Chicago Smashes SPAC Attendance

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, September 2, 1970

21,000 Turn Out for Rock Group

“The Chicago” at Saratoga Performing Arts Center last night drew the new high in attendance with about 21,000 and the result was a study in musical contrasts. The 21,000 shattered the previous record of 17,000 set by Simon and Garfunkel and it is certain it will be many a day before this newest figure is shattered.

For the younger members of the audience, the sight and sound of this famed group of seven performers was almost more than they could stand and they applauded wildly for a good five minutes as the show started late at 9 p.m.

For the older-young, the chance to enjoy a performance by this phenomenal group made a perfect evening and the audience, although bulging both in the theatre and on the spacious SPAC lawns, was orderly, well-mannered and completely wrapped up in the wonder of the night. They came to hear and applaud and aimed everything at helping their neighbors and keeping quiet. Anyone who ever comments on the SPAC audiences for the rock festival should do so with a positive tone.

It’s an interesting sound Chicago offers. Basically, it is the rock, electronic, loud, uptempo sound, but it also combines a most intriguing unusual ingredient in the “mix” of three brass, two guitars, a drum and an organ. Here is where their real quality comes to the fore and quite definitely separates them from the dozens of other groups.

Based on this added ingredient, it is plain to see why they have fared so well around the country since joining forces four years ago.

They range in age from 22-25 years and all hail quite logically from Chicago. Earlier this year, many who attended the Chicago’s performance at Tanglewood appeared last night for a second evening with this group.

Talking with a few of them informally on the lawn, they indicated that they had come from New England and from the Metropolitan New York City area, several leaving these sites early yesterday morning to get in line for the lawn tickets, with the box office opening late in the afternoon.

They offered a good share of their recorded selections from “Ballet to a Girl in Buckannan,” “Southern California Purples,” “Beginnings” and, perhaps their bigges hit, “25 or 6 to 4.”

There’s no question they are the best of the groups yet heard at SPAC this year in the rock field. Yet, calling them a rock group is not really accurate, for they have strong strains of jazz and some really sensational solo work by each of the seven. These are honestly good musicians.

As for the much-publicized closed-circuit TV with three cameras and screen, this worked extremely well and SPAC officials will undoubtedly utilize this whenever a large crowd is anticipated again.

The cameras were placed in each of the three aisles directly in front of the stage, while the 15×20-foot screen projected its color picture, clear and true, to the upper lawn crowd, well in view of just about everyone up there.

The drummer, in addition to being an extremely good musician, was noteworthy for another reason. He wore a headphone set and that has to be a first at SPAC.

Backstage the house doctor and the Saratoga Rescue Squad were kept busy with a variety of cuts, bruises and other problems, all fortunately apparently minor. With this large a group, this, too, was a credit to the audience, to the SPAC officials and to the 30 or so law enforcement people who kept things orderly and moving.

Tonight, television’s hit show, “Hee Haw,” comes to the SPAC stage at 8:30.