The first ever Belmont Festival in Saratoga Springs kicked off in grand fashion on Wednesday night, June 5th. Ahead of the historic weekend, concert goers turned out by the thousands for the official opening, a block party dubbed ‘Belmont on Broadway’ headlined by the Grammy Award winning rock band Blues Traveler.
Often referred to as “the Summer place to be,” the enthusiastic atmosphere could be felt all over the city. Propelled by the distinct voice of the legendary John Popper and his scorching array of harmonicas and harmonies, the good-time vibes were off the charts, contagious and perhaps a little rowdy.
With the six-day festival expected to bring the Spa City more than $50 million in revenue, the massive crowds also meant massive business for the local shops and restaurants downtown. People of all ages lined every inch and stoop of Broadway, arriving early to catch the opening set from eight-piece local rock and soul ensemble Tops of Trees. With a steady influx of concertgoers packing in like sardines by the time the charismatic Pat McGee Band took the stage, it was Grade A entertainment all around as friends, families, and strangers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, sweaty and smiling on this humid summer night in early June.
With stellar production services provided by the fine folks at High Peaks Production, the overall program ran incredibly smooth and both looked and sounded great from the start. After a brief word from organizers, the winners of the Belmont on Broadway window decoration contest were announced as Heidi Owen West and Stacey D’Andrea-Goodman of the Lifestyles of Saratoga boutique. Clearing the stage shortly after 8pm, it was finally time for the band everybody came out to see.
Once ruling the radio with chart toppers from their massive, multi-platinum selling album Hook, the beloved improv-heavy rockers from Princeton, New Jersey, Blues Traveler proved they still know how to party like it’s 1994. No stranger to headlining festivals, the band is credited as the driving force behind the original H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) festival that successfully toured the country from 1992 to 1998, including memorable stops at SPAC just up the road. Once again playing up to a massive crowd all these years later, Blues Traveler hit them with hits early and often.
Consisting of harmonica wizard and band leader John Popper, along with guitarist Chan Kinchla, bassist Tad Kinchla, keyboard player Ben Wilson and drummer Brandon Hill, Blues Traveler opened with perhaps their most popular song, “Run-Around” resulting in city-wide sing-along that’s still reverberating somewhere down Caroline Street. Demonstrating their propensity to jam, Popper would catch fire early, utilizing his signature array of custom harmonicas to blow the audience away on a “Dropping Some NYC” > “Moby Dick” > “NY Prophesie” sandwich.
Dressed in a familiar floppy-brimmed hat and looking as healthy as he has in years, the band would find it’s lengthiest groove on the psychedelic Kingpin rocker “But Anyway,” while fans then took the opportunity to spark up during a cover of Tom Petty’s “Mary Janes’s Last Dance.” The heartfelt “Mountains Win Again” was perhaps the most emotional song of the evening, followed up by perhaps the funkiest in a cover of the Son Seals classic, “Funky Bitch,” which many fans often confuse as a Phish original.
Segueing nicely into an equally funky “War Pigs” keyboard jam before alligator-ing at breakneck speed into a ferocious, foot stomping rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (which the band humorously changed to “The Devil Went Down to Saratoga”), the melodic interplay between Popper and Chad Kinchla’s colorful guitar solos would shine bright all night long, but especially on 1997’s “Carolina Blues.”
Gracefully dipping off stage while each member of the band was given the chance to solo in the spotlights, Popper would lead Blues Traveler through the remainder of the set that combined an easy melodic flow crossed with a plethora of choice cover songs and sophisticated soul-funk boogie. With highlights that also included teases of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” and Aerosmith’s “Eat the Rich,” Blues Traveler would bring the main portion of the set to a close with a massive sing along to their smash hit “Hook.”
With the curfew rapidly approaching and the enthusiastic Spa City crowd still eating it up and begging for more, the band would insight the famous “Toga” chant from the Animal House film, before encoring with one final cover, ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” A great evening of music powered by a band that’s stood the test of time, the atmosphere in downtown Saratoga Springs was downright electric and made you hope ‘the powers that be’ will take notice and introduce more events like this one in the future. For now, you can re-live this entire performance via tapper audio at the link below courtesy of Archive.org.
I found out that I got eye cancer / Too many television waves, but anyway” – Lyrics to Blues Traveler’s “But Anyway”
Up next for the band, Blue Traveler will take the rest month off before returning to the legendary Red Rocks in Morrison, CO for their annual 4th of July throwdown. Later this August, you can catch them back in New York with a pair of dates at Lewiston Artpark and the Perinton Center Park Amphitheater in Fairport.
Blues Traveler | June 5,2024 | Belmont on Broadway | Saratoga Springs, NY
Setlist: Run-Around > Things Are Looking Up, Dropping Some NYC > Moby Dick > Bass Solo > NY Prophesie > Dropping Some NYC, But Anyway, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, Mountains Win Again, Funky Bitch > War Pigs Jam > Devil Went Down to Georgia, Carolina Blues > Drums > Hook.
Encore: La Grange.
The Pat McGee Band | June 5,2024 | Belmont on Broadway | Saratoga Springs, NY
