Saratoga Performing Arts Center Turns 60, Take A Look Back At SPAC in the 1970’s

Saratoga Performing Arts Center, affectionately known as SPAC, turns 60 in 2026! Let's celebrate all of the legendary artists, the unforgettable performances throughout the years, and the fans that made their way to 108 Avenue of the Pines. Today we look back at SPAC in the 1970's.

The venue was originally built as an attempt to keep the New York Philharmonic from being lured to Vermont for a summer residency. An Albany journalist suggested the Capital Region build a venue so impressive they'd have to stay. It took 300 workers just 410 days to build SPAC.

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How many times have you walked over the Route 50 bridge, left umbrellas in the bushes because they weren't allowed in the venue, or arrived hours early to tailgate or get a good spot on the lawn?

Read More: Remember These Shows At New York's SPAC?

In the 1970's fans most likely were wearing bellbottom jeans, platform shoes, and tie-dye was still hanging on. Guys and girls alike loved to feather their hair and it wasn't unusual to wear corduroys year-round.

Before we take a look back at SPAC, let's see what life was like in the 1970's'

• Untied States Presidents - Nixon, Ford, and Carter
• The Pittsburgh Steelers won 4 NFL Super Bowl Championships
• Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope was the top grossing movie of the decade
• The Brady Bunch, All In the Family, and The Jeffersons were top television shows
• The Watergate scandal took place on June 17, 1972 in Washington D.C.

As Saratoga Performing Arts Center turns 60 we take a look back. How many of these SPAC concerts did you, your parents or your grandparents attend in the 1970's?