Skidmania returns to Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College – Featuring Skidmore Student Musicians
Performing Popular Songs of 1972
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Department of Music at Skidmore College announces the return of Skidmania at Arthur Zankel Music Center at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19.
Tickets, ranging from $5 to $15, are available now. All proceeds benefit Skidmore Cares, the College’s annual campus-wide effort to support individuals and families in need in the local community.
Inspired by the beloved and long-running Beatlemore Skidmania concerts at Skidmore, Skidmania ’72 is a reboot that celebrates the music of 50 years ago, fueled by the talent and imagination of Skidmore student musicians. Skidmania ’72 features popular songs from 1972 by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Carly Simon, Led Zeppelin, Betty Wright, and many others.
“We are thrilled to introduce this new chapter of Skidmania, with students interpreting the music of 50 years ago,” said Jeremy Day-O’Connell, chair of the Department of Music. “Leveraging the model of the beloved Beatlemore concerts, we’ve broadened the musical landscape and broached a new decade – the ’70s. With Skidmania ’72, we hope to create a joyful, communal experience that more fully represents the diversity of popular music, of Skidmore music-makers, and of Capital Region audiences.”
The popular music of 1972 reflects the tumultuous and often challenging moments that define the early 1970s. Among those events, Shirley Chisholm, the first African American congresswoman, announced her candidacy for president; the last U.S. ground troops were withdrawn from Vietnam; and the 92nd U.S. Congress voted to send the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification, guaranteeing equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. (It did not pass.)
Day-O’Connell added, “1972 was a year of astounding musical variety and ingenuity, which saw the release of iconic works in funk, progressive rock, hard rock, and Afro-pop, alongside irresistible feel-good pop and heartfelt singer-songwriter hits. The students have been working incredibly hard, and it’s going to be a fantastic show of great music and electrifying performances.”
Selected through a campus-wide audition process, more than 70 Skidmore student musicians, as well as a faculty/staff house band, will perform. The lineup includes:
Pickaxe Ladybug performing “Black Dog/Rock and Roll” (medley) by Led Zeppelin
LLC performing “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
Argus performing “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest
No performing “Roundabout” by Yes
Kerry Gionis ’23 and Jaye Eniola ’23 performing “Thirteen” by Big Star
Cosmic Turtle performing “Take it Easy” by The Eagles
Toast performing “I Saw the Light” by Todd Rundgren
Yamtown performing “Biological Speculation” by Funkadelic
Bandersnatchers performing “Doctor My Eyes” by Jackson Browne
Sonneteers performing “Rocket Man” by Elton John
Question of the Century performing “Operator” by Jim Croce
People Who Sing performing “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon
Konvenients performing “Clean-up Woman” by Betty Wright
Groove Lab and African Drumming performing “Soul Makossa” by Manu Dibango
Sebastian Caparas ’23 performing “Run to Me” by The Bee Gees
Faculty/Staff House Band performing “I’ll Take You There” by The Staple Singers, “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers, and “American Pie” by Don McLean
(Songs and musicians are subject to change.)
All proceeds from Skidmania ’72 will benefit Skidmore Cares, a Skidmore College initiative that supports agencies in our local community. Tickets – $5 for Skidmore students, faculty, staff, and retirees; $8 for seniors and non-Skidmore students; and $15 for the general public – are available online and at the Arthur Zankel Music Center Box Office, 518-580-5321. All seats are general admission.
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