Rain Fails to Keep Audience Away As Peter, Paul and Mary Perform

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, July 29, 1969

Return to SPAC

Neither sleet nor hail nor falling rain can keep an audience away from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center it seems. That was proved conclusively last night, when more than 8,000 braved the stormy night to hear Peter, Paul and Mary in a return visit to SPAC.

The 5,500 sitting snugly in the amphitheatre were no more enthusiastic than the vast throngs sitting on the soggy grass, many ingeniously contriving cardboard “tents” or employing large sheets of clear plastic to protect them from the rains.

Onstage, Peter, Paul and Mary proved again why they are one of the country’s finest singing trios. When they sing, in that almost staccato, clipped distinctive harmonic fashion which has become their trademark, they are unbeatable.

When Peter and Paul play their guitars in instrumentals or as accompaniment to their singing, they display virtuoso qualities. And when some of Peter’s songs, especially in the whimsical “Puff, The Magic Dragon,” are offered, it is so clear why these multi-talented entertainers are tops in their field.

Last night, they seemed to rely a bit more heavily on group singing than had been noted in past area performances. One might suppose this was a gesture of thanks to the crowd for coming out on such a horrible night. In fact, at the outset of the program, Peter did acknowledge their bravery, calling them “crazed souls on the grass” displaying what he termed “a mad kind of friendship.”

The famed trio offered a real cross-section from their musical repertoire—everything from hymns and true folk toe-tappers to the latest songs by Bob Dylan and John Denver and even a Gilbert and Sullivan selection.

Applause came strongly and regularly with each tune, especially for “l Dig Rock and Roll,” “Ray Is Done” and “If I Had a Hammer,” the latter their lone encore.

Certainly the comic highlight of the night was provided by Peter, as he offered a satiric analysis of Newsweek’s literary analysis of the “hidden meaning” behind his lyrics for “Puff, The Magic Dragon.”

“People, this is a beautiful moment of understanding,” he quipped as he recited the analysis, then really brought down the house with his own personal analysis of “Star Spangled Banner,” which he suggested might be equally “Communist-inspired” and dealing with “junkies.” His point was amply clear of the absurdity of the suggestion.

For the fashion-minded, Mary wore her long, straight, blonde hair in its usual simple fashion. For the first half, she wore a white embossed cotton gown with short sleeves and for the second half, a pale blue crepe flowing pantsuit with chain belt and V-neck.

Peter chose a beige shaped suit and Paul a pale blue one. Although the performance started some 20 minutes late, patrons were still being seated for another half an hour, with the house lights remaining on though somewhat dimmed
throughout the entire performance for some unexplained distracting reason.

Tonight, the Cowsills and the Checkmates will appear in a single performance at 8:30.