Brendan Fletcher of The Voice hasn’t forgotten his nights singing at open mics in Morristown.
“I would stand outside the Dublin Pub and look across the street and be like ‘Man, one day I want to play at a place like that!’” Fletcher said, referring to the Mayo Performing Arts Center.
On Monday, he crossed that one off his bucket list. Singing an eclectic mix of covers and original songs, he raised more than $30,000 for the state chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
“It’s great to come back and play for a great cause,” said Fletcher, 27, who grew up in Randolph.
The benefit concert was organized by Morristown First Lady Mary Dougherty, who is in the home stretch of a 10-week fund drive for the charity. Her target is $130,000, and she plans to announce the results this week.
Dougherty voted and tweeted for Fletcher during his journey to the semifinals last year on NBC’s The Voice.
Coached by Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Fletcher advanced through Season 11 with covers of Dolly Parton’s Jolene, Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors, Sarah McLachlan’s Angel, and Whipping Post, which got a congratulatory tweet from Gregg Allman, who passed away last month.
So it was a no-brainer for Dougherty to ask Fletcher to perform at one of her events.
“I really fell in love with his talent,” said Dougherty, accompanied backstage by her husband, Mayor Tim Dougherty.
Plenty of people at the Mayo shared her sentiment. Beginning an acoustic set with Bruce Springsteen’s The River, Fletcher immediately wowed the crowd.
During the second half, he was joined by Alden Farrar, Colin Leeds, and Matthew Kantor, longtime friends from Randolph High School and bandmates over the years. Fletcher got immense cheers from hometown fans when mentioned his alma mater.
Many original tunes were sprinkled throughout the show, including Fletcher’s first recorded song, Boston (he’s a Boston University graduate) and the soon-to-be-recorded Holy City.
These days, Fletcher pursues his dream of a music career from Brooklyn. But one thing was clear on Monday at MPAC.
No matter where his talent takes him, he’ll always have a home on Morristown’s biggest stage.
Morristown High School senior Emma Piascik will attend Lafayette College this fall.
Slideshow photos by Emma Piascik
