I need to preface this review with a note that the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a beautiful park and concert venue -- let's get that straight. But I recently spent two evenings there for two different shows. The first was the "Encanto Sing Along Concert" on a Wednesday night, and then the "Chris Stapleton" show on Friday. Two very different experiences and I've got notes to share. So buckle up; this is gonna be a long one.

Upon arriving for Encanto, we were greeted by the parking attendant who offered $10 regular or $30 premium parking. While $10 isn't bad, I was still annoyed that we had to pay extra and that it wasn't included in the ticket price of a whopping $40 PER PERSON to see a children's movie as a family. This was of course due to the ridiculous LiveNation $15 surcharge per ticket (even at the box office). That means that the surcharge was more than half the cost of each ticket -- and there's something very wrong with that math. Throw in two snow cones for $18.50, a $5 stale pretzel, and a few bottles of water at $3-4 each, and you're looking at a $200 family event for 4 people. Did the kids care about the live show? Nope! Did the adults? Sort of. It was a nice touch, but with all the promos and pre-watch instructions, the $160 film didn't start until 8pm, and everyone was pretty anxious by then. With ALL that said, it was a great experience for the kids, but I think they would have more appreciated three 1/2 season passes to Great Escape for the same price.

As for the Chris Stapleton extravaganza. I can't decide if "cluster-fck" or "sht show" is the best description. Don't get me wrong. Stapleton was amazing; a true artist and a near perfect blend of country and bluesy-rock music. But when I purchased lawn seating, I really expected to be able to actually see him perform the show. Instead, we were cast into the upper lawn area, amongst thousands of drunk fans, some who were inconsiderately smoking cigarettes in the crowd -- while we all stared dead-eyed at medium sized television screen, casting the live show, above the concession stand and bathrooms building (when it was working). We tried singing along and what we could see on the screen was great, but you can't "feel" the band's music the way a live show should be. And having to constantly move our lawn chairs because drunk ex-frat-boys would continually stand in the way of the screen, never caring whos experience they were ruining. It was akin to a tailgate party outside a stadium and I would have never paid for that if I had known. So we left the show about an hour early.

On the plus side, it was a breeze getting out of the park, and we found lots of places where you can sit quietly outside the main venue and listen to performances for free without the sound of screaming fans. Oh and the parking was also a bizarre nightmare. We were guided into the far depths of the park and had to walk nearly a mile to reach the show. Sadly, that was also the saving grace for me, because the walk along the streams and geiser were beautiful, even in the dark heading back (pro tip - if you ever park far away, use Google maps and SAVE your location in the Parking folder. Makes it much easier to find your car later).

So that was my two day Saratoga Performing Arts Center experience at the end of the summer of 2022. And no, I don't blame SPAC because they were merely the host, with reasonably priced parking, a GORGEOUS park and theater, and very friendly staff and volunteers (hence my 4-star rating) LiveNation however, can "kiss my grits" with their ridiculous surcharges and overselling a live show at a theater that can only accommodate 25% of the tickets sold for a live show -- outdoor festival? YES! Live performance? NO!

I definitely revisit SPAC, but more likely for smaller venues (not put on by LiveNation), and to explore their beautiful park.