Author: Jonathon Norcross

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mithraism may have petered out more than a thousand years ago, but it made something of a comeback at the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery last Thursday. There, visitors partook in a Mithraic feast of grilled meat, olive oil, bread, wine, and fermented fish sauce that recreated (to some extent, at least) the ritualistic practices of a mystery religion once prominent in Ancient Rome.

Mithraism died out sometime during the late 4th century, when Christianity took hold of Rome. But before that, depictions of the god Mithras appeared in “almost every province” of the empire, said Brigitte Keslinke, a PhD candidate in Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World at the University of Pennsylvania.

Although archeologists have discovered hundreds of sites containing materials believed to be related to Mithraism, no written texts explaining the beliefs or narratives of the religion have survived.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that there’s a lot that we just won’t know unless we somehow find this text, this magical book, that tells us what people were doing and why,” Keslinke said during a Dunkerley Dialogue event about Mithraism at the Tang on Nov. 13. “But one of the things we do know and one of the things that interests me most is that we know community was important. This was an occasion to come together and hang out with people.”

In that sense, the event at Tang faithfully followed Mithraic practices. Attendees gathered to enjoy the Mithraic meal before venturing upstairs to see artist Sheila Pepe’s installation, “When & Where We Rest,” which transformed the museum’s mezzanine into a “communal lounge for reflection and conversation.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mike Farris, who won a Grammy Award in 2014 for Best Roots Gospel Album, sung SPAC’s praises last Friday night during a performance at The Parting Glass.

“[The Saratoga Performing Arts Center] may be the most beautiful amphitheater in the country—in the world,” Farris said on stage.

The founder and lead singer of the Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies also shared amusing stories of his life on the road with the Allman Brothers and Meatloaf.

Once when he was a young musician opening for the Allmans, Farris eagerly waited around prior to a show to hear the legendary group’s sound check.

“Finally, I couldn’t wait any longer so I walked up to the stage and there were several roadies standing there,” Farris said. “And I go, ‘Hey, so are you guys gonna sound check?’ And they were like, ‘We don’t sound check, man.’ And he handed me a joint, and I was like, ‘This is paradise.’”

Farris co-headlined at Parting Glass with Sugaray Rayford, whose 2019 album, “Somebody Save Me,” was nominated for a Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy.

Farris’ latest album, “The Sound of Muscle Shoals,” was released earlier this year.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three new artists have been added to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s 2026 lineup: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Parker McCollum.

Skynyrd and Foreigner will perform together as part of their “Double Trouble Vision” tour. Six Gun Sally, a Southern rock band, will open for the co-headliners on Aug. 23.

Skynyrd is a legendary Southern rock group known for their classics “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Ronnie Van Zant, the group’s lead singer and songwriter, was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1977. After a decade-long hiatus, the band reformed with Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny taking over vocal duties. Since then, the rockers have been touring off and on, playing at the New York State Fair in Syracuse as recently as Aug. 28, 2025.

Foreigner ranks as one of the best-selling groups of all time, having moved at least 50 million certified units in their nearly 50-year career. The power ballads “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” are among the best-known songs of the 1980s.

McCollum is a rising country artist who won New Male Artist of the Year from the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2022. His latest eponymous album, released in June 2025, has been regarded as the most personal and introspective of his career thus far. He’ll hit the SPAC stage on Sept. 5.