GEDDES, N.Y. - Around 5 p.m. on Aug. 24, the New York State Fair got word that Dickey Betts, who was scheduled to perform at Chevy Court tonight, had postponed his tour.

The Allman Brothers Band co-founder had suffered a mild stroke. Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner and crew sprung into action to do something they have a remarkable track record doing in recent years: Find a replacement act.

Waffner reached out to Live Nation, the concert promoter of Chevy Court, for help finding an adequate replacement.

Live Nation provided him with a list of available bands, but on his own, Waffner checked the concert trade publication Pollstar to find a band that would be available Tuesday at 8 p.m. and were on the East Coast, as he expected bands on the West Coast to be unwilling to fly to New York.

It just so happens that Dropkick Murphys had recently concluded one tour and were in their native Boston before the band's next tour kicks off on Sept. 14.

The Celtic rock group, known for songs like "Tessie," "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" and "The State of Massachusetts," checked all the boxes.

Dropkick Murphys was Waffner's first choice, due in part because Waffner thought the Chevy Court lineup needed another boost of hard rock.

"They were the cream of the crop," he said.

By Saturday, less than 24 hours after Betts canceled, the fair had a tentative agreement with Dropkick Murphys. The fair announced the replacement show Sunday and are signing the contract this afternoon.

The fair budgeted around $100,000 for the Tuesday night show and while he couldn't confirm the exact figures, Waffner said the money Dropkick Murphys will receive is "in the same ballpark" as the deal for Betts.

Waffner cited the fair's ability to book the rapper Nas within 6 hours to fill in for Snoop Dogg during the 2015 fair as perhaps the most impressive feat of last-minute concert booking.

"Hopefully our luck doesn't run out too fast," he said.

Waffner said the fair doesn't have a list of reserve list of bands to pick from in case of a cancellation, but nonetheless, has had great luck in finding replacement acts of the same or higher caliber as the originally scheduled show.

"We got it done, thank God," Waffner said. "I offered their agent a kidney to get the deal done."

Luckily for Waffner, the band didn't take him up on that offer.

Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, entertainment and culture across Upstate New York. Contact him at (315) 282-8611, or by