The vibe in Morristown is always buzzing, especially with Three Dog Night at MPAC. The Mayo Performing Art Center consequently drove the frenzy by presenting another spectacular shown in its Summer Concerts series line-up. Tonight was Three Dog Night with singer/songwriter Chris Trapper up first.
Chris Trapper
Trapper was at ease on stage, expressing his gratitude to be the opening act for Three Dog Night. He was also funny, opening with, “I’m going to play all my hits this evening. Good night.” He then performed his most famous song, This Time, from the movie August Rush and a few others.
Danny Hutton
For some who don’t recall, Three Dog Night officially debuted in 1968 and was founded by singer Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. The group had altogether 21 consecutive Top 40 hits, including three #1 hits and 12 straight RIAA Certified Gold LPs. These were basically among other incredible accolades for their talent.
Chris Trapper. Courtesy of Katharine Boyle Photography
Cory Wells
Wells sang the lead on Billboard No. 1 hit song Mama Told Me (Not to Come), written by Randy Newman and featured on the evening’s playlist of 17 songs. Wells went out on his own after the band broke up in 1976, then regrouped to help relaunch them in the 80s. Mama Told Me (Not to Come) brought one of the loudest applauses for the evening. Albeit the audience rose to dance on their feet.
Chuck Negron
Negron was lead singer on the songs One, Easy To Be Hard, Joy to the World, and Old Fashioned Love Song. Paul Kingery, vocalist and guitarist, replaced Negron in 1985, and David Morgan, a vocalist, joined the group in 1985. Drummer Pat Bautz has been with Three Dog Night since 1993 wile Howard Laravea on keyboards, joined in 2017. Hutton’s son Timothy plays bass and drums and joined in 2021. Altogether, the corroboration of talented musicians made the evening unforgettable.
Howard Laravea
Laravea played a five-minute synthesizer intro to the song Eli’s Coming that was mind-boggling. Basically because it was reminiscent of Patrick Moraz (YES), with sound effects so intense the theater went wild. The group treated us to a 6-part harmony entitled Prayer of the Children from their new album Road Ahead. If that song is anything of what we can expect from the new album, we can Celebrate the group’s dedication to entertain and produce excellent music long into the future.
Three Dog Night at MPAC
Three Dog Night, with Chris Trapper, is now on tour through December 2023.
The Mayo Performing Art Center, 100 South Street, Morristown NJ 07960. Tickets to events are available at The Official Ticketing Site of Mayo Performing Arts Center | Mayo Performing Arts Center (mayoarts.org)
Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Amber Grey at 54 Below, Laughter Comes to Morristown with Jerry Seinfeld, Broadway by the Year, and Summer Chamber Music Series..
