Eddies Music Hall of Fame announced their class of 2021 inductees and their Induction ceremony which will take Place on October 27, 2021. The ceremony will take place at the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs and will feature live performances.
The Eddies Music Hall of Fame was founded back in 2019. Recipients receive a plaque and a short video about their career playing at the Eddies Music Hall of Fame Wall at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. The Hall of Fame is conducted in conjunction with the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards, both of which are parts of the Proctors Collaborative. Universal Preservation Hall is also a part of the Proctors Collaborative.
This year’s inductees includes big band vocalists and brothers Bob Eberly and Ray Eberle; country musician Marty Wendell; the rock band the Figgs, radio disc jockey Jim Barrett, jazz band leader Skip Parsons, Cuban and African percussionist and educator Eddie Ade Knowles; Old Songs founders Kay (Andy) and Bill Spence.
To be considered eligible to be inducted into the Eddies Music Hall of Fame nominees must have been born in the Capital Region and / or have lived here and / or worked professionally in the Capital Region during their lifetime. As a general rule, nominees must have been active in the music industry for a minimum of 20 years. Exceptions are made in the case of a candidate’s premature death or due to outstanding service or special circumstances.
Both physical performers who are nominated for the Instrumental and / or vocal work and non-performers who are Songwriters, producers, conductors, engineers, disc jockeys, record company executives, journalists, promoters, and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on music, business, organization and institutional leaders, philanthropists, venue operators are eligible to be nominated for the Hall of Fame.
Jim Murphy who is the co-founder and co-producer of the Eddies Music Hall of Fame spoke on this year’s inductees saying, “This is our biggest class so far and it brings the total number of inductees to 15. Judges have nominated nearly 100 individuals and groups since we started the process so there is no end in sight to celebrating our local music scene as more bands and individuals enter eligibility.”
The Eddies Music Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 27, 2021 at 7 PM. The ceremony will feature performances from artists playing the inductees’ music: Dylan Perillo; Sean Wendell; BROWN LIQUOR SOCIAL CLUB featuring Chris Dollard and J Yager; and Peter Pashoukos and Greg Greene (of the band Perennial). Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show.
For more information on Eddies Music Hall of Fame and their 2021 inductees visit their website.
This here was an eclectic, punky mix of music on a beautifully moonlit Sunday night at SPAC, with Flogging Molly, Violent Femmes, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, and Thick. The venue had hosted hordes in their thousands for Dave Matthews earlier in the weekend, but this gig wasn’t that kind of shoulder-to-shoulder crowded – the theater was a good two-thirds or so full, with a smattering of people out on the lawn. Not empty by any stretch, but not packed either. Which was just fine for this writer, who is just easing back into live music in the plague-times.
Brooklyn punkers Thick opened the gig before the place had filled up much, with a few hundred people inside the theater and an enthusiastic group down the front. I’m new to this band, but they blasted out an energetic half-hour of raw, catchy punk, and I was left wanting to check out more. Cool band.
The place started to fill up for Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, who took the stage to an Eddie Money intro tape, and swaggered through a 45-minute set which damn near stole the show, kicking off with “Don’t You Worry About a Thing” and straight into Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” and roared through some Elton John (“Rocket Man”), Neil Diamond (“Sweet Caroline”), John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” preceded by an audience Q&A about weird public sex spots along with a whole bunch of other pop hits, retooled as blazing punk rock. You had to be there.
Swingin Utters’ Spike still leads the show and hits all the notes, but the band for this tour was bulletproof and ironclad: John “The Swami” Reis of Rocket from the Crypt and Jonny “2 Bags” Wickersham of Social Distortion on guitar, Andrew “Pinch” Pinching, sometime drummer for The Damned on the skins, and the guy with the bass, white hair and beard on the right was none other than CJ Ramone himself. CJ Ramone! They were great. All-star, hilarious, fast, heavy and and unstoppable.
Violent Femmes seemed the odd men out on a bill otherwise populated with fast punk rock, but a solid chunk of the crowd was here to see the alt-rock legends, who had a spare stage set, instrumental variety galore and got a great reaction. And if the Femmes touring with Flogging Molly seemed odd, it shouldn’t: the VF toured with The Pogues in the 80s, which should give them all the Celtic punk cred they need, as if they needed any. I’ve never owned a VF record, but openers “Add it Up” and “American Music” are familiar, ubiquitous alternative rock standards. They kept the crowd with them for the 15-song set, with one player from the Horns of Dilemma in the back mixing up the songs with some brass, a fiddle-player for a few songs, and drummer John Sparrow playing not only stand-up snare, but a wooden box and a charcoal grill. Bassist Brain Ritchie switched to xylophone for “Gone Daddy Gone” before “the hit” – “Blister in the Sun” and “Kiss Off” wrapped it up. A great set.
You’d think that the variety between the two headliners would see some of the VF crowd head for the doors on a work night, but not so – the audience hung in for Flogging Molly. The Femmes were by far the most veteran band here, but FM singer Dave King has probably been playing the Albany-Saratoga region longer, having first appeared in this region in the early 80s as a skinny Irish teenager with long red hair, fronting the British metal band Fastway when they opened for Iron Maiden in 1983, and Rush in 1984 at Glens Falls Civic Center just up the road from SPAC. Not that Flogging Molly are newcomers any more – their indie debut live record Alive Behind the Green Door was released way back in 1997, and the recently reissued, roaring debut studio record Swagger has passed the 20-year mark. Dave King’s red hair has given way to spiky white locks and spectacles. Flogging Molly are now veteran rockers. But the Celtic punk sound is still hefty, fast, rowdy Irish drinking music – even if SPAC’s inflated $17-per-can beer prices made it hard to afford to get in the spirit, and a lack of any Guinness on sale didn’t help either.
The Mollys hit the stage hard, with a hammering “Devil’s Dance Floor” from the Swagger debut getting the pit crowd up front bouncing, which continued for the whole hour-ish long gig. A pummeling of “The Hand of John L. Sullivan,” from their most recent record Life is Good was next, but most of the songs played weren’t the recent ones – nine of the 14 songs played were from the first two studio records, including a blazing “Drunken Lullabies,” “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” which let off the gas a bit, King’s autobiographical “Black Friday Rule,” and an his ode to his dad – “The Likes of You Again.” The lineup has shifted – only four remain from the seven-member lineup that recorded those first two records: King, his wife/fiddler/whistle player Bridget Regan, bassist Nathan Maxwell, and Rochester, NY native Dennis Casey on guitar, who were joined by more recent members Spencer Swain on mandolin/banjo, and drummer Mike Alonso. Where accordion player Matt Hensley was is unknown, but he wasn’t in Saratoga. And there was some new music, the band playing one new jangly and Celtic song, “Croppy Boy,” which joined the hit single “Float” and the wistful “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” as the mellower points of the evening.
Other than that, it was all carousing, headbanging Irish music: instrumental neck-snapper “Swagger,” the pounding “Crushed (Hostile Nations)” and, of course, “Salty Dog,” that speed-demon Celt-punk classic which has not lost a thing in the 21 years since it opened the studio debut. The band finished up with two more full-on blasts of rollicking paddy-punk: “What’s Left of the Flag” and “The Seven Deadly Sins,” even if there were only six Flogging Mollys up there to commit them. A fine Celtic end to a four-pack of cool, varied, alt-punk musical acts.
Setlists:
ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES: Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing (Stevie Wonder cover), Jolene (Dolly Parton cover), Danny’s Song (Loggins & Messina cover), Straight Up (Paula Abdul cover), Sloop John B (The Beach Boys cover), Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon cover), Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover), Rocket Man (Elton John cover), Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen cover), Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver cover), Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) (Barry Mann cover), Summertime (George Gershwin cover), End of the Road (Boyz II Men cover)
VIOLENT FEMMES: Add It Up, American Music, I’m Nothing, Breakin’ Up, Prove My Love, Promise, Country Death Song, Jesus Walking on the Water, Good Feeling, Gimme the Car, I Held Her in My Arms, Color Me Once, Gone Daddy Gone, Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off
FLOGGING MOLLY: Devil’s Dance Floor, The Hand of John L. Sullivan, Drunken Lullabies, The Worst Day Since Yesterday, Black Friday Rule, Croppy Boy, The Likes of You Again, Swagger, Float, Crushed (Hostile Nations), Salty Dog, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, What’s Left of the Flag, The Seven Deadly Sins.
Dave Matthews Band arrived at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on September 17, 2021, for the first of two shows at one of their most familiar stomping grounds. Matthews briefly grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York before heading to South Africa, then to Charlottesville, VA to form his eponymous band.
The first concert Dave ever saw was that of Pete Seeger. “My parents took my brother, my sisters and me. I will never forget it. I was little. Dancing in a field in Upstate New York while the grown-ups sat on the grass.” Dave was able to share the Saratoga stage with a 94 year-old Pete at the September 2013 Farmaid concert.
Dave Matthews Band opened their two night run at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Friday with a nod to Seeger by performing “Rye Whiskey,” the first time the full band has played it since Bethel Woods in 2009. A variation on the traditional Scottish folk song “Way Up on Clinch Mountain”, Seeger’s version includes the lyrics “If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck, I’d swim to the bottom and never come up.”
Tim Reynolds warmed Saratoga up with a two night acoustic run on his own at Putnam Place back in June. He told NYS Music about playing smaller rooms before his sold out SPAC shows “Oh incredible man, I think this year is wide open.”
The band extended out “So Damn Lucky” from the 2003’s Some Devil, seguing into Sly and The Family Stone’s “Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf again.” Dave Matthews had reunited with Some Devil bassist Tony Hall for their Labor Day weekend shows at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA, where Hall sat in on low end for bassist Stefan Lessard. Hall told NYS Music about the recording of Some Devil “I had a lot of fun with that record. One of my favorite songs is “So Damn Lucky.”
A new song debuted by the band this tour, “Walk Around The Moon,” has a psychedelic sound based on a true story of being lost in the woods with unexpected consequences very fitting for Saratoga Spa State park with its forest lining. The band shone a moonlit glow on the crowd for “You Never Know” with it’s fitting lyrics, “Funny when you’re small, The moon follows the car there’s no one but you see Hey, the moon is chasing me”.
The seven piece took “Jimi Thing” for a walk down multiple SPAC trails mashing up covers by Huey Lewis’ “I Want a New Drug,” Prince’s “Sexy Motherfucker” and The Rolling Stones. Dave took on Mick Jagger’s front man energy while singing the Stones staple “Satisfaction” in honor of Charlie Watts, for whom Dave Matthews Band had opened up for in the past.
All the lovers in attendance got a “#41,” “Say Goodbye,” and “Lover Lay Down” to keep their flames lit. Tony Hall’s cajun influence is heard during the appropriate “Louisiana Bayou” jam. The band encored an upstate New York anthem “Don’t Drink The Water,” with the poignant “here’s the hitch your horse is leaving” lyric for the Saratoga race track heads.
Night two at SPAC and the weather was perfect for more Dave Matthews Band. “Big Eyed Fish” opened the show, as the crowd was treated to “#27,” “The Stone,” and “Sugar Will,” all three being golden tunes to catch a vibe. Up next Buddy Strong kicked that B3 Hammond up for a howling cover of The Zombies “Time of the Season.” “Pantala Naga Pampa ” -> “Rapunzel” musical ride hit hard mid set, with “Granny” reminding the crowd why they were in attendance (Love!!!…Baby!!!)
The ensemble closed with Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” while midway through the chilling cover, Dave came in with the final verses of “Stairway to Heaven.” The house lights went up and a fresh fall air set on the crowd. The encore jumped seasons with “Christmas Song,” a simple song about the message of love through baby Jesus.
They finish with “Shake me like a Monkey” to make sure the crowd is on the same page before exiting into our lives: “Do you know what it is to feel the light of love inside you? And all the darkness falls away. If you feel the way I feel then I believe we have the answer. That I’ve been searching for tonight”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eei2lTAiP6Q
Dave Matthews Band – September 17, 2021 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Saratoga Springs, NY
Setlist: Rye Whiskey, One Sweet World, That Girl Is You, Pig, So Damn Lucky, Can’t Stop, Walk Around the Moon, You Never Know, Minarets, Jimi Thing, I Want a New Drug, Sexy M.F., Brown Sugar, Bitch, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, #41, Say Goodbye, Kill the Preacher, Why I Am, What You Are, Lover Lay Down, Louisiana Bayou, Stay (Wasting Time),
Encore: Sister, Don’t Drink the Water
Dave Matthews Band – September 18, 2021 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Saratoga Springs, NY
Setlist: Big Eyed Fish, Bartender, Grace Is Gone, Grey Street, #27, The Stone, So Much to Say, Anyone Seen the Bridge, Too Much, Sugar Will, Crush, Squirm, Lying in the Hands of God, Time of the Season, Pantala Naga Pampa, Rapunzel, Drive In, Drive Out, Granny, Warehouse, All Along the Watchtower
The Black Crowes, led by founding brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, played the first of three shows in New York State amid their ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ 30th anniversary tour, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Tuesday, September 14
Back in November 2019, the pair appeared on The Howard Stern Show to deliver incredible news: “We’re announcing that the Black Crowes are together and that we’re going on tour next summer.” That was planned for 2020, with a tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their quintuple platinum debut album Shake Your Money Maker and will feature the band playing the entirety of the record every single night. Chris Robinson reflected humbly on the upcoming experience:
The real reward is knowing our music has played a vital role in many people’s lives as well as getting to see their albums on shelves alongside some of the other greats. “I always thought, ‘I’m in the same record store as Thelonious Monk? … Like, what? How did that ever happen?’
Chris Robinson
The brothers were special guests and closed a set at the Beacon Theater for the Love Rocks NYC Benefit on March 12, 2020. Just three songs were all that was played before the full 30th anniversary tour was postponed. This marked the Black Crowes last Empire State show before heading up the Hudson River to Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Tuesday, September 14 to keep their rock and roll promise.
Supporting the tour has been the band “Dirty Honey,” featuring Niskayuna native Marc LaBelle on lead vocals, with the group playing material from their new LP, including the single “The Wire.” They immediately got the crowd’s attention with a rock like vibe reminiscent of the Crowes infamous tour with Jimmy Page in 2000. Marc Lebelle’s hometown crowd led to him reflecting on his first show at SPAC as a fan, for an Aerosmith performance in 1990. To help come full circle, the band covered “Last Child” as an homage to Boston rock legends.
Prior to the Crowes start the stage was set like a western saloon with a full bar on site. Lead singer Chris Robinson came out head to toe, dressed with an umbrella in hand.
The Elmore James composition “Shake your Money Maker” opened the show appropriately for the album and tour it is named after. The Crowes had the same approach in the 1990s to the blues hero’s sound, much like The Rolling Stones did in the 1960s. However, the Robinson brothers from Georgia hit home a little bit closer to the mud like Gregg and Duane Allman. With a jukebox behind them onstage, they played the 1990 LP in full for the Saratoga Springs crowd. All 10 tracks hit the crowd with full indulgence, making those at home realize they were jealous again.
Fans who remembered seeing the The Black Crowes with Levon Helm In Central Park in September 2009 were hoping for songs off “Before the Frost…Until the Freeze,” recorded at Levon’s Barn in Woodstock. Instead the Crowes played to the desert saloon stage up for a complete hair raising version of their classic “Wiser Time.” Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell’s twang and Rich Robinson’s tone blended with Chris’s vocals: “No time left now for shame, horizon behind me, no more pain, windswept stars blink and smile, another song, another mile.” The band gave the crowd the remedy they all needed to close the show.
For the encore, the Crowes channeled that energy for Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey What Can I Do?,” with Robert Plant’s lyrics fitting for the overall vibe. “I guess there’s just one thing a-left for me to do. Going to pack my bags and move on my way … going to leave her where the guitars play.”
The Black Crowes play next in New York at Jones Beach on September 17 and Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center on September 25.
The Black Crowes, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Saratoga Springs, NY – Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Setlist: Shake Your Moneymaker, Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Sister Luck, Could I’ve Been So Blind, Seeing Things, Hard to Handle, Thick N’ Thin, She Talks to Angels, Struttin’ Blues, Stare It Cold, Sting Me, Hotel Illness, Oh Josephine, Wiser Time, Thorn in My Pride, Remedy Encore: Hey Hey What Can I Do
Maroon 5 has made the decision to cancel dates at SPAC and Madison Square Garden, but plan to continue on with the rest of their tour.
The concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was scheduled for Monday, September 13, 2021. People who had purchased tickets in advance were notified by Ticketmaster this weekend with no explanation as to why it was cancelled. On SPAC’s website it states that people will receive a refund for their tickets directly through Ticketmaster or Live Nation depending on where they acquired their ticket.
The concert at Madison Square Garden which was scheduled to take place on Friday, September 10, 2021 has been cancelled as well, without explanation. On their website they state that tickets purchased with a credit card online or over the phone with Ticketmaster or directly through the Madison Square Garden Box Office will automatically be refunded to the original purchaser’s credit card account. People should expect to receive their refund in as soon as 30 days. If people purchased their tickets through the Madison Square Garden Box Office with any other form of payment, please call the venue’s Guest Relations Department at 212-465-6225 for more information.
Maroon 5 is still advertising tour dates at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA on September 7, PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC on September 8, PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on September 10, Fenway Park in Boston, MA on September 12, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC on September 15. So far it looks like just the New York dates have been cancelled.
Live Music Society, a nonprofit philanthropic organization has announced a third round of grants to be awarded this fall to live music venues across the United States. These grants benefit small venues with a maximum sellable capacity of 300, and has supported venues including Bowery Electric, Caffe Lena and Levon Helm’s Barn, among others.
Founded in 2020, Live Music Society is committed to awarding $1,000,000 dollars per year in grants to venues that promote and preserve the live music experience in intimate settings. These small venues allow artists of all levels and all genres to get their start, connect with their audiences and maintain their careers as performers. Individual grants range from $10,000-$50,000, and over the two initial rounds of grants, Live Music Society has awarded thirty-six venues in twenty-nine cities grants totaling over $1.2 million.
Small, live music venues throughout the U.S. are owned and operated by music-lovers who are tirelessly devoted to their community, their staff, and their artists. Without small music clubs, so many of our most promising artists wouldn’t have a place to share their work, hone their craft, and build their audiences. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these clubs have been fighting to keep their doors open. Live Music Society is focused on making sure these wonderful spaces stay solvent and independent. It is time to acknowledge and support the great efforts that these venues have made to keep our communities connected and vibrant through the gift of live music.
Live Music Societyfounder Pete Muller
Live Music Society encourages small venues with 50-300 sellable seats prior to COVID-19, established on or prior to July 1, 2017, to apply. Venues must be committed to live music as their primary activity to be eligible. Grant applications will be accepted from September 28 – October 20, 2021 via the organization’s website.
Prior grantees include:
Ivy Room (Albany, CA)
Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center (Berkeley, CA)
After a year of online music teaching, Caffe Lena is bringing youngsters into its historic performance space for an after-school program that mixes music education along with socialization.
“Music is a gift best shared with friends,” says guitar and ukulele instructor James Gascoyne. Fall classes are set to Begin this September with in-person and virtual options.
Caffe Lena School of Music group lessons show off authentic folk teaching methods. “No sheet music. No big stars. We gather in a circle and learn to sound good by watching and listening carefully,” says program coordinator Vivian Nesbitt. Students who spent the year being taught on Zoom came to the venue over the summer and experienced the change and enjoyment of face to face music.
Proctor’s Collaborative and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall have well-established theater and music training programs with generous scholarship opportunities. Caffe Lena’s Matt McCabe Scholarship provides tuition assistance and loaner instruments for families in need.
Nesbitt goes on to say, “While we are hopeful about meeting in person this fall, the safety of the students, their families and our staff comes first. Anyone in the teaching space must be masked. In the event that the classes need to move back online, Zoom will be ready to continue the program.”
Caffe Lena’s online lesson program will continue into the fall with a slate of new classes for more advanced players just announced. Lena Jonsson, an Award-winning Swedish fiddler will be joining the roster along with singer-songwriter Cosy Sheridan. Sheridan, a Caffe Lena performer, will be teaching a four-week songwriting class. These classes, geared toward adults, have attracted students from all over the US and Canada as well as Spain, the UK and Australia.
Founded in 1960, Caffè Lena is a premiere concert venue located in Saratoga Springs. Known around the world for fostering the preservation and growth of independent music rooted in tradition. In person or virtually, Caffe Lena provides an unparalleled listening experience for renowned artists and breakout bands nearly every night of the week. for more info about their schedule, please visit www.caffelena.org
For their fourth and final show in the Empire State, Dead and Company made their annual stop at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, hallowed ground for seeing the Grateful Dead in the 1980s. And much like the Dead shows at SPAC in the 80s, the venue was as packed as ever, hosting a sold out crowd of 25,103 – a few short of the record set by the Dead in 1985.
On Friday, August 27, Deadheads of all ages – grandparents bringing their grandkids, parents going with friends, college kids meeting up with uncles and aunts, or just locals looking for a night of classic American music – filled in every corner of SPAC, and in this era of social distancing, the crowd at times felt like there were more than 25 thousand in attendance. Early entry was a smart move this night, as COVID-19 vaccine checks as well as ticket/security checks slowed entry down for many. If you’re attending a sold out show at SPAC this summer, the best move you can make is go in early and avoid the rush.
photo by Conor McMahon
Once inside, the Saratoga Springs crowd was as boisterous and congenial as you’d expect at a Dead and Company show, let alone a Phil and Friends, Ratdog, Billy and the Kids, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, or any other Grateful Dead side-project/tribute band. That’s what makes these shows so appealing to so many – you get that same wonderful vibe from those around you, all of whom are there for the music and allow themselves respite from the daily grind.
That collective release was felt when Dead and Company dropped into “Shakedown Street” to open a show, a resounding statement that tonight was going to be a barnburner. With Bob Weir wearing ‘Bobby Shorts,’ and Oteil Burbridge donning Section 119 shorts, even the band knew it would be a hot one. The “Bertha” that followed maintained the momentum out of “Shakedown,” which wound down so Weir could play a couple of acoustic numbers, the beautiful “Peggy-O” and “Me and My Uncle,” both of which were tour debuts.
photo by Conor McMahon, Oteil’s shorts by Section 119
Would be captain John Mayer took over vocals for “They Love Each Other,” and on “West L.A. Fadeaway” successfully pushed for a second jam with the help of Jeff Chimenti on keys. The set closing “Bird Song” was played at such a slow tempo it took Weir six minutes to get to the lyrics, while he and Mayer struggled for direction throughout the rest, clocking in at 22 minutes for the longest song of the night.
Set 2 opened up with “Let the Good Times Roll,” evoking memories of the show opener on “Downhill From Here,” and driving the bus towards “Scarlet Begonias,” which was paced at times as it meandered over 13-minutes. Surprisingly, “Help on the Way” arrived when “Fire on the Mountain” was expected, cranking up the energy once again, and diving into a “Slipknot” that was exploratory courtesy of John and Oteil, and is well worth a listen below. When “Fire” finally arrived, it lit the crowd up in a haze for 10 minutes, before an exodus of fans made their move towards the back of the lawn or parking lots with the onset of “Drums.” Oteil joined Rhythm Devils Bill and Mickey for the a tribal interlude, followed by Mickey getting to work on The Beam for “Space.”
Upon the band’s full return to the stage, “Cumberland Blues” brought the crowd back to their feet, then giving them a chance to rest during “Days Between,” the final tour debut of the night. “Not Fade Away” would close the set, bringing Buddy Holly’s lyrics to echo across SPA State Park and beyond. To balance out “NFA,” an encore of “Black Muddy River,” while soulful, zapped the energy that had been flowing all night.
While an up and down show tempo-wise, Dead and Company were energetic and polished throughout. It would be difficult to find a fan of the Grateful Dead who didn’t enjoy this performance at SPAC, or elsewhere on this tour, one that comes at a needed time for the fans after many months without live music.
Set 1: Shakedown Street > Bertha, Peggy-O, Me and My Uncle, They Love Each Other > West L.A. Fadeaway, Bird Song
Set 2: Let the Good Times Roll, Scarlet Begonias > Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Fire on the Mountain > Drums/Space > Cumberland Blues > Days Between > Not Fade Away
Thousands of fans packed the beautiful grounds of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs on a spectacular August evening to listen to the familiar and steady voices of James Taylor and Jackson Browne.
Jackson Browne got the evening started, singing a mix of his classic songs. If you closed your eyes during the performance, you’d be hard-pressed to know that it was not the Jackson of one of his early albums. Fans enthusiastically greeted each song, many singing along with the familiar lyrics. The audience erupted in cheers when Jackson brought out James Taylor to accompany him on a few songs. He mentioned that knowing this tour was on the horizon made the last year and a half more bearable. Both performers mentioned how much fun they’ve been having on this tour, so much so that they have added 18 new dates.
Jackson Browne at SPAC
After a short break, James Taylor‘s set began with images and videos playing on a gigantic fretboard above the stage. Pictures of James throughout his career, fans at different James Taylor shows, and videos of fans playing some of James’ songs warmed up the enthusiastic crowd. As the darkened stage lit up, James emerged in his trademark cap and jacket and performed songs from his massive songbook.
James Taylor at SPAC
The crowd didn’t hesitate to call out requests, and James interacted with the crowd to set up his next selection. “It’s funny you should mention North Carolina,” before segueing into “Copperline,” a song about the area he grew up in. As a James, I was happy to hear “Sweet Baby James” make the setlist. The songs served as a lullaby of sorts to me and transported me back to my youth. Jackson Browne joined Taylor for an encore of “Take it Easy,” and James ended the night with “You Can Close Your Eyes,” a duet with his son Henry
The tour continues in the northeast with one more show in New York at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, and two shows in New Jersey before heading south and west in the fall.
James Taylor Setlist: Country Road, Never Die Young, Copperline, That’s Why I’m Here, Mexico, You Make It Easy, Line ‘Em Up, Steamroller Blues, Easy as Rollin’ Off a Log (Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis cover), Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Carolina in My Mind, Shower the People, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Encore: Shed a Little Light, Take It Easy (with Jackson Browne), You’ve Got a Friend, You Can Close Your Eyes (with Henry Taylor)
Rescheduled from 2020, Daryl Hall and John Oates had been waiting to get their tour on the road for almost as long as we’ve been waiting to see them again. On Sunday, August 15th, they arrived with some 13,000 fans at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, one of the biggest crowds this venue has seen in some time. English band Squeeze opened the show.
Photo by Zach Culver
The duo came out, clad in their best rocker gear, followed by their band. Starting out with the classic “Maneater” the crowd was in from the start. They ripped through a few of their oldies before Daryl moved over to his grand piano for “Sara’s Smile.” After tearing up the crowd’s heartstrings he moved back over to center stage with his counter-part. The whole band came in strong for “Back Together Again,” surely being a very meaningful track for them after this past year.
30 minutes before their slotted end time they left the stage, leaving the crowd hungry for more. Little did they know what they were in for. Hall and Oates came back on stage for a four song encore, starting with “Rich Girl” and flowing into “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” and lastly, “You Make My Dreams.”
The duo headed west after Saratoga and the next time they will be near New York State will be September 18th at the Merriweather Pavilion in Columbia, MD and Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT to close their tour on December 3rd and 4th.
Setlist: Maneater, Out Of Touch, Method of Modern Love, Say It Isn’t So, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Barry Mann cover), She’s Gone, Sara Smile, Is It a Star, Back Together Again, I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),
Encore: Rich Girl, Kiss On My List, Private Eyes, You Make My Dreams
