A Look Back: June 26

(Image: Advertisement for 2015 Solid Sound Festival)

By Mike Stampalia.

50 years ago: Eric Clapton / Santana @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

It was the recipe for the perfect rock concert. All of the right ingredients were there and in the proper amounts. One part performing arts center, one part good weather, two parts super rock groups, ten parts technical difficulties and 30,000 parts screaming, pushing, cheering and applauding people, comprised of 26,600 paid and 3,600 walking.

– Bryan Jackson for the Saratogian

30 years ago: Phish @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

But the jam forever style takes getting used to. Those used to straightforward song after song sequences, standard in many rocks shows, probably wished for the musical tension to resolve itself. Jamming in doses is great, but overkill is tiresome.

– Matthew Crowley for the Post-Star

20 years ago: Al Jarreau, Cassandra Wilson and Boney James / Ray Barretto Latin Jazz Band / Chris Botti / Dave Brubeck Quartet / TRIO! (Stanley Clarke, Bela Fleck & Jean-Luc Ponty) / David Sanchez Quartet / Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet / Dafnis Prieto Quintet / Rudresh Mahanthappa Quartet / Ben Allison’s Kush Trio / Jean-Micehl Pilc Trio @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

A better closer for the event would have been trumpeter Chris Botti, who charmed an almost-capacity amphitheater crowd with his late-afternoon set. Alternating romantic fare like “Well I Do” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” from his latest CD with uptempo material such as “Why Not,” which featured drummer Billy Kilson, Botti created a truly touching moment when he left the stage to serenade a lucky member of the audience with his tribute to Miles Davis, “My Funny Valentine.”

– James Lamperetta for the Saratogian

10 years ago: Wilco @ MASS MoCA

Even though frontman Jeff Tweedy regularly straps on an acoustic guitar, Wilco’s all-acoustic performance Friday night required the effects-friendly sextet to travel far outside their comfort zone. It was an experimental set that they clearly put a lot of time and energy into preparing for, and they executed their objective in a way that made it seem like they’d been there many times before. Cline’s paint-stripped Jazzmaster stayed in its case while he leaned heavily on the lap steel and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone played his parts on a banjo and xylophone.

– Andrew Bruss for JamBase

Visit onstagealbany.com to keep up with Capital District concert reviews, both old and new.