Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night: 4/30/23 “It wasn’t the the halls of Shambala but Sunday evening did bring me within the walls of the Miller Theater, Augusta GA for my first ever time seeing Three Dog Night. The 1,300 seat venue where every seat in the house is a good one (as well as the sound) proved to be the perfect place to bring joy to you and me, and just about everyone in attendance. On cold nights one can stay warm by sleeping beside their dog, on colder nights with two dogs, and if the night were freezing it was said to be a ‘three dog night’ hence the origin of the band’s name! Since June of 2021 the American Rock Band from LA has been rolling through their hits non-stop all across the U.S., booked solid clear through October of this year. Tonight was no exception, the one caveat being that once the house lights would come back on the band would be off for a whopping eighteen days! Danny Hutton now 80 is presently the only original member as a number have passed on, the most recent being original drummer Floyd Sneed in January of this year. The band however remains musically tight with Dave Morgan’s vocals (formerly of the Association) and Howard Laravea (formerly Frankie Valil) on keys, with Paul Kingery on guitar since 1982. Tim Hutton, Dan’s son carries the beat for the band on the four string. Before settling into my 11th row center orchestra seat (ideal for overall sound and view), I made my way up to the stage for a close up revealing from L to R: bass, drums with Three Dog Night’s logo on the drumhead, acoustic guitars and microphones for the frontmen, keyboards including an old school HAMMOND, electric guitar. No video screens. The view fueled my anticipation for an evening of hits that a portfolio of 11 studio albums with 23 charted singles including 4 #1’s was bound to deliver. At 8:15 p.m. the lights went down and the band took the stage for a one hour and twenty-five minute / 17 song set beginning with 1971’’s #12 ‘The Family Of Man’. The well seasoned full house were treated to a polished, no frills, no bells or whistles, just the music experience. Sixteen of the evening’s seventeen songs were top 40 charted singles. The band glided through the first six songs without a break. Morgan showed visible emotion beating his chest and waving up and down with one hand on 1969’s ‘Easy To Be Hard.’ Finally Danny spoke introducing the next song, and following suit, members addressed each song of the balance of the set. With a German accent he led us into ‘Play Something Sweet’ describing it as the type of song you’d be likely to hear on The Lawrence Welk Show. He described ‘One (Is The Loneliest Number)’ their breakout hit from the eponymous record cut in a mere four days as not their first choice of a single. ‘We are gonna select the first single on the album because we know what’s going on, so we released the first song of the album it’s called ’Nobody’ and nobody did nothing.’ They allowed the record label to chose the next single which was ‘One’ and were shocked when they received calls from Dee Jays all around the country phoning in about the song. ‘One’ peaked at number five. ‘Let Me Serenade You’ was dedicated to all the lovers struggling with inadequacy in expressing their feelings. ‘All you have to do is put on the record and say this is how I feel.’ The 75 year old Morgan who played the entire evening with a broken hip took a seat for ‘Sure As I'm Sittin’ Here.’ ‘There are millions of people all over this world who would trade their pain with mine without a moment’s hesitation.’ ‘Life is short and maybe we better enjoy it while we got it.’ Describing 1971’s ‘Liar’, a song the critics felt had a very angry chorus, Danny stated how the band simply would not be pigeonholed by a certain style or genre. ‘We never thought about being this kind of group, or a rock group, or a progressive group. That was not our thing, we always served the song!’ Pat Bautz did a skillful job with both vocals and drums on the #1 ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. Howard Laravea was a wizard on keys with a definitive progressive edged solo-intro on ‘Eli’s Coming’ (think Moody Blues). The second to last song they described as being special to them as well as a hard song to sing. It was a new song ‘Children Of The World’ from a brand new full release coming out later this year. ‘We are gonna do one new song— don’t go to the bathroom.’ All six members took to the mic harmonizing the entire song a capella. Their Beach Boys styled vocals were so tight that one could have sworn they were singing to a recording. It was actually no wonder as Hutton in the early years prior to Three Dog had worked and recorded with Brian Wilson himself. Rounding out the evening was none other than their huge number one ‘Joy To The World’. Yes, Jeremiah was a bullfrog and still is! The evening had an unannounced opener Jay Psaros, an independent musician from Boston accustomed to playing her small bars, clubs, pubs and restaurants. Three Dog Night called him back in 2021 and brought him on the road for sixty dates and he’s been with them ever since. In his own words, ‘You don’t say “let me think about this” when you get a call like that. You just say yes.’ Commenting on the Georgia crowd, ‘It’s that southern hospitality that’s making me feel so good today’, his 30 minute / 7 song set was well received. A highlight of the evening for me was scoring a Paul Kingery guitar pick from the stage. TDN made their official debut back in 1968 at the Whisky a Go Go and they’ve been a go-going with numerous change in personnel ever since, a true American classic and one not to be missed in a town nearest you!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #776).

You asked, so I will answer. Three Dog Night was great. They played their best known songs and played fresh versions of them. I was on my feet for Joy To The World. On the other hand, i'm trying to remember if I've ever been to a gig where there was no encore. I thought it was a lack of class there was no comment about an original member of the band, Floyd Sneed, who passed away a few months ago. The one thing about TDN has always annoyed me is that the instrumentalists are treated like secondary support people at an Elvis gig and not the integral part of the band they are. But to the critics who call them a pop band, I disagree and argue they are soul rockers, they fuse the soul of The Temptations with the rock of Steppenwolf.

These guys are absolutely incredible! All the old songs sounded superb and towards the very end second to the last song they sang one of their newest songs off of new CD coming out and it literally brought the place to a standstill! It was basically acapella six-part Harmony the content was extremely emotional and moving and the performance made you gasp it was so incredibly great! If you get a chance, definitely go see this band!

It was too short! 3 Dog Night needed to do another 15 minutes to 30! They are awesome! They did a phenomenal job! Danny McGaw was awesome as well. From the parking lot attendants to the ushers, all were very helpful and kind.

An enjoyable show. There's only one original singer that tours (Danny Hutton, going strong at 80 years old). Naturally today's version of the group can't produce the stunning vocals that powered their hits, so it sometimes sounds like a Vegas lounge act doing their songs. I was puzzled by the choice of the drummer to sing one of their biggest hits ("Mama Told Me Not to Come") and it got a rather tepid response from the crowd given it was a big song for the group. Oddly enough, it was a song from their latest recording ("Prayer of the Children") that gave them a standing ovation and recalled the classic vocals of the past. Overall, definitely worth seeing just to hear all those great songs brought to life again.

Excellent. One of the best concerts I’ve been to in 10 years. I’ve seen the Stones, Chicago,McCartney— probably go to 8-15 concerts a year. These guys were EPIC. And their new song,” Prayer for the Children,” is hauntingly beautiful.

Absolutely the Best! I forgot how many hits they had over the years and they sounded great! Very interactive with the crowd and their new song was amazing from their upcoming album. You have to go see them when they come to your town! Three Dog Night Rocked!

I think everyone in the audience was blown away by the performance of Three Dog Night. Only one original member remains, and one long time member. They did almost all of their hits, and even did a new one. The new one was in acapella and it sent shivers down my spine it was so amazing. The show exceeded my expectations.

Peppermill Concert Hall is the perfect venue! I’ve been listening to Three Dog Night for 40 years! They are so talented and fun to watch and they have so many great hits! As long as they keep touring I’ll keep seeing them!

What a wonderful night. Those old goofballs are so talented. They clearly love to perform! Their voices are still strong and powerful, and their harmonies are amazing. And, they still seem to like each other! 51 years playing together and as strong as ever! Guess what? They are working on their first album in 41 years! Can’t wait!

The best concert ever. Three Dog Night were as great as ever. The venue not so great. It was a fundraiser. No details on the website and no one directing where to go. Not enough seating when eating. Some tables outside but more just to stand at to eat. A lot of older people as this is an old group. Having to stand for an hour and half was not enjoyable.

Peppermill Concert Hall is the perfect venue! I’ve been listening to Three Dog Night for 40 years! They are so talented and fun to watch and they have so many great hits! As long as they keep touring I’ll keep seeing them!

Very awesome show! Played all their hits and some “not so hits”. These guys can still rock after 51 years! Sold show was dancing and singing to their biggest hit “Joy To The World”. A fun and nostalgic evening. Thanks Three Dog Night!

Music was good, just slightly disappointed that they only played for 1h15m, which included an encore as well as two semi-lengthy stories. Didn't help that they talked about playing for 2hrs every night, but couldn't seem to do so for this show. No opener as well made for a quick show.

They played all their big hits and near the end one of their new tunes, an emotional song about children. Three Dog Night connected with and engaged the sold out venue, got the people standing, dancing, and singing. The band seems genuinely interested and passionate about their music and bringing people together.

Considering their age, these guys put on a great show but it was too short. With 21 top 40 hits, they could’ve played longer than 1 hour 15 minutes. I would’ve given them 5 Stars if they played for 2 hours.

Show was Sold Out! Awesome as always! Fun to listen to the stories between songs! And we all sing along and dance! They perform ALL their hits! Lights are on point and the sound is fantastic! Enjoyable evening!🎶Five star show for sure!

We had a great time. not m any bands can come out for 90 minutes and play nothing but hits, and lots of the songs that they did weren't eaten up with 10 minute guitar solis. Excellent mix of vocals, great acoustics, harmony as good as I've heard, especially Prayers for the Children.

Had a great time! They sound as good as when they and I were young. They played their hits (I had forgotten how many there were) and a couple of others, including an acapella hymn about the child victims of war and terror. Their banter and stories were fun. The venue (BB Kings) has its advantages, I was sitting fifteen feet from the stage, it is a very intimate club. But it is very crowded, they had eight chairs at a table that barely fits six. The size of the room's biggest disadvantage is the sound. Very large speaker sets hang over each side of the stage, and the ceiling height is pretty low. The band is loud, and the room's acoustics muffled the sound a bit. Still, I had a good time.

This was a great concert for a great cause. This concert benefited he Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Three Dog Night put on a great show with a combination of well known hits and heart felt lesser known numbers. It was heart warming and definitely worth attending.