Concert Review: TLC / Shaggy @ SPAC, 06/16/2023

Saratoga Performing Arts Center kicked off its 2023 concert series on Friday night with a visit from 90’s R&B legends TLC and Reggae superstar Shaggy. They are currently co-headlining a tour of amphitheaters on the appropriately named “Hot Summer Nights Tour.”

It was Shaggy’s turn to close the show on Friday night. The Jamaican native had the SPAC crowd in the palm of his hand through his roughly 90-minute set. He was backed by a stellar live band. They ran through a greatest hits package with the crowd on their feet all night. In addition to his own songs, he threw in a few covers, including a great rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic “That’s Life.” He also dropped a medley of Reggae hits that included Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” UB40’s “Red Red Wine,” and Inner Circle’s “Bad Boys.” The biggest cheers of the night came when Shaggy closed his set out with his biggest hit, “It Wasn’t Me.”

TLC hit the stage running. Flanked by a crew of male dancers, T-Boz and Chili showed that they hadn’t lost a step. They danced and sang like it was 1992. During the opening number, they were joined via backing track by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the “L” in TLC. The singer died in 2002. Rather than replace her or have one of the remaining members sing her parts, TLC chose backing tracks. It was a great choice. Fans erupted any time they heard her voice come through the speakers. The set was high energy, with the aforementioned dancers flipping and flying all over the stage. Their eleven-song setlist was closed out with a one-two punch of “No Scrubs” and “Waterfalls.”

Fellow 90’s R&B hitmakers En Vogue filled the direct support slot. The trio kicked their set off with their biggest hit, “Free Your Mind.” Every one of their seven songs was a hit. A highlight of the set for me was a medley that included a tribute to Prince with snippets of Sheila E’s “Glamorous Life” and his purple majesty’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”

Early 90’s Reggae star Sean Kingston opened the show as fans were still streaming in from the parking lots. Unfortunately, this reviewer missed this opening set while stuck in Route 50 traffic.

It was a fantastic start to what looks to be one of the strongest SPAC seasons in recent memory.

Photo Gallery by Dakota Gilbert