Capital Region Blues on the Big Lawn
Some of the best music in the Capital Region never makes it onto the big stages. Andrew Moore & Hooch have been holding it down in clubs, bars, and festivals across the area for years, and on August 20, they get the SPAC lawn for a free Saranac Thursday show. If you’ve caught them in a smaller room — The Hollow, a festival tent, a bar stage — you already know what they bring. Now imagine that same raw blues-rock energy with SPAC’s sound system behind it and a lawn full of people who came to listen.
Note the early start time: 5:00 PM. This one kicks off an hour earlier than most Saranac Thursday shows, and admission is completely free.
About Andrew Moore & Hooch
Andrew Moore & Hooch play blues-inflected rock with grit, soul, and the kind of loose confidence that only comes from years of playing live. The Capital Region has always had a strong blues and roots music community, and Andrew Moore & Hooch are part of that tradition — pulling from classic blues, Southern rock, and raw Americana to build a sound that’s muscular and honest. No tricks, no gimmicks. Just a band that plays hard and sounds great doing it.
On the SPAC lawn, that authenticity is going to land. There’s something about hearing blues guitar ring out across an open space on a late-summer evening that just works. The acoustics, the atmosphere, the setting — it all amplifies what a band like this already does well.
About A Girl Named Genny
Opening the evening is A Girl Named Genny, adding another layer of local talent to the bill. It’s the kind of double billing that makes Saranac Thursdays feel like a genuine showcase for the region’s music scene — not just a concert series, but a platform for the artists who make the Capital Region’s live music community what it is.
Venue Info
SPAC sits inside Saratoga Spa State Park, and by late August, the Thursday crowd knows the drill. The lawn is spacious, the pines frame everything in green, and the whole setting feels more like a private park than a concert venue. For a blues show, the open-air acoustics at SPAC give the music room to breathe in a way that a packed club simply can’t.
Parking is free for Saranac Thursday shows. With the earlier 5:00 PM start time, plan to arrive a little sooner than usual to get settled before the first notes hit.
Tickets & Admission
Free admission. No tickets needed. Gates open before showtime, and the music starts at 5:00 PM — earlier than the usual 6:00 PM start, so adjust your plans accordingly. Bring chairs, blankets, and everything you need for a long evening on the lawn.
Full schedule details at spac.org.
Support Local
There’s real value in a free concert series that books local and regional talent alongside tribute acts and touring bands. Andrew Moore & Hooch and A Girl Named Genny represent the Capital Region’s music scene at its most authentic — artists you can see in a club on a random Wednesday or on the SPAC lawn on a summer Thursday. Both versions are worth your time, but the SPAC version comes with free parking and a sunset. Hard to argue with that.