Paisley rocks SPAC stage as thunder rolls through
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Grammy-winning country music star Brad Paisley performed the first show of the season on Thursday at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
With more than a month still to go before summer’s official start, 90-degree weather and live music on the SPAC stage certainly made it feel like mid-July.
Despite thunder and lighting that rolled through early in the evening, the rain or shine show went on, and attendees were pleased. “We survived the rain, didn’t we?” Paisley asked the crowd once he took the stage.
The weeknight concert was the first on Paisley’s 2017
Weekend Warrior World Tour, which will take him across the country through September. Before the big kick-off, however, Paisley gave a group of local students a sneak peak. The senior classes of Saratoga Springs High School and Averill Park High School were invited to a rehearsal on Wednesday night at the SPAC amphitheatre, an opportunity to make memories like those described in the artist’s recent single “Last Time For Everything.”
For the rest of the region’s Brad Paisley fans, their chance to catch the show was Thursday. Thousands of country musiclovers swarmed into the SPAC grounds that night to hear Paisley play, along with supporting acts Dustin Lynch, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell.
The star’s set included fan favorites like “Mud on the Tires,” “This Is Country Music,” “Crushin’ It,” “Celebrity,” “American Saturday Night” and “River Bank,” along with an encore of “Beat This Summer” and his big 2005 hit “Alcohol.”
Along with the music, Paisley‘s performance had a lot of special moments. After “Love and War” he brought military men and women up on stage to be honored. He later gifted a young boy one of his many guitars. Toward the end of the night, Paisley even let one local man use the stage to propose his future wife during love song “She’s Everything.”
From the orchestra pit to the back of the lawn, the audience was singing Paisley’s catchy choruses, listening to his comical storytelling lyrics, and soaking in his famous guitar solos.
“Brad is a killer guitar player and amazing entertainer,” said event-goer Alex Mansman of Glens Falls. “I’ve seen Brad at SPAC three times now and he always brings a familiar, yet new and exciting show. My favorite parts of the show would have to be all of the extended guitar solos and also all of the appreciation he has for our troops.”
Mansman’s fiancée Isabel Roque also enjoyed the concert, particularly the headlining act. “Aside from the rain, Brad Paisley never disappoints,” she said. “He is always good with the crowd and makes you feel like you’re a part of the show. He is a great performer and is fun and interactive.”
Looking ahead, there are many more concerts to come this season at the local venue. For a full schedule of SPAC events visit www.spac.org.