First, the College of Saint Rose and The Times Union teamed up to sponsor a battle of the bands that they’ve dubbed “Garage to Glory.”
Now the Saratoga Performing Arts Center has teamed up with WEQX-FM for its own battle of the bands, which they’ve dubbed “SPAC Battle of the Bands.”
Hey, get yer 2010 Country Megatickets for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center this summer!
Yup, country music is comin’ to the SPAC schedule in a big way this summer, and you can buy a megaticket, which allows you to have the same seats for three upcoming Nashville-twang shows hosted by SPAC this summer:
SUNDAY, MAY 30
“Country Throwdown” featuring Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, the Eli Young Band, the Lost Trailers, Heidi Newfield, Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses, Jonathan Singleton & the Grove, Emily West. With Bluebird Café artists Ashley Ray, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan, Dave Pahanish, Jedd Hughes, Sarah Buxton, Troy Olsen and Walker Hayes
FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Sugarland. With Luke Bryan and Danny Gokey
SATURDAY, JULY 24
Brad Paisley. With Darius Rucker
So the idea with the Megaticket thingie is that you can get the same seats for all three shows for $180 (in sections 1-5), $150 (sections 6-8) or $75 (lawn tix). Available online beginning at 10am Saturday (March 6) for a limited time only.
Individual tix for each concert will go on sale soon.
Last week the first concert of SPAC’s upcoming summer season was announced – the Dave Matthews Band on Friday & Saturday, June 4-5.
Now here comes the second one.
Although neither SPAC nor Live Nation has made it official yet, the 2010 Country Throwdown extravaganza is slated to drop into SPAC at 1pm on Sunday, May 30 for an all-day, all-night country music twangfest.
Montgomery Gentry and Jamey Johnson will be headlining the bash, with the Eli Young Band, Emily West, Eric Church (who is also headlining at Northern Lights in Clifton Park on Friday, February 12), Heidi Newfield, Jack Ingram, Jonathan Singleton & the Grove, Little Big Town, Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses (recent Golden Globe winner for “The Weary Kind,” his theme song for the film, “Crazy Heart”) and the Lost Trailers.
Stay tuned for details regarding ticket prices and on-sale dates.
An artist paints on the lawn at SPAC before a performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra last August (Photo by Andrzej Pilarczyk)
Next summer, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center will begin employing a new ticketing system. Instead of Ticketmaster, SPAC will use the Theatre Manager Ticketing System. The announcement was made on Friday at a meeting of SPAC’s Board of Directors.
The new ticketing system will apply only to SPAC events – the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, Friehoffer’s Jazz Festival, the Chamber Music Series, other Spa Little Theater performances, etc.
Tickets for the pop and rock concerts produced by Live Nation will continue to be processed through Live Nation’s own ticketing system, which was implemented at SPAC earlier this year.
Here an interesting and educational family outing: the Saratoga Native American Festival is being presented at Saratoga Spa state park this Saturday and Sunday featuring an array of musicians, drummers, artisans, dancers and especially storytellers. Here’s the activities schedule.
Tickets are $10 Adults, $7 Seniors and $5 Children under 12 (children under 5 are free and are available online.
OK, here are the rules for Five Best Concerts of the Summer. There are no rules for Five Best Concerts of the Summer.
Got it?
Good.
Hit the comment button below, and let’s hear from ya.
Here’s our list:
OK, we all know where Nikki Sixx will be tonight – pounding on his bass in the spotlight at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, as Motley Crue thrashes away at “Girls, Girls, Girls” and other fave metalhead anthems.
But where was he 22 years ago, and what was he doing?
If it’s not an indication that Bruce Springsteen is getting on in years, it’s at least a sure sign that his fans are getting old.
When tickets to Springsteen & the E Street Band’s Tuesday, August 25 show at SPAC first went on sale, concertgoers were prohibited from bringing lawn chairs onto the grounds.
(Photo by Nancy Nutile McMenemy/Backstreets)
“As lawn chairs have grown in size we are increasingly concerned with the amount of space these chairs take on the lawn, which is why we restricted lawn chairs for this event” said John Huff, Live Nation’s SVP of Operations for the Northeast Region.
“Based on the number of calls we received from guests asking us to reconsider the policy, it is clear that these guests want to use lawn chairs, so we have decided to reverse the policy and allow lawn chairs into the facility for this event.
“We encourage fans to be considerate of the people around them and utilize the smallest lawn chair and space possible so everyone can enjoy the show.”
Oh yeah, one more thing: You should also be prepared to bitch and moan to your heart’s content when you can’t see a #*!#-in’ thing while you’re sitting in your lawn chair because everybody else all around you is standing up, dancing, and spilling their smuggled-in beers.
In a completely unrelated note: Yes, there are still lawn tickets available for the show.
In conjunction with the Hyde Collection’s exhibition “Degas and Music” in Glens Falls, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center also explored the connections between music and art on Friday, August 14 with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s program “An Evening With Degas.”
Professional and amateur visual artists from throughout the Capital Region were invited to bring their easels and paintbrushes, set up on SPAC’s lawn and work on their art – in exchange for free admission for the artist and a guest.
I love this sculpture created from vinyl photograph records: “Soundwave” by Jean Shin (thanks, Matt Loiacono)
The North Adams Artists’ Co-Op Gallery announces a JURIED CALL for “Elements”
Fine and applied artists in all media are invited to submit work for consideration in “Elements”, a juried exhibition at the NAACO Gallery. Submitted works may be literal interpretations of the topic, such as a representation of one or more of the four natural elements, objects that are elements of a whole, or perhaps the periodic table of elements. Non-traditional interpretations of the subject, such as an exploration of what is truly “elemental” to your work are also encouraged. Submissions will be juried from actual work and are due no later than Monday, August 24th. Entries may be delivered and picked up during gallery hours Exhibition will run from August 26 through September 20, with the opening reception held Thursday, August 27, 2009 from 6-9 PM held concurrently with all other “DownStreet Art Thursday” programming. NAACO Member Artists are exempt from entry fees. All nonmembers are required to pay an entry fee of $15 for up to two entries for consideration by the jury, and which may not exceed 24″ in any direction. Entry forms are downloadable from www.naacogallery.com. For further information, email naacogallery@gmail.com, or call during gallery hours Wednesday-Saturday, 11-6, Sunday 11-4, 413-664-4003.
Bob Irwin of My Fair Planet (photo by Tim Livingston)
Saratoga Performing Arts Center is asking area artists to show off their artistic skills beginning at 6pm on Saturday, August 15 as part of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s “An Evening with Degas” program. Participating artists who arrive with an easel and chair will receive free lawn admission to the Orchestra performance for themselves and a guest.
Artists wishing to participate in An Evening with Degas are asked to:
Those who wish to sign up for the event are asked to contact Veronica Mynders at SPAC at 518-584-9330×101 or intern@spac.org.
You can now check out the official video for “Relator,” the first single from Peter Yorn and Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming album Break Up, slated for release September 15, and it also includes a cover of Big Star’s “I Am The Cosmos.”
Just how hungry or thirsty are you as you head into the big rock show? Well, maybe it all depends on how much money you’ve got in your wallet. Or perhaps more importantly – which Nippertown concert venue you’re at.
Having visited SPAC, the Palace Theatre and the Times Union Center for pop concerts recently, we were struck by the considerable difference in prices at the concession stands.
Here are a few of the numbers that turned up during our latest price checks:
SODA
SPAC: $5
PALACE: $2.50
TIMES UNION CENTER: $2/$3/$3.75
POPCORN
SPAC: $4.50
PALACE: $2
TIMES UNION CENTER: $3.50/$4/$5
HOT DOG
SPAC: $5
PALACE: N/A
TIMES UNION CENTER: $3.50
CHEESEBURGER
SPAC: $6
PALACE: N/A
TIMES UNION CENTER: $4.50
FRENCH FRIES
SPAC: $5.50
PALACE: N/A
TIMES UNION CENTER: $3.75/$5
CANDY
SPAC: $3.50
PALACE: $2
TIMES UNION CENTER: $2.75
PRETZEL
SPAC: $5
PALACE: N/A
TIMES UNION CENTER: $3.50
PEANUTS
SPAC: N/A
PALACE: $2
TIMES UNION CENTER: $3.50
COFFEE
SPAC: $3
PALACE: $1
TIMES UNION CENTER: $2.25
To read my review of CSN @ SPAC in the Times Union, go here. For a second opinion, check out Brian McElhiney’s review in the Daily Gazette.
Here are a few additional notes and the set list:
Crosby, Stills & Nash are like a favorite old sweater on an autumn evening. A little frayed around the collar. A few more holes than last year. But still warm. Comfy. Cozy.
With CSN, less really is more. They were at their very best when they were pared down to the minimal – just three voices and a guitar or two.
Speaking of minimal, it was delightfully quaint and oh-so-refreshing to watch a concert at SPAC without all of those usual arena rock bells and whistles. NO video screens. NO stage set. NO costume changes. NO computerized lighting effects. Just the music. What a concept.
Quote of note: “We’re going to do all the songs that I remember the words to – and that’s at least three,” declared David Crosby. “Maybe four.”
Watching CSN, I found myself flashing back to Woodstock. Not the Grand Daddy 1969 festival – I wasn’t there. But rather the 1994 25th anniversary fest in Saugerties where CSN blazed through their mainstage set only to pass the torch to a mud-caked Nine Inch Nails.
I knew that CSN has been in the studio working with producer Rick Rubin on a new album of cover songs, so when Crosby said, “We’re gonna take some chances and play some songs you’ve never heard us do before,” I had some high hopes. Unfortunately, the selections were too obvious, too cliched – except for Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe.” If only they were willing to attempt something even vaguely more contemporary, like R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.” Better still, wouldn’t it be a hoot to hear CSN singing a Fleet Foxes tune?
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH SETLIST
Helplessly Hoping
You Don’t Have to Cry
Ruby Tuesday (Stones)
Close Your Eyes (James Taylor)
Reason to Believe (Tim Hardin)
Girl From the North Country (Dylan)
Guinnevere
Dream For Him
In Your Name
Uncle John’s Band (Dead)
Our House
Southern Cross
INTERMISSION
Love the One You’re With
Military Madness
Rock & Roll Woman
Long Time Gone
Marrakesh Express
Cathedral
Deja Vu
Bluebird
Almost Cut My Hair
For What It’s Worth
ENCORES
Wooden Ships
Teach Your Children
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