Reviewer ‘Hung-Up’ on Assessing Janis Joplin’s SPAC Performance

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, August 28, 1969

The question of whether Janis Joplin is talented, is a showman, is a put-on, a combination of all of these or a complete nothing has to depend entirely upon personal attitude after witnessing one of her “performances.”

Last night, some 7,000, mostly lawn crowd, did just that at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and heard the loudest, most hard-working girl of 26 with a face centuries old, half hidden by long hair, “turned on” for an hour and a half.

Backed by seven musicians playing various instruments, she sang, wailed, shrieked, gyrated herself into near frenzies, conducted the orchestra in a body English fashion and was really something to watch.

How to label the performance, based on a straight professional talent assessment, is the hangup. Her singing is questionable, her physical attributes limited, yet she projects an almost hypnotic effect on the audience, almost like a high priestess of some cult in the midst of a mysterious tribal ceremony.

But from all this comes a fascinating show to watch. The audience was orderly, quiet, totally attentive and enthralled and got their money’s worth from their “Queen of Rock.”

She offered two encores as the cries of “more, more” were intermixed with foot stomping. A moment of some concern developed at this point, as a portion of the audience rushed forward to the stage to try to reach out and grab her. They were standing on the thin temporary flooring which covers the ballet orchestra pit and SPAC officials were desperately trying to get the kids to move back. Finally, a member of the Joplin musicians took the mike and begged them to move back and got some measure of response, averting a certain tragedy.

There is no question Janis Joplin has a dynamic personality, a strong beat, a hypnotic onstage manner and she kept the audience quietly enthralled last night. How long she can keep up this personally-damaging pace is the question and a close look at her backstage last night is a somewhat startling moment. She looks many years beyond her real 26, to say the least.

Opening act was the dynamic, equally hardworking James Cotton Blues Band, who arrived quite late with the show starting at 9:15. They apologized and indicated backstage they were held up by Canadian customs late yesterday afternoon.

This is a real blues group with a strong rock/jazz beat and provided a fast, exciting first half show. Cotton does startling things with his hands cupped around a mike and a harmonica in his mouth.

Tonight, the fabulous 51 members of the King Family will perform at 8:30 on the SPAC stage.