Gay, Wholesome Program Given at SPAC By Oliver and The Young Americans

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, August 31, 1970

Oliver and the Young Americans teamed up last night at Saratoga Performing Arts Center for a bright, gay and wholesome program before a disappointing crowd of 2,000. The horrible weather (the rain, thunder and lightning persisted through much of the evening) undoubtedly accounted at least in part for the scant crowd. Both have appeared previously at SPAC and were an excellent choice for a return visit.

The 30 bright, clean, sprightly young people who make up the Young Americans offer a fast-paced show from beginning to end. They never walk, they run from one number to another, one microphone to another, dancing, singing, playing a variety of instruments and proving that there is a place for the niceties of entertaining even today.

Aged 15-20, the young people receive no pay for their work, since Young Americans Inc., is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation to further understanding of youth and music. With that as their basic principle, let it be said they succeed admirably.

Dressed appropriately in red, white and blue, the kids are far from flagwavers, yet they emerge as positive, constructive builders of America and having a ball while they are doing it, too.

Recently returned from Japan’s Expo ’70, they offered “Yankee Doodie” and “This Land is Your Land” to “Summertime” and some real ragtime vaudeville. Just as they began singing “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” guess what it did?—it rained.

A full orchestra backed the singers and the production moved smoothly and with great continuity from beginning to end.

Oliver was backed by two guitars and drums and sang “Where Is Love?”, “If You Go Away,” “Jean,” “Sunday Morning,” “Starshine” and a raft of other tunes, including two new ones from an unreleased album.

At times, his voice sounds much like Glen Campbell and that’s not bad. He is a personable, clean-cut young man, who enjoys singing, playing his guitar and, since his last visit to SPAC, has developed a very effective deadpan delivery for some comments of the times. Last night, some of his female fans in the front row could not contain themselves and began dancing in the aisles.

Soon that was not enough, so they started to climb up onto the stage and, at that point, SPAC management intervened. That attests to the charisma Oliver has with his audience, a point he jokingly questioned earlier in the evening.

SPAC is dark tonight and tomorrow Chicago appears at 8:30 p.m., complete with the closed-circuit TV previously announced.