Valley Fever: More Classic Rock in Crosby’s Neck of the Woods

Three Dog Night – which surprisingly was not named for its innovative idea of a trio of lead singers – was one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, selling more than 50 million records for such singles as “One,” “Easy To Be Hard,” “Joy to the World,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Eli’s Comin’,” “Black and White,” and “Old Fashioned Love Song.” Sure, it’s been half a century since the group scored a true hit, and only one original member (Danny Hutton) remains active as Chuck Negron departed for good in 1985 and Cory Wells died a decade ago. 

Over just shy of eight years the Dog-sters released a treasure trove of hits that still get lots of radio airplay, and evinced an ability for arranging cover songs – Three Dog Night gave exposure to Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, Hoyt Axton, and Leo Sayer, among others – that rivals pretty much anyone. So a casino showroom is the perfect venue for a trip down memory lane, namely the Chumash Resort on Friday, May 23. 

Fast forward a few years in rock history – plus one night and a few miles west – to spend an evening with Pablo Cruise at the Solvang Festival Theater on Saturday, May 24. The band with an equally whimsical name scored big in 1977-78 with “Whatcha Gonna Do When She Says Goodbye?” and the huge radio earworm “Love Will Find a Way,” which propelled Pablo Cruise to sell several million albums and singles – and famed critic Robert Christgau to hilariously pen “Hear (the refrain) ‘once you get past the pain’ fifty times in a day and the pain will be permanent.” It’s yacht rock at its finest in downtown Solvang! Come early and bring a picnic for a free community gathering from 4 to 6 pm in the theater’s garden at Solvang Festival Theater, with live music and beer and wine available.