SARATOGA SPRINGS — “The Hayley Williams Show” recently unveiled its expansion across North and Latin America, which includes a stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Sept. 12.

The North American leg will feature support from Magdalena Bay and Rico Nasty, while singer-songwriter Annie DiRusso joins the lineup for Latin America and Puerto Rico. $1 from every ticket sold in North America will directly benefit REVERB & Support+Feed. 

In the U.S., the tour uses Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange to help fans get tickets at the original price. Tickets will be non-transferable and can only be resold on Ticketmaster at face value. In New York, where laws prevent resale restrictions, tickets can be transferred but Ticketmaster will still honor Hayley Williams’ terms by keeping resale prices at face value on its site.

For the last few months, Hayley Williams has been touring her most recent album “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.” The tour has been a celebration of her critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album, which she’s played in full each night. The full North American, UK and European tour legs sold out in seconds, and featured numerous surprise guest stars.

“The Hayley Williams Show” will feature material across all three of the singer’s solo albums, as well as some surprises.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “People gather here for many reasons. For music. For dance. For a night outside under the trees. For the quiet electricity of thousands of strangers paying attention to the same thing.”

So reads a light green-colored wall in SPAC’s new photo exhibition “This Place Loves You Back,” which was unveiled at The Pines last Thursday evening.

The installment, created by artist Whitney Browne, “highlights the intimate, in-between moments that define the audience experience—capturing the spirit of connection that has lived on SPAC’s grounds for generations,” said SPAC.

Browne dug through SPAC’s photo archives to find some of the moments of romance, friendship, joy, relaxation, and community that have occurred at SPAC since it opened in 1966. 

The exhibition is well-timed as SPAC celebrates its 60th year of existence. 

Of the exhibit, Browne said, “Looking through the archives of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, certain patterns begin to appear—not only the performances on stage, but the quieter moments around them. Over time, places that hold this kind of shared attention begin to gather memories. They accumulate stories, traditions, friendships, and the quiet imprint of the people who have passed through them. This exhibition moves through those traces—photographs and fragments of time. If you have ever sat here, listened here, or looked around and felt yourself part of the moment, you are part of that history too. This place has been paying attention to you, too. And, in its own way, this place loves you back.”

The exhibition includes photography by Francesco D’Amico, Dave Bigler, Jake Ritz and Juan Soler of Ironglass Productions, Bryan Lasky, Erica Miller, Rebecca Loomis, and Shawn LaChapelle.

In addition to images, there are a few short stories and testimonials on the walls of The Pines. They pay tribute to the “pleasure,” “incredible sense of peace,” and “mesmerizing” emotions evoked by SPAC performances.

The exhibition is open to ticketed guests prior to evening performances of BalletX, New York City Ballet, and The Philadelphia Orchestra, inviting audiences to explore the exhibit as part of their SPAC experience. Additional viewing times may be added; visit spac.org for the full schedule.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, May 19 from 5 to 7 pm, Saratoga Arts will dedicate its main art gallery to the Dake Family and Stewart’s Shops.

Longtime supporters of Saratoga Arts throughout its 40-year history, the Dake Family and Stewart’s Shops most recently contributed $400,000 towards the arts organization’s $2 million building renovation.

“This instrumental gift has helped Saratoga Arts realize its next iteration as the community arts center for our region,” said Saratoga Arts.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs has been officially deemed one of 100 “must-see getaways across the United States” by a National Geographic book published last week.

The book’s Saratoga entry includes two photographs by Samantha Decker, a Saratogian acclaimed for her evocative captures of all things horses, including the Saratoga Race Course, Oklahoma Training Track, various breeding farms, Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, and the Saratoga Polo Association.

The coffee-table tome “Small Towns U.S.A.: 100 Must-See Getaways Across the United States” was published on May 5 and is available on Amazon. Other locales featured include Paducah, Kentucky; Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Egg Harbor, Wisconsin; and Cody, Wyoming.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Cristina Vane is Sicilian and Guatemalan; grew up in France, Italy, and England; and now plays traditional blues and country music in Nashville. 

Her song “Little Girl from Nowhere,” which she played during her Caffe Lena debut last Thursday, reflected her unique, transient upbringing.

“No roots, nothing to be holding on to,” she sang. “I’ve been in a foreign land ever since I was just a little baby. You can’t understand. Ageless spirit moves upon the water. She bade me sink or swim. I will not be fearful any longer. I am diving in.”

The spirit of fearlessness expressed by the song seems to reflect Vane’s on-stage persona and artistry at large. Although sometimes singing the blues or plucking a banjo, there’s a modern punk-rock, defiant edge to Vane that has likely spurred her rise in popularity over the last handful of years.

In 2025, Vane released the album “Hear My Call,” which is stuffed with a slew of memorable tracks, especially “You Ain’t Special,” which she also played at Lena. The tune sounds like an amiable, country-tinged bop but has an Alanis Morissette attitude.

At Lena, there tends to be a blend of audience members who are discovering a new artist and audience members who are already fans. At Vane’s show, the crowd seemed to be more of the latter.

Take a glance at Vane’s packed tour schedule and this probably isn’t a surprise. She was headed five hours south to Philadelphia the day after her stop in Saratoga. Then she was off to Virginia, then North Carolina.

Vane released her debut record just five years ago but has already attracted the attention of artists such as Bob Weir, Wynonna Judd, and Molly Tuttle (to name a few), all of whom she’s directly supported on stage.

For Vane’s upcoming tour dates, visit www.cristinavane.com.

SCHUYLERVILLE — Malta-based writer Robert C. Conner will be selling copies of his four books, including the 2026 novel The Detective and Dorothy Day at the Boozy Book Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 at Old Saratoga American Legion (6 Clancy St. in Schuylerville).

Conner’s previous books include two biographies published by Casemate: General Gordon Granger: The Savior of Chickamauga and the Man Behind Juneteenth (2013) and James Montgomery: Abolitionist Warrior (2018). His previous historical novel was The Last Circle of Ulysses Grant (2018).

The Detective and Dorothy Day is historical fiction, a murder mystery set in 1975 in New York State, including as a major character, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Conner lived at what was then the main Catholic Worker Farm in Tivoli for much of 1974 and 1975 and met Dorothy Day there.

More information is available at Conner’s website: https://robertcconnerauthor.blogspot.com/.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Goose—an indie groove jam band performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on July 3 and 4—will have a charity golf tournament at the Saratoga Spa Golf Course on the Fourth of July.

Dubbed “Red, White & Birdies,” the event is organized by the Western Sun Foundation, a fan-run charity that raised $7,500 from Goose fans two years ago at the “Goose on the Green” event and donated it to Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. At the time, the amount was Western Sun’s “largest gift yet.”

In 2024, when Goose last performed at SPAC, Western Sun President Sarah Blazincic told Saratoga TODAY that Goose band members had been “very supportive” of the foundation’s initiative.

“We work with them side by side to make sure that we are doing things that they want to see,” Blazincic said.

On July 3 this summer, Goose will hit the SPAC stage with The Disco Biscuits as their opener. On July 4, they’ll be joined by Moe. 

Goose’s history in Saratoga stretches back to at least 2018, when they opened for the Ryan Montbleau Band at Putnam Place. In 2013, the band’s keyboardist Peter Anspach attended a Phish concert at SPAC, camping out on the lawn with thousands of fellow fans. A decade later, when Goose hit the SPAC stage for the first time, Anspach told the crowd that “some of us have seen a lot of shows on that lawn right there and I’ll tell you what, it feels great to be on the stage. So, thank you so much for making it happen.”

For additional information about registering or sponsoring the “Red, White & Birdies” event, visit https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2026-goose-golf-outing.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center recently announced that The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists will return for its ninth annual event on Sunday, May 31 from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Following the theme Seasons, this year’s event will celebrate cycles of growth, transformation, reflection, and renewal, while also commemorating 60 years of SPAC and its blossoming into a year-round organization. The festival will celebrate the collaborative creativity of more than 700 of the Capital Region’s brightest young dancers, musicians, singers, poets, and visual artists—all in support of SPAC’s mission to provide free and accessible arts programming for local youth.

Featuring students from local schools and organizations such as Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO), Capital District Youth Chorale, Saratoga Springs Youth Ballet, Capital District Arts Initiative, and the SPAC School of the Arts, the afternoon will include individual pop-up performances and art displays, culminating in a large-scale, coordinated production on SPAC’s stage. As part of the production, an original musical composition by Kingston Czajkowski (Grade 12, Cairo-Durham High School), will premiere on the SPAC stage, performed by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra and recorded for a later broadcast by media sponsor WMHT.

“This year’s Festival of Young Artists carries a special energy as we build on exciting new traditions launched last year, including our partnership with WMHT and the return of the Student Composer Contest,” said Dennis Moench, SPAC’s VP of education, in a press release. “As we approach nearly a decade of this festival, it continues to reflect a deep commitment to inclusivity—spotlighting the artistic achievements of hundreds of students from across our region and creating space for every voice, discipline, and creative perspective to be seen and celebrated.”

Kicking off at 2 p.m., SPAC’s grounds will be transformed into a festive celebration and will feature individual pop-up performances by student ensembles from the Capital Region, fine art displays, food stands, poetry slams, lawn games and immersive art activities, plus free ice cream provided by Stewart’s Shops. At 4:45 p.m., hundreds of young artists will gather to present a celebratory concert on SPAC’s main stage, featuring large-scale productions that combine music, song, poetry, visual art, and dance.

The event is free for the community. However, registration is required for admission. Visit spacfoya.org for details.