Concert Review: 3 Pianos Mother’s Day Concert – Savoy Theatre, May 9

Looks like intuition paid off this past weekend for the 3 Pianos. Planning their spring show at the Savoy with a Mother’s Day theme proved to make a perfect gift for many special women Sunday evening. Once again, Stephen Muise, Aaron Lewis and Johnny Aucoin put together an outstanding show that guaranteed a fun family outing to mark Mom’s special day. The evening featured cuts from the third installment of 3 Piano CDs. Always working to keep the show fresh, the guys allowed the audience to choose, by applause, many of the songs presented including the overwhelming request for Lewis’ version of Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors”. Simply Perfection.

We heard Aucoin take the lead on “Love Letters In The Sand/Yakety Sax” medley.

In keeping with the Mother’s Day Theme, there was Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried”; Johnny’s vocal debut on “Mother In Law”; “Mothers Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”; and “Mother’s Eyes”. There was a Country Gospel segment, and a lovely “Sealed With A Kiss” featuring Aucoin on the grand piano, plus special draws for a chocolate rose and cd in honor of three lucky Moms.

A really great segment teamed Muise and Lewis as the Everly Brothers, with songs like “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Dream” and “Bye Bye Love”.

Aaron Lewis was highlighted in a very special way, recalling when asked through the years what his favorite song is, his answer since the age of 13 has been Ronnie Milsap’s “Let’s Take The Long Way Around The World”. Fast forward to today and this audience witnessed the debut of his 13-year-old daughter Martina, who, remarkably claimed the same song as her favorite, and so the two gave an impressive rendition on Sunday evening. This was followed up with “Daddy’s Hands” which resulted in a standing O. Looks like a third generation of the Lewis family is well on her way to a place in the Cape Breton music scene.

Of course the show would not be complete without the backing instrumentation of Allie Bennett and Ron Leadbeater. Sprinkle in the much appreciated sense of humor by all three performers together with impeccable timing and collaboration throughout the night, and this, as expected, turned into the most perfect way for any Mom and her family to bring her special day to a delightful close.