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FAIRMONT - More festivals and fairs have become parts of country music star Aaron Tippin's touring schedule. He likes it that way.

"It's become my favorite thing," Tippin says. "You get to see the people there in the crowd with you. You put on the show different when you're in a big arena versus when you're right there with the crowd."

Interacting with the crowd is what a live show is all about for Tippin, who takes the stage 8 p.m. Saturday at the Martin County Fair.

"That's the whole reason for performing live," Tippin said. "When we're both singing along to a song, and we both know all the words by heart, that's such a special moment."

Tippin wants people at his concerts to be entertained and excited.

"This isn't just a 'stand-behind-the-microphone-and-tap-your-toe' concert," Tippin said. "For that, people could just listen to a CD."

Tippin released his most recent CD, "In Overdrive," in February as a tribute to the trucking world.

"I wasn't shooting for a radio single," he admits of the "Overdrive" release. "They're all great old songs. That's the thing, if you're at an Aaron Tippin concert, if you're not singing along to one of my songs, you're singing along to a great old song that everyone knows."

Tippin once made a living as a truck driver but also has experience as a pilot.

"I started out following my dad's footsteps as a pilot," Tippin said. "Then I became a trucker and I was hitting the honkytonk bars in the evenings."

Tippin actually was playing music full time for several years before he got a record deal with RCA.

"I'd sing honkytonk, and then the rest of the time I spent hunting and fishing," he recalled. "Those were the greatest days of my honkytonk playing."

Tippin's first hit on the country charts was "You Got to Stand For Something," in 1991. The song quickly resonated with listeners, as it was released during the first Gulf War.

Other hits are the 9/11-inspired "Where the Stars, Stripes and the Eagle Fly" and the 2000 song "Kiss This," a collaborative effort with his wife, Thea.

"Yeah, basically it's if you mess with a Montana girl, she's gonna tell you what you can do," Tippin said with a laugh.

Recently, Tippin has launched his own nutritional supplement line.

"I started working out after I lost my first wife and family," Tippin said. "It was a great way to deal with what I was going though at that time. I started getting compliments, and then I competed as a bodybuilder. It's great because with working out, that's one of those areas where if you apply yourself, you can see the difference. People ask me how I stay in shape, and now my wife does it, our sons do it, and this is our way of saying, 'Here's how we do it.' Living long and healthy is the best revenge."

Tippin also is involved with several causes, such as Paralyzed Veterans of America, YMCA and Toys for Tots. He was the first entertainer to perform for the troops during the first Gulf War and has traveled overseas with Stars and Stripes every Thanksgiving to entertain the troops.

"This will be some new territory for the ol' Tipp," he said of performing in southern Minnesota. The only piece of advice or warning he gives for first-time concert-goers: "Wear your seat belt, 'cause its gonna be a fun ride."