Glen Campbell copes at Saratoga

by Matthew Maguire, The Knickerbocker News, September 2, 1980

The intense heat, constant sound problems and some musical difficulties made Glen Campbell’s Labor Day concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center more laborious than he would have liked, but the veteran pop star managed to overcome the difficulties and provide a small crowd with a satisfying show anyhow.

If one word describes Glen Campbell’s music, it’s “eclectic.” His show Monday reflected traces of bluegrass, country and western, western swing, rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, Top 40 pop, disco, gospel music, and even some bagpipe music. Both in his singing and his guitar-playing, Campbell displays the kind of versatility one expects from a player with his studio experience.

Campbell began with a series of his early — and best — hits. The crowd enjoyed such tunes as “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “Galveston,” but the singer had difficulty recreating the mellow baritone he achieved on the recordings, especially on the ballads. At times, he even sounded hoarse.

Soon, Campbell launched an ambitious medley of Beach Boys tunes — he recorded with them, and toured in Brian Wilson’s place for half of 1965. It was well played, but not well sung. The background vocals of the accompanists completely failed to recreate the Beach Boys harmony, and Campbell could not carry it alone.

Part of these difficulties may have been caused by sound problems that never were resolved, and that detracted from the music throughout the show. The sound system regularly emitted various kinds of annoying feedback — snaps, crackles, pops and shrieks. In addition, the sound engineer often failed to amplify the soloing musician until his solo was nearly over.

Nevertheless, there was much to enjoy.

Toward the end of the 90-minute show, Campbell seemed to pull his vocals together. On a swinging rhythm-‘n’-blues tune about a lost blue heifer, a fast country-and-western style “My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” especially a funky pop tune called “It’s Your World, Boys and Girls,” he sang with character and confidence.

After wrapping up with some nice bagpipe playing, Campbell earned a standing ovation. It was warranted, not because the show was perfect, but because he managed to overcome many problems.

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