SPAC has accommodated nearly every genre the upstate New York summer circuit offers — extended Phish runs that have defined the amphitheater’s identity as a destination for multi-night bookings, country headliners, pop tours that spill from the sheltered seats across the lawn. What it has not hosted, across its long history as one of the region’s signature outdoor venues, is a large-scale contemporary Christian music festival. That changes on Friday, September 11, 2026, when Worship in the Pines makes its inaugural appearance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with five-time GRAMMY-winning worship leader Brandon Lake at the top of a seven-act bill.
About Brandon Lake
Lake has been a central figure in contemporary Christian music since his independent debut in 2016 and his signing with Bethel Music in 2019. The Charleston, South Carolina-based singer-songwriter and worship leader at Seacoast Church has built a catalog that includes GMA Dove Award-winning material — his co-write with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, “This Is A Move,” took Song of the Year — alongside a growing body of songs that have carried him well beyond the CCM audience he came from. The crossover arrived with “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” a collaboration with country artist Jelly Roll that produced Lake’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry and a 2025 GRAMMY win for Contemporary Christian Music Performance. That kind of crossover does not happen to most worship artists, and it has opened arena doors accordingly.
His fifth studio album, King of Hearts — released June 13, 2025 on Provident Label Group — debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The 16-track record ranges across gospel, country, pop, rock, and rap, with collaborators including CeCe Winans and Hulvey. The King of Hearts Tour that followed has covered 50 cities through fall 2025 and into 2026; the summer 2025 leg sold out entirely. The Saratoga date is part of the ongoing 2026 extension. Joining Lake on the Worship in the Pines bill: Crowder, Elevation Rhythm, Hulvey, Rend Collective, Lost & Found, and Gabe Von Oven.
About Albany Med Health System at SPAC
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center — officially Albany Med Health System at SPAC — holds 25,000, divided between 5,200 sheltered seats and a sloping lawn that extends back through the Saratoga State Park treeline. For a festival beginning at 4:00 PM on a mid-September Friday, the setting is as purposeful as it is well-suited: the summer heat has typically broken by then, the park is at its most hospitable, and no other venue in the Albany / Capital District scales to a bill of this breadth. More information at spac.org.
Tickets & Pricing
Tickets are on sale now. Early access lawn tickets were available starting at $30 all-in. Upgrade options include VIP packages and the Albany Med Health System VIP Club. Tickets are available through Live Nation and at worshipinthepines.com. Programming begins at 4:00 PM.