Saturday was eventful - it started with a visit from Joan's sister Beth and her husband Rob. It's been several years since we've seen them, and it was great to get together again. While we were all visiting with fun-filled chatter, Murphy was "establishing territory" with their dog Sky.
Sky is a herding dog and what I would call energetic. Certainly not aggressive. Murphy on the other hand was the aggressor. He has had his moments with the various Guide Dog puppies that Steph and Dan have had through their house, but this was a guttural growl that was intimidating. The 6 of us (Steph and Dan were there, too) - we sat out on patio, along with Sky, and Joan took Murphy inside... growling all the way (Murphy, not Joan).
I got so wrapped up in the conversation that I forgot to take a photo.
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Saturday evening, we went to the Wild Horse Pass Casino: supper, some gaming, and a concert with Three Dog Night. How'd the gambling go? Thanks for asking. Joan doubled her initial "investment." I came out with the same amount I started with. So, pretty good.
But, more importantly: how was the concert?
Joan was the one who encouraged this concert. I first saw Three Dog Night in concert at a big venue in Dallas when I was 16 years old. They were on their rapid rise to fame and popularity. With their 3 strong lead singers, they were a unique rock band...and were one of the biggest selling acts in the late 60s and into the 70s. And then drugs and bad management (another story) tanked them.
Over the years, we have seen them several times in concert... and I have enjoyed playing some of their songs. Three Dog Night, in spite of their many hit songs, didn't get the respect of the music press - because (my opinion) they didn't write their own music. They did release songs that were written by some of the best song writers of the era.
The 3 lead singers were Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. Each a great singer on their own, but combined, they brought power and harmony like I've never seen in a rock band. And backed by 4 players who were outstanding on guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. They truly rocked.
We saw them several times in the late 70s and early 80s, where there were kind of a small version of what they had been: small equipment and in a theater instead of the arena. Chuck Negron, who was arguably the strongest of the 3 singers had been kicked out because he was a total druggie. I remember calling them "Two Dog Night," because they had 2 of the 3 singers. Still, they were very good.
Joan and I saw Chuck Negron in a casino in Palm Springs about 8 years ago - his voice was shot; if not for the good players and singers who backed him, it would have been a major disappointment. By comparison, also at that concert was Mark Farner of Grand Funk - same era as Three Dog Night - and Farner was as good as ever, both vocally and on guitar and keyboards.
In the last few years, I have watched some YouTube videos of Three Dog Night. Danny Hutton was the only original left (Cory Wells died in 2015), there was another lead singer of (in my opinion) OK talent. So, when Joan wanted to get tickets for this concert, I was luke warm about it. I jokingly called them "One Dog Night." And in the videos I saw, Danny Hutton wasn't carrying most of the vocals.
But, last night... I was impressed. 83 year old Danny Hutton did most of the vocals, and was strong, beyond what you'd expect by an 83 year old. The other singer was OK. The band was strong and tight. We found out the drummer and bass player were Hutton's sons (the crowd really enjoyed hearing that). Was it the power of the original Three Dog Night? No, but it was good... and it didn't feel like a cover band doing Three Dog Night songs. Nostalgic, but fun.
They only played for an hour and 10 minutes; mostly their greatest hits, with two new originals performed (which received polite applause from the audience). And speaking of the audience: seemed to be of the same age range as Hutton, and enthusiastically appreciative of the performance. I'm glad we went!
I found myself shooting a lot of video with my phone - I'll see what I can put together from that.
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Here's a look at the video from my iPhone...
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