.38 Special – Chippewa Falls, WI – July 11, 2026

.38 Special – July 11, 2026 at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, Chippewa Falls, WI

Review and photos by Jim Zons

It was eleven years ago when I last caught .38 Special performing at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls, WI, so it seemed fitting that exactly eleven years later to the day I would see them again at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair on a steamy Saturday night in July!

We got to the fair early, because how can you resist that fair food???  After loading up on the best deep fried cheese curds on earth from the Optimist Club booth, and “The Intimidator” hot dog (a MASSIVE specialty sausage) from the Chippewa Falls Lion’s Club booth, with stomachs full we were ready for the classic rock from .38 Special!

Some history:  .38 Special was founded in 1974 in Jacksonville, FL by Donnie Van Zant (younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder Ronnie Van Zant) and Don Barnes.  The band had its biggest success in the 1980s and early 1990s, and today features co-founder Don Barnes on lead vocals and guitar, Barry Dunaway (formerly with the Pat Travers Band, Yngwie Malmsteen and Survivor) on bass, keyboard player and vocalist Bobby Capps, drummer Gary Moffatt, and lead guitarist Jerry Riggs (formerly with the Pat Travers Band and the band Riggs).

At the Fair, .38 Special came out with all guns blazing (ha!) with their first chart breaking hit from 1980 “Rockin’ into the Night,” and never took their foot off the gas the rest of the night.  If you’re a .38 Special fan, you would have loved this concert since you would have heard all your favorites: “It Don’t Come Easy,” “Teacher, Teacher,” “Second Chance,” “If I’d Been the One,” “Fantasy Girl” and more.  Guitarist Jerry Riggs used to front the band Riggs and two of his songs were featured in the 1981 movie Heavy Metal, so it was appropriate that he played “Radar Rider” from the movie. .38 Special released an album called Milestone in 2025 and during the concert they played a cut off the album called “So Much So Right” and  … damn; this thing ROCKS!  Unlike most classic rock bands who unveil new music that is usually .. meh .. this new album is amazing!  Check it out!  For the encore, .38 Special wrapped up their show with probably their most well-known song,  1981’s “Hold On Loosely,” which was an outstanding finale to a 90 minute classic rock evening of nostalgia on a steamy Saturday night at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair! Next time, I will try not to wait 11 years before catching performances of .38 Special!