Kaitlyn Finchler
Staff Writer
Keep the cooler filled with ice and beverages — Straight No Chaser will deliver a performance leaving Chautauquans wanting a second round.
The a cappella group will perform at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater in their latest stop on their “Yacht Rock Tour.”
The setlist for the tour includes classic ‘80s songs of summer, such as “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” and “You’re The Only Woman,” all on their newly-released June 23 album, Yacht on the Rocks.
“What could possibly sound more like summer than yacht rock?” group member Steve Morgan told Broadway World Music. “We can’t wait to hit the road and celebrate the season of leisure with our fans. Grab a frozen beverage and beat the heat with us, reliving the decade of cool tunes and smooth sailing.”
The group is comprised of “nine dapper vocalists,” with the uncanny ability to belt out R&B smooth jams as well as traditional stadium favorites.
“Straight No Chaser is very popular with Chautauquans, so we tend to have them every few years,” said Deborah Sunya Moore, senior vice president and chief program officer. “It’s just such a beautiful a cappella concert.”
This is the group’s sixth time at Chautauqua, having previously performed in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2021.
“(There’s a) little something for everybody, whether you’re 8 years old or 80 years old,” vocalist Tyler Trepps told the Daily in 2021.
Moore said there’s one slight difference to this show: An “encouraged” dress code.
“Wear your pastels, because it’s the ‘Yacht Rock Tour,’ ” Moore said. “If you have a pastel (or) floral shirt, a sky-blue jacket or cream-colored boots, this is the time to bring them out.”
The group is also the founding force behind SNC Records, a label partnership with Warner Music Group’s Arts Music Division. Their EP Open Bar, featured the group’s favorite late-night songs, and was the first release on the label imprint.
“All we ever want to do with our music is provide joy for people through song,” Trepps is quoted as saying on Straight No Chaser’s website.
Moore said this is exemplified through the continual “exclamation point” excitement from the audience.
“Chautauquans love song and singing,” she said. “… This group just embodies joy and beautiful a cappella song,” she said.
Straight No Chaser’s vocalists don’t take themselves too seriously on stage, and they try to “be in on the joke” with audiences, Morgan said in a 2022 Hanover Theatre blog post.
“We’ve done … some songs by Adele and Taylor Swift,” Morgan told the Hanover Theatre. “We’ve had a lot of fun with the choreography and that sort of thing, where we want the audience to be clapping along, dancing along, laughing it up with us.”
Daily staffer Julia Weber contributed to this report.
