As my brother and I walked into the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on July 3rd, there was an enormous crowd of people with cowboy hats and boots all driftingtoward the main lawn. I was nervous, getting more and more excited to see one of my favorite artists, but I didn’t know what it would be like to see him in this kind of venue. The air got thicker as we made it closer to the entrance, smoke floating over the field from the food trucks and from the crowd.
Some backstory: while people less familiar with Childers may consider him a similar artist to Morgan Wallen or Luke Combs, his unique mix of bluegrass, gospel, and Kentuckyian twang offers a refreshing take on classic country themes. His popular covers of Hank Williams and The Charlie Daniels Band have brought traditional country music back into the spotlight. The Mule Pull ’24 Tour supports his latest release, Rustin’ in the Rain, a 7-song album headlined by the somewhat controversial “In Your Love.” The lead single’s music video tells of two gay coal miners and their love story, ending with one of the men dying from a condition called Black Lung. Childers often uses his songs as a platform for social advocacy, an example of which is his album Long Violent History, a protest against systemic racism and police brutality.
I quickly came to terms with the fact that small annoyances would be the theme of the night. Being a part of a sold-out show with 25,000 people meant that we were constantly fighting to hold our spot on the lawn, finding the merchandise tents nearly empty, and breathing in enough smoke to induce an asthma attack.
Finding a spot to stand was tough, as there seemed to be no space where you could see the stage. If you haven’t been to a concert at SPAC before, the stadium is in front of the lawn seating, and there is only a small cut-out where anyone on the lawn can see Tyler and his band. For the other 19,000 lawn ticket holders, there were huge screens on the outer walls of the stadium to enable a “view.” Large speakers played the music and the screens showed video footage of the opening performances.
S.G. Goodman, whose song “Space and Time” is covered on Rustin’ in the Rain, was one of two openers. While being mostly unfamiliar with her music, I was excited to hear more of her work. I was disappointed to find that her voice was impossible to hear on the lawn. A reporter from Times Union, who presumably had a better seat, called Goodman a “rising star” in roots music and said that her set featured some of the “finest songs of the evening.”
After a short wait, a graphic of a mule pulling a wagon in a spiral appeared on the screens. Accompanying it was a fiddle song that I assumed was recorded, only to later find that Childers and his band were playing the song live. He introduced his band, The Food Stamps, and started the show with an unreleased song, “Her and the Banks.” Childers’s voice was just as clear as his Spotify recordings, and his band was so talented they almost stole the show. He played songs from every album, despite the tour supporting his new release, which made for an easy sing-along. Not every song was his own, however, as he sprinkled in covers of classic country songs like “Old Country Church” and “Cluck Ol’ Hen.”
Halfway through his rousing set, Childers’s band took a break and left him on the stage alone. He played three of his most popular hits just with his guitar and microphone, “Lady May,” “Nose on the Grindstone,” and “Follow You To Virgie.” For me, it was the best part of the night. These were songs that I had been waiting to hear for months, and the acoustic performance made them sound even sweeter.
Without the band, I could suddenly hear the 25,000 voices echoing across the field. The whole crowd seemed to know the lyrics to these songs, and they turned into a choir reminiscent of the beginning lines of “Shake the Frost.” Singing along with Tyler Childers and the rest of the crowd created a feeling of collective effervescence, a feeling of unity and joy born from this shared experience. That feeling has quickly become my favorite part of going to concerts, whether it’s smaller shows or huge stadium sellouts.
Seeing Tyler Childers as a huge fan was special, but I imagine that it still would have been a great show without knowing any of his songs. His lyrics are powerful, but most of his charm comes from his twangy, soulful voice and that Appalachian stare. I would see this show again in a heartbeat.
Tyler Childers Performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Zak Radick