The 2026 Great New York State Fair has come to an end, and with it a spectacular concert series at both Chevy Court and Suburban Park with a top-notch headliner to cap it all off, three-time Grammy winner, Wyclef Jean.
The Haitian rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer took the Suburban Park stage on Monday, September 7 to close out The Great New York State Fair. Wyclef achieved massive success in the 90s as a member of The Fugees alongside R&B superstar Lauryn Hill and continued making hit song after hit song in his solo career with collaborations alongside Shakira, Lil Wayne, T. I., Mary J. Blige and Akon, just to name a few. With a crowd of mixed ages, Wyclef gave a rundown of who he was for the younger generations, exclaiming, “before Kanye, there was me,“ and “I helped make Beyoncé famous,” all of which are extremely valid accolades among so many in his decades, long career.
Something was oddly apparent immediately, and that was Wyclef is just a normal man, a superstar, undeniably, but a man who spoke with his heart, shared love with every member of the crowd and staff and gave his gift of music through decades to everyone in attendance. From the song “911” originally written with Mary J. Blige, to multiple Bob Marley covers, including “No Woman, No Cry” and “Redemption Song“ adding in his upbeat hits for the dance crowd. “Hips Don’t Lie” echoed across Suburban Park, a record collab with Shakira, and the crowd erupted, singing and dancing seen everywhere one looked
Wyclef, being the performer he is, stepped off the stage and onto the speakers, then over the barricade and into the crowd, dancing his way down the aisles and with many members of the crowd. He even stopped and took a seat with four little girls and their giant octopus stuffed prize from the Fair, holding the stuffed animal, singing and swinging back-and-forth; you could feel the presence of not only such an amazing musician, but of a father and a man. A superstar seen at human level, showing that after so much influence on the music we’ve all heard for decades, he is still a humble man, even going so far as signing autographs after the show.
Back on-stage Wyclef Jean delivered more hits like his collaboration with Santana, “Maria, Maria” and “Dollar Bill” originally with T-pain and Lil Wayne. This was when the carnival dancers, dressing costumes you would find during Carnival in Haiti, bright colors, wings and small outfits filled the stage to back Wyclef for his final songs as the crowd took in every decibel they could. The set finished, Wyclef headed out back to sell his CD, Quantum Leap, the second volume in his Quantum project, and to sign autographs for his beloved fans. The sun started to set on the horizon and fireworks took over the sky in loud, fast bursts, a dream-like ending to the night, the concert and The 2026 Great New York State Fair.
