Audience hops to O’Sullivan beat
by Jim Kunstler, The Knickerbocker News, September 14, 1973
It was hopping high school madness when Gilbert O’Sullivan, the British product, brought his enormous ensemble to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center last night. Even earlier, mobs of infatuated teeny-boppers shifted dangerously back and forth in the aisles to goggle as mere sidemen pulled into the parking lot.
The show was opened by guest vocalist Maureen McGovern who, when she recuperated from her current hit—”The Morning After”—turned out a creditable gospel performance. It was an uphill struggle for Maureen against a plunging thermometer and a crowd hungry for the main attraction.
AT LENGTH, Gilbert O’Sullivan arrived on stage, to the delight of everybody under 14, and to the relief of everybody else, chilled to the bone during intermission.
In the year since his star began rising, O’Sullivan has come up with a string of hit records, and he was able to reproduce them admirably, though they were often as hard to tell apart as identical triplets.
At times he seemed overwhelmed by his 12-piece orchestra, but this was only the second time they’ve played together, and chances are they will correct some of their sound problems as O’Sullivan’s tour of America proceeds.
The pop star is known to be exclusive. The story goes that he was content to be a successful pop composer and was only recently reluctantly dragged on stage. We place quite a burden on our popular artists when we demand that they perform as well as create material.
STILL, O’Sullivan can do both, and if the hardships of touring don’t get him down, we will probably be seeing more of him. We will almost certainly be hearing his songs on the radio.
Also on the bill was Marty Barris, comedian, who was not quite as amusing as the average laundromat drunk.
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