James Taylor is heading to the Capital Region and Central New York in August for two recently announced shows.

Taylor will perform at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse on Sunday, Aug. 22, and at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Prior to that he’s slated to be at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Saturday, Aug. 21.

The performances are part of Taylor’s tour with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced today that the Philadelphia Orchestra will return to its summer home for its residency on Aug. 11-14, marking the company’s first live performances at SPAC since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

By Max Weissman

Willie Nelson is “on the road again” as he has just announced The Outlaw Music Festival Tour starting this summer. The 14-stop tour will include a show at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), after kicking off in Texas in August, with Willie Nelson planning to have many friends and family accompanying him at each stop.

Over a year after the Black Crowes’ reunion tour was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the trek celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album Shake Your Money Maker will finally take flight this summer.

September 14 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

The Zac Brown Band “Comeback Tour” has announced an Oct. 3 stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The band was scheduled to appear at SPAC in 2020 for its ninth consecutive year. That show — along with the rest of SPAC’s shows — was canceled due to the pandemic.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Skidmore College will bestow honorary degrees upon Cornel West, one of America’s leading public intellectuals, and Janet Guthrie, the first woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, during the College’s 2021 Commencement Exercises on May 22, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs.

Large-scale outdoor event venues — including sports, performing arts and live entertainment, and horse and auto racing venues — will be able to welcome more attendees this summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday.

But the changes come with some caveats.

Cuomo on Wednesday said these venues will only be limited by the space available for attendees to maintain 6 feet of distance from each other. Fully vaccinated attendees will be allowed to be right next to one another, instead of 6 feet apart, in assigned, seated sections that are designated solely for fully vaccinated individuals. Masks will still be required.

It’s good news for outdoor venues like the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the Saratoga Race Course after a tough 2020. SPAC has already started announcing some events for this summer, including three nights with Trey Anastasio.

With the news that capacity restrictions are being loosened in most sectors across the state, including theaters/performing arts, starting May 19, the headlines were looking hopeful.

However, the fine print is not quite as cheery. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that capacity at large indoor events will still be limited to 30%, a 10% increase.

Capital Region area colleges and universities will hold their graduation ceremonies in the upcoming weeks, some virtually and others in person.

Trey Anastasio will hit the stage solo at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 18, 19 and 20.

This will mark Anastasio’s first performance for a live audience since Phish’s Mexico destination event in 2020.

Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs announced its plans for commencement on Monday.

The ceremony will be held Saturday, May 22 at SPAC.

It will be an in-person event and will be open to the entire senior class, provided they follow health and safety guidelines.

However, family and guests will have to watch the livestream on Skidmore’s website.

Skidmore will bestow honorary degrees on Cornel West, an author and activist, and Janet Guthrie, the first woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Both will address the graduates.

After a first attempt marred by technical errors, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s second opening of the applications portal for its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program on April 26 was met with a much more widely positive response. 

The season includes the Tony-winning “Man of La Mancha.” The 1965 musical will be done in association with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, will be held at the amphitheater and will feature Zachary James as Don Quixote.

Arts administrators in the Capital Region and nationwide refreshed their web browsers furiously as noon approached on Monday, finding quick relief when the portal for applying for the $16.2 billion federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program didn’t again crash, as it had during the initial launch attempt, on April 8, before being taken offline for more than two weeks.

While the full New York City Ballet company will not be returning to Saratoga Performing Arts Center this summer, it will have a presence in the form of six On and Off Stage presentations.

by: Louis Finley

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo green lit a scaled down, in-person, version of graduation ceremonies.

By David Sherfinski - The Washington Times

The Small Business Administration had to suspend an application portal for a new coronavirus relief program Thursday a day after a government watchdog cast doubt on whether the SBA was prepared to properly oversee it.

By Ben Sisario and Stacy Cowley

On the first day nightclubs, movie theaters and other arts organizations hurt by the pandemic could apply for $16 billion in federal aid, the system malfunctioned. No applications got through.

“Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding safe venue capacities and local regulations for the coming months, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 2021 Wheels of Soul is being postponed until the summer of 2022,” wrote the band.

July 2, 2021 – Saratoga, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Rescheduled 7/3/22

Our natural optimism points in one direction, even as recent history points in another.