More Than 5,000 Brave Cole Temperatures To Attend Dionne Warwick Show at SPAC

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, September 19, 1969

More than 5,000 braved the cold, damp 40-degree temperatures last night for Dionne Warwick at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and what a show. This has to be one of the most courageous performers even to stand out there on the cold stage, seeing her breath as she shivered her way through a dozen songs.

As many observed backstage last night, it was even colder than two years ago when Dinah Shore appeared before 1,200 shivering people in 42-degree rainy weather.

Miss Warwick never arrived at SPAC until 9:30 and explained on stage that she had been trying to get by plane from Newark since 1 p.m. She thanked the audience for its patience and then proceeded to sing up a storm.

She offered everything from “Forever” and “Don’t Make Me Over” to “Walk On By,” “The Impossible Dream,” “The Look of Love,” “Going Out of My Mind,” “Promises, Promises” and “Alfie.”

Miss Warwick has a tremendous voice, amazing range and breath control and is a delight to watch and hear. She closed her show by bringing back onstage the excellent trio, the Constellations, who had performed earlier in the evening. They offered a handclapping tune, “Get Together.”

Due largely to the freezing cold, Miss Warwick did no encores and, frankly, I think the audience was just as pleased to be able to get out of the cold. Had the weather been nicer, she undoubtedly would have obliged with several more songs.

But, take heart, Craig Hankenson, general manager, talked backstage with Miss Warwick after the concert and both tentatively agreed, the wonderful performer will be back next year— and in warmer weather, too. Miss Warwick had originally been booked for late August of this year, but had been forced to change the date to last night.

“After how cold it was out there tonight, you can be sure I’ll make it in July or August next year without fail,” she told us.

For the fashion-minded, Miss Warwick wore an A-line flaming red crepe gown, fortunately for her boasting long, tight sleeves, decorated with rhinestones at the wrist and copied again at the shirtwaist neckline. Silver medium-heeled slippers completed the outfit with a matching red headband for her page-boy hair styling. Arriving at the theatre, she wore a grey knit coat-dress outfit.

Opening the show last night were the Ten Wheel Drive, a competent rock group, extremely versatile with numerous instruments, variations in melody and with a pleasant girl vocalist.

Tonight, a handful of rock groups will be presented in concert at 8:30 tomorrow night, Ray Charles; and Sunday afternoon at 3:30, the complete SPAC Pop Festival, a program of country and western performers.