ARATOGA SPRINGS — It’s a busy time of year, to say the least, for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). The Philadelphia Orchestra’s three-week residency is in full swing, a blockbuster star recently canceled her performance, and a seven-time Grammy winner was booked at the last minute. But it’s all in a day’s work for SPAC President Chris Shiley and company.

Movie Nights

SPAC is hosting two movie nights this month: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on Aug. 16 and “Back to the Future” on Aug. 23. Both films will be screened while the Philadelphia Orchestra provides a live accompanying score. As these types of events have risen in popularity, movie studios have begun licensing their titles to third-party companies that, in turn, put together music packets that are handed over to venues like SPAC.

“It really all comes together as one of the most magical experiences when you take these iconic movies that everyone grew up watching and are familiar with, and you have these incredible symphonic scores,” Shiley said. “The melding of the two experiences, it’s really an amazing evening.”

In past years, Potterheads have flocked (or flown, if their broom skills are up to par) to SPAC to enjoy, probably for the umpteenth time, another installment of the beloved film series. For “Back to the Future,” which includes a score composed by Alan Silvestri, SPAC will have a bonafide DeLorean on site. (Just don’t hop in and floor it to 88 miles per hour.)

Cynthia Erivo and Jon Batiste

Erivo, who shot to stardom last year as the co-star of the hit movie musical “Wicked,” canceled her Aug. 22 performance due to scheduling conflicts. This meant that the SPAC team needed to find a suitable replacement, and quickly at that.

“You never want to be dealing with a cancellation and we’re certainly sorry to not have Cynthia with us this summer but when you get that news, you’re working as quickly as you can to find a solution and to try to find something that matches the program that you had,” Shiley said. “When I looked at various artists and various projects, and I when thought that Jon Batiste was going to be potentially available on that night, we didn’t know if we could make it work.”

Luckily, it did work. Batiste had been on the SPAC stage before as part of the 2018 Jazz Festival, and it just so happened that he had a new album, “Big Money,” slated for release on the same day as the Erivo show. Thus, SPAC was able to nab Batiste for a one-night-only event with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“This is a show he’s not done anywhere else,” Shiley said. “It’s going to be a really amazing night. It’s going to celebrate not only his artistry and his new album, but really celebrate an incredible collaboration between two great artists, Jon Batiste and the Philadelphia Orchestra.”

PlayIN for Strings

Returning this year to SPAC’s programming is a PlayIN event, which allows amateur musicians to step onto the main stage and play along with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Violin, viola, cello, and bass players of all ages are invited to participate. 

“It’s really exhilarating for the participants and a great way to have a connection between our local community and those musicians,” Shiley said.

This year’s PlayIN program includes:  

• Grieg – Prelude (Allegro vivace), from From Holberg’s Time, Suite in the Old Style for Strings, Op. 40 

• Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048:

I. [no tempo indicated] 

• Mozart – Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Serenade in G major, K. 525:

I. Allegro 

• Tchaikovsky – Serenade in C major, Op. 48, for Strings:

III. Élégie: Larghetto elegiaco – Poco più animato – Tempo I 

• Holst – St. Paul’s Suite, for Strings:

IV. Finale (The Dargason)

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Philadelphia Orchestra launched its three-week residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) this week, performing the “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” on Wednesday and “The Planets” on Thursday. The residency will continue with twelve unique programs through Aug. 23.

On Friday night, Aug. 8, Guest Conductor Marin Alsop will lead the orchestra in Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Bernstein mentored and inspired Alsop throughout her career. The program is bookended by the music of another American icon, George Gershwin. The evening begins with his Cuban Overture, inspired by a trip to Havana and combining traditional Cuban rhythms with Gershwin’s original themes. The program closes with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F Major, featuring American pianist Clayton Stephenson.

On Saturday, Aug. 9, Grammy-winning jazz singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Laufey will perform alongside the orchestra for her new “Night at the Symphony” program. Last summer, Laufey (pronounced lāy-vāy) made her SPAC debut at the Saratoga Jazz Festival. Now, the “Gen Z It Girl” will return to the SPAC stage for her Philadelphia Orchestra debut. Breaking through with her 2023 album “Bewitched,” which earned her a Grammy Award and broke the record for the biggest debut for a jazz album in Spotify history, Laufey writes songs inspired by jazz greats and classical masters while possessing the point of view of a 21st-century twentysomething. Laufey’s brand of jazz has given birth to a global community of “Lauvers,” who have sold out every tour date that she has put on sale.

Next week’s events include “Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff & Still” on Aug. 13 and “Verdi’s Requiem” on Aug. 14. Tickets and more information are available at spac.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Everclear, one of the leading alternative rock bands to emerge from the ‘90s, recently celebrated their 30th anniversary but have no plans to slow down. They’ll be performing at the Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9.

The band’s 2025 tour, entitled “The Sparkle and Fade 30th Anniversary Tour,” will be a 30th anniversary reissue release celebrating the band’s “Sparkle and Fade” album.

Since forming in 1992, Everclear has released 11 studio albums (including 4 that have been certified Gold or Platinum), sold over six million records, and achieved 12 top-40 hit singles on mainstream rock, alternative, and adult top-40 radio, including “Santa Monica,” “Father of Mine,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Wonderful,” and “Everything To Everyone.” The band’s music has been described under multiple genres, predominantly alternative rock, and power pop, but also post-grunge, grunge-punk, grunge, and pop rock.

Tickets are still on sale via the Box Office at Proctors, via phone at (518) 346-6204, or online at atuph.org.

MOREAU — Charismatic frontwoman Hayley Jane summoned a group of women towards the stage like a sorceress, inspiring them to sing and dance as she belted and flailed with gusto. 

It’s not often that a musical act can impress at first sight, but the Hayley Jane Band certainly did at the Saratoga Summer Hang on Sunday. It wasn’t just the Janis Joplin-esque singer who did the trick, but also her backing group, who blasted out blissful sounds and jammed like Trey Anastasio. One might be tempted to say that the group should be playing a larger venue, but the secluded Dancing Grain Farm Brewery—which looks out upon flowery fields and blue mountains—felt like the perfect setting.

Jane has released two albums, “Late Bloom” in 2021 and “Yes Darling” in 2018, plus the single “Ignite” and two covers of “Seven Nation Army.” Earlier releases include the 2012 album “Color Me” and two albums released under the band name Hayley Jane and the Primates: 2017’s “We’re Here Now” and 2014’s “Gasoline.” She’ll return to the Capital Region for an Aug. 28 show at White Lake Studios in Albany.

The first-ever Saratoga Summer Hang was an all-day, outdoor “micro music fest” with a mellow but upbeat crowd spread across a lawn behind the family-owned brewery. Dancing Grain has a series of food and music-related events scheduled for August and September. To learn more, visit https://dancinggrain.com/news-events/.

ROUND LAKE — The Markets at Round Lake event will return Aug. 9 and 10, bringing food trucks, live music, artisans, and book vendors to the village. 

The two-day festival will feature three musical acts each day, coffee, crepes, lemonade, wine, spirits, tamales, tacos, pie, empanadas, jewelry, pottery, furniture, photographs, candles, decor, artwork, and much more. Admission is free and the event will occur rain or shine at 49 Burlington Avenue.

The 2025 iteration of Markets at Round Lake is especially meaningful to its organizers, who are continuing the event in honor of Amy Leach, who passed away on Halloween (her favorite holiday) in 2024.

“Amy built and left us an amazing system for organizing this event, creating documents, systems, and connections that brought over 80 vendors and thousands of visitors to Round Lake each year,” Craig Maslowsky, chair of the 2025 Markets at Round Lake Planning Committee, told Saratoga TODAY. “After her passing, it was unclear whether the Markets could continue. But when a neighbor voiced concern at a village volunteer meeting that it might not happen, something beautiful unfolded: the community stepped up…We’re carrying it forward, not just for the event, but for Amy.”

For more information, visit www.marketsatroundlake.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College will host a behind-the-scenes tour on Thursday, Aug. 14 at noon.

The special tour, led by Izzy DeSantis (the Kiki Pohlad ’13 Curatorial Assistant) comes at a time when two galleries are being prepared for new exhibitions: “All These Growing Things,” opening Aug. 23, and “See It Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection,” opening Sept. 13.

Visitors will also be able to see the current exhibitions “Building Blocks,” “Elevator Music 52: Anne E. Stoner—Drowning Out the Noise,” “Up to Us: Black Dimensions in Art, 1975–Tomorrow,” and “Yvette Molina: A Promise to the Leaves.”

Admission is free. The Tang is on the campus of Skidmore College. The main entrance is at 815 N. Broadway in Saratoga Springs. For more information, please call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit tang.skidmore.edu/visit.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Phish played three shows at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) last weekend, packing tens of thousands of spectators into the usually serene Spa State Park. According to Setlist.FM, a database that has catalogued nearly one million live shows, Phish has now played at SPAC 27 times, making them one of the most popular bands in the venue’s storied history.

The Vermont-based quartet made headlines when, on Sunday, they used “Tweezer Reprise” as a jumping-off point for a series of jams. Their setlists also included time-tested favorites, such as “Bathtub Gin,” “Birds of a Feather,” “Chalk Dust Torture,” “Run like an Antelope,” “Wading in the Velvet Sea,” “Down with Disease,” “Reba,” and “Tweezer.” Covers included “Loving Cup” by the Rolling Stones, “Rock & Roll” by the Velvet Underground, and “Boogie on Reggae Woman” by Stevie Wonder. 

Some oddities and rarities during the three-night run: “Tweezer” was played as an encore for the first time; “N.I.B.” by Black Sabbath was teased several times in recognition of Ozzy Osbourne’s recent passing; and “Happy Birthday” was teased during “No Men in No Men’s Land”.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) recently announced that a panel discussion, “Music and Mind with Renée Fleming: Harnessing the Arts to Heal and Connect,” will occur on Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. at the Spa Little Theater. 

Five-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Fleming—curator of the anthology “Music and Mind”—will host a discussion with experts that will explore research on the connections between the arts and health. The event is free to attend. 

The exploration will begin with an introduction from Renée Fleming, highlighting the intersection of music, neuroscience, and healthcare, alongside personal stories and insights from her career. She will also share findings from her book “Music and Mind,” which features discoveries on how the arts support healing in areas ranging from pain relief and the treatment of anxiety and depression, to regaining speech after stroke or brain injury, to improving mobility for individuals with conditions like Parkinson’s disease and MS. In addition to these therapeutic applications, the book delves into topics such as evolution, brain function, childhood development, and the role of technology in arts and health.

 Brief presentations will follow: psychology and neuroscience researcher Dr. Psyche Loui will speak on music-based interventions for individuals with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s; licensed creative arts therapist Bree Beaudette will discuss art therapy techniques that promote healing and personal growth; and SPAC Vice President of Education Dennis Moench will explore SPAC’s commitment to inclusive arts programming, cultivating access to shared creative experiences for all minds and bodies. A panel discussion led by Fleming will follow, culminating with a Q&A and book signing.

To register for this free event, visit spac.org. Seating is limited.

“I’d seen hundreds of concerts [at SPAC]. And here I am on that stage for the first time, which was my dream when I was 16…I mean, I saw everybody there. And that was my dream to play on stage one day, and here I am playing on that stage with one of my idols. We did ‘That’s It for the Other One,’ which the Dead hadn’t played in years. Had my career gone no further than that day, I would have been fine. My dreams were realized.”

-Vinnie Amico, drummer for the jam band Moe, on performing alongside surviving members of the Grateful Dead at SPAC on July 6, 1997. [This quote appears in the book “Sharing in the Groove” by Mike Ayers].

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It wasn’t necessary to ask Mike Ayers, the author of a new book on ‘90s jam bands, just what exactly he was doing in Saratoga Springs last weekend.

Phish performed its 27th show at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) last Sunday, concluding their three-night stay in a city that continues to hold a special place in jam band history. Last weekend, the Dave Matthews Band played their 50th concert at SPAC. Last summer, rising jam band Goose played two headlining shows at the venue six years after being an opening act at Putnam Place. Also, that summer, Blues Traveler played at Belmont on Broadway, a free concert downtown. At the end of the year, up-and-coming jam group Dogs in a Pile played four straight shows at Putnam Place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. In 1985, the Grateful Dead famously drew the largest-ever SPAC crowd of more than 40,000 Deadheads. It was one of many times that various iterations of the Dead (both before and after Jerry Garcia’s death) took the SPAC stage.

The list of jam bands—ranging from obscure acts to all-time greats—that have played in Saratoga is an almost impossibly long one. But why does the Spa City hold such a prominent place in jam band lore? Saratoga TODAY spoke with Ayers—whose oral history book “Sharing in the Groove” chronicles the explosion of jam bands like Phish, Dave Matthews, and Blues Traveler—to help unravel this mystery.

“There’s definitely lineage around certain areas,” Ayers said. “Up here, near Woodstock, it has this aura that is left over from the 60s that probably just continues to permeate in ways.”

Ayers compared the Upstate jam scene with others that have sprung up around the country, in places like Georgia (where the Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic were based) and Colorado (home of the long-running Telluride Bluegrass Festival).

“It’s probably a case of you have these longstanding scenes and then you have young people coming up in them, taking influence from the past but putting their spin on it, whatever that may be,” Ayers said.

Young people, typically college kids, are a key ingredient in fostering a successful jam band scene. Many of the bands covered in Ayers’ book sprung up around college towns (such as Athens, Charlottesville, and Burlington) that had plenty of bars, fraternities, and other venues that could host and/or subsidize live music. And as the ‘90s progressed, college kids increasingly had access to internet connections, allowing them to network with other jam band fans. This gave rise to a fan base that was enthusiastic about sharing music with like-minded people. Ayers was one of those fans, mailing tapes to strangers across the country “all the time.”

But the jam band scene isn’t always so harmonious. In the ‘90s, following the death of guitarist Jerry Garcia and the official end of the Grateful Dead (though the surviving members would subsequently play together many times), some Deadheads didn’t enjoy the new crop of emerging jam bands—especially Phish—and seemed to resent Phish’s status as the jam scene’s new torchbearers. That dynamic is repeating itself today as some Phish fans resist the rising popularity of Goose. Ayers, however, (like most jam band fans, probably) doesn’t partake in these internal squabbles.

“I’m definitely more of an omnivore; I like a lot of things,” Ayers said. “But in the ‘90s with this jam culture movement, I remember if you were an indie kid or a punk rock kid, you did not want to listen to the jam stuff and vice versa. It was very divided. It was almost like a record store where here’s the punk section, here’s the rock section, here’s the classics.”

The divisiveness, however, is probably more of a vocal minority than an accurate representation of the entire scene. And despite some bad vibes, jam bands have continued to flourish well past the ‘90s glory days.

“It seems pretty healthy now, like it was in the ‘90s,” said Ayers. “You have multiple acts selling out arenas or large theaters. Goose, Billy Strings; those are prime examples. Phish is still doing it. Dave [Matthews] is still doing it. [Widespread] Panic does pretty sizable theaters still…It’s probably a bit of a perfect storm where you have a younger crowd that is super interested and you have an older crowd that can get away a little bit easier. There’s new acts, there’s old acts; there’s lots of stuff to check out.”

To see evidence of how the jam scene is still truckin’, simply stop by a Phish or Dave Matthews show at SPAC, and good luck finding a decent spot on the lawn if you don’t show up early enough.

“It’s not shocking that [these bands] are still going, it’s shocking that they’re still putting 25,000 people in Saratoga Springs for three straight nights,” Ayers said. “It’s great to see. So many people are still into it, especially here.”

“Sharing in the Groove” was released on July 22 and is currently available at booksellers nationwide.