for emotional rescue to get through a poignant song. She said she’d experienced a similar type thing when her father, Broadway star John Raitt, had died and she had to sing shortly after his passing. She merely thought of him when she was overcome with emotion.

During the fair concert, Raitt gave shout outs to some of Steve’s friends, including drummer Bobby Vandell, and to her many Minnesota friends, including Willie Murphy, Tony Glover and John Koerner.

Raitt’s teaming with longtime friend but first-time tourmate Taj Mahal made the structure of the evening different. He and his band opened (loved the swinging instrumental “Seven Eleven” and when he said “Fishin’ Blues” should be the Minnesota state song), then Raitt and her band performed; Taj sat in with her on a couple of acoustic numbers and then he and his band joined her for seven songs at the end.

Here is Raitt’s set list:

Sho Do/Thing Called Love/Nick of Time/Your Good Thing Is About to End/Good Man Good Woman/Satisfied (acoustic w Taj)/Done Changed My Way of Living (w Taj)/Angel from Montgomery/I Will Not Be Broken/Something to Talk About/Love Sneakin’ Up on You/I Can’t Make You Love Me  BOTH BANDS COMBINED Tramp with Scratch My Back/She Felt Too Good/She Caught the Katy/Wah She Go Do/Love So Strong/Gnawin’ on It/ Comin’ Home

On 9/9/09 at the Cabooze, Willie’s American Guitars of St. Paul will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an all-star benefit concert. David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos and Joe Ely are confirmed. Many locals, including Molly Maher, will also perform.

The evening is a benefit for a musicians’ health fund at Springboard for the Arts, Brianna’s Gift (a children’s cancer fund) and Salvation Army food drive.

Guitarist Charlie Sexton will apparently be returning to Bob Dylan’s touring band this fall. The website austin360.com reports that Texas slinger Sexton, who played with Dylan from 1999-2003, will rejoin Dylan, starting Oct. 5. Word is that he’ll replace Denny Freeman in the band. There is no official announcement from Dylan.

Many Dylanophiles feel the band with Sexton and Larry Campbell (who nows tours with Levon Helm) was Dylan’s best in recent decades.

Sexton sat in for a half a set with Dylan’s band on Aug. 4 in Dell Diamond, a Texas minor-league ball park, and reportedly lit a fire under the keyboard-playing icon.

No word yet on any Minnesota Dylan dates for the fall on his Never Ending Tour.Â

Jason Mraz’s Gratitude Cafe Tour might have been a better fit in amphitheaters (the main venues on the tour) than arenas. K’Naan and G. Love & Special Sauce, both of which have impressed in clubs and bars, did not work in the cavernous Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

In a short set, K’Naan favored his pop-leaning stuff instead of his hard-edged political stuff. And G. Love is more about the nuances than the big gestures needed for an arena.

However, Mraz has figured out how to play a big room. The subtle quirks of his personality evident in clubs have been downplayed in favor of trying to please the masses with his sunshine-on-decaf vibe. He’s still spontaenous enough to ask if it’s Renaissance Festival season, and then mention how he was the pickle guy at the Ren Fest here years ago.

Here is Mraz’s set list: Traveler/Make It Mine/Anything You Want/Coyotes/Who Needs Shelter/Lucky (with Margot B)/Curbside Prophet (with K’Naan and G.Love)/Details in Fabric (with Ben Howard)/Dramatica Mujer/Remedy/Dynamo of Volition/Beautiful Mess/I’m Yours with Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds 

SMALL STAGE ACOUSTIC SET The Only Life You Can Save/Sleeping To Dream/You and I Both  

BACK TO MAIN STAGE  Copchase (instrumental)/(I was busy writing my review but I think it was Fall Through Glass with Bushwalla)/Butterfly