Three Dog Night pulled into The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Thursday (Feb. 1) for an evening of the music that helped build the sound of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Filled with passion, emotion and celebration, fans cheered as the 50-year-old band tore through a 17-song setlist that included rock, pop, soul and R&B radio favourites.
Not to be taken lightly, Three Dog Night were the hitmakers that made the Big 8 sound so… BIG. Charting 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, the band frequented the radio waves around Detroit/Windsor during that golden age of radio and the fans haven’t forgotten. With a nearly packed Colosseum at their whim, the band performed most of those 21 hits and sounded great for their age.
Seventy-five-year-old vocalist Danny Hutton sounded phenomenal. While many rockers in their 50s have long lost their singing abilities (see Whitesnake’s David Coverdale or KISS’ Paul Stanley), Hutton has a certain sound in his voice that not only echoes familiar, but seems to have an added maturity that added to the overall tone. At 75, this man can still rock.
Hutton’s vocals were supplemented and exchanged with very competent vocalist David Morgan and bassist Paul Kingery throughout the show. The combination of voices gave us the “Three Dogs” as accurately as could be expected, especially with members passing away in the last few years.
Morgan had a certain Joe Cocker quality to his voice that really shone through on Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here, which he began with an entertaining story about the blues and his age. Kingery had his shining moment with One, as the crowd sang along to the tune about that lonely number. Even drummer Pat Bautz had his chance when he sang the hit Mama Told Me (Not To Come) with his best growly character voice.
The combination of Hutton and Morgan proved to be an entertaining interlude between songs and if one closed their eyes during the performances, it nearly felt like we were back in the summer of the 70s with our AM radios tuned to the CKLW Big 30.
The highlight of the show was guitarist Michael Allsup, who turns 70 in March. His technique is still captivating and it was a pure joy watching him rip through songs like Liar or perform more subdued tracks like Eli’s Coming.
Three Dog Night really gave its fans what they wanted – an evening of hits, performed with confidence and purity. Once it was over and the crowd gave its last chats of Joy To The World, one couldn’t help but remember all those great hits and applaud a band that still sounds as good (maybe even better) than it did in its prime.
Photos by Dan Savoie
Three Dog Night
February 1, 2018
Caesars Windsor
1. The Family of Man
2. Black and White
3. Never Been to Spain
4. Shambala
5. Out In The Country
6. Easy to Be Hard
7. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
8. One
9. Let Me Serenade You
10. An Old Fashioned Love Song
11. Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here
12. Liar
13. Mama Told Me Not to Come
14. Celebrate
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15. Eli’s Coming
16. Prayer of the Children
17. Joy to the World
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