Exclusive Interview: Toto's Steve Lukather on the Band Taking an Extended Break, a Second Book in the Works & Playing with Ringo Starr

Steve Lukather 

ICYMI- We are flashing back to some of DailyBOOM's most popular features. Enjoy this one!

Steve ("Luke") Lukather may be best known as a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, producer, and founding member of the iconic band Toto, but that's just scratching the surface of what he is actually capable of. He started his career as a session musician and you'll find his work, spanning various genres, on more than 1,500 albums. Lukather has spent decades working alongside so many of the industry's best, but Toto is his main job, and cultivating the musical fruits of the bands' labor has been the centerpiece of his prolific career.

It was recently confirmed that Toto will be taking an indefinite break after their October 20th show at The Met in Philadelphia and I was lucky enough to catch up with Lukather for a chat about the band winding down, and what's next for him. Check it out below!

 Steve ("Luke") Lukather on life on the road:

"We work about five days a week and those days off cost money. Luckily I don't really need more than a day or two off once in a while. I'm out here working, it's not a vacation and I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms. They've turned into a bit of a sanctuary, to be honest with you. Especially since I'm running the business end of things too. I mean, there's a great team but I have to wake up and make all the decisions and take care of all the BS. That means that I've got to be up early and I've got to have some space to do things. I've got my guitar with me so I practice that and take care of the band business. I've got things to do and if not I can always watch films or peruse the internet or something.

I've been around the world so many times that going out to sightsee is almost laughable at this point! I've already done that so many times in the 44 years that I've been doing this, so I just kind of stay to myself. There's nothing normal about my life, but I've normalized it. I used to be a crazy party guy and so the days were spent recovering. Now I get up when I used to go to bed (laughing). I have to be sober, together and functioning to run a business on top of being an older guy on the road. I have to take care of myself now. I had my wild days and it was fun, I guess. They tell me that I had a great time (laughing), so I've got nothing left to prove in that arena. I'm really fine being an older guy out here and you have to learn to like hanging out with yourself, otherwise, you'll go mad (laughing).

It can be terribly depressing at times too. I've got little kids as well as grown kids, then my dog passed away and I was on the road when that happened. There are things that you just can't prepare for, but you've got to deal with them. I chose this job and the great thing is that the good parts are great and the things that suck, well they really suck and that makes it just like anyone else's life. My doctor has known me through every aspect of my career and I told him he should really come along and do everything that I do, eat what I eat, sleep when I sleep. Travel around with me for a month and then tell me your real thoughts on this job because in some ways it's tougher than people think."

Luke on being away from his family:

"It's very hard having little kids and being on the road, but it has always been that way. My father was in the television and movie business, so he would go on the road for six months at a time, long before cell phones, and I didn't love him any less. That gives me a little peace. My kids only know me this way, so if they only know me this way then there is nothing else to compare it to. When I come home I'm a dad and I do all the dad stuff, which I love doing."

Luke on working with his oldest son Trev:

"Ever since he could play guitar at all he has been working on my records with me. He has played songs for my solo record and he has played live with the band. He wrote Halestorm's first hit, so he has got a gold record, and he plays in this band What So Not that headlined Lollapalooza. Then he has his new band ZFG, with Mike Pocaro's kid on bass, There's a bidding war for that band, wait until you hear them! They opened for us all summer in Europe. He's my best friend so we always try and do as much as we can together. Right now it's his turn to be the artist. That's what he is focused on and I'm trying to help him with that."

Luke on Toto's music being categorized as 'yacht rock':

"The term yacht rock is kind of funny. All they did was put a label on a thing that we called, going to do session work, and we did that every day for fifteen years (laughing). They'd put a piece of paper with a bunch of cord symbols in front of us, count off the song, and then you better play something because that's what you got hired to do. All of those records have suddenly become a genre. We didn't write all that music but we did contribute to the arrangement and the performance of it. We gave a lot of ourselves. That was just the era and style of music back then, sure there's some cheesy shit in there but there's also cheesy stuff today.

They always want to put terminology on things. They can't just say, hey this is a cool band, instead it has to be called soft rock. I mean at what point did the music go from soft rock to hard rock, what is the criteria for that shift? Is the guitar louder or does it have a bigger drum sound?  Why do we need terminology? If you don't like something that's cool but in the end, an E-chord is still an E-chord. Everyone likes things in a nice tight little box and there it is, now we know what to call it (laughing). The fact of the matter is that regardless of what anyone calls it, none of us expected any of this music to last almost 45 years like it has."

Toto Official Promo Shot

Luke on Toto becoming an interesting part of pop culture:

"We were Family Guy characters the other night and how cool is that? It was absolutely hysterical, we were howling with laughter. "Africa" kind of went crazy for us these last few years, it has kind of leveled off now which is fine with me, but it was really great for our careers. Everyone always says 'Africa by Toto' which makes us part of the whole schtick and gives us free publicity (laughing). I love all of it and it's an honor for us to be a part of pop culture. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and realize that parodies and things are really an honor."

Luke on working with Ringo Starr's All-Star Band:

"The Beatles spent eight years putting together music that would not only last for 55 years, but it's still going strong! There's never going to be another Beatles and I'm just so grateful that I got a little teeny piece of that experience by getting to work with three out of four of those guys. I've been working with Ringo's band for going on eight years now and I'm very honored to do that. When I first signed up in 2012 I thought I'd be doing one summer and here I am still. We've become really great friends and I just love this guy, regardless of the fact that he's Ringo (Starr). I mean, he is 100 times cooler than you think he is, but to have him as my friend is great. I'd love him even if his name was Joe Smith because he's just the kind of guy that makes you think, 'I want that guy to be my friend' (laughing), and I cherish that. I'd do anything for him and Ringo's band is like my vacation gig (laughing)."

Luke on Toto winding down, at least for the foreseeable future:

"Toto has been my job and I've spent my whole life cultivating this. Toto has had its best year in terms of live performance and live revenue. Musically, including ticket sales and reviews and all of that, things are fantastic. Sadly, some stuff going on behind the scenes has kind of crippled us so we have to step off and see what happens next at the end of this tour. We are at the end of our 40th-year cycle, it's now actually 43 years of togetherness (laughing) and so we do need to go away for a while there's no question about that. For how long is the thing because there is definitely some darkness behind the scenes.

There is litigation from hateful people that want to tear us apart for no particular reason other than finding personal joy in doing so. None of it makes sense to anyone who is actually in the band. It's kind of insidious and messed up but it is how it is. Sometimes you're forced to do things at the time that don't really make sense but then, in the end, they really do work out for the best. It's just time for me to get out there and do some other stuff.  Out of the dust and ethers, something happens. I don't know what that is right now but I do know that change is good. Music is in my DNA and I've spent my whole life making it so I know that I can play whatever I decide that I want to play."

Luke on what's next for him:

"I am doing book number two! The first one was successful, which is surprising to me (laughing), but okay. I can't put my life into just those first 300 pages, I have a billion stories so now I can get more into the session thing and more into the goings-on behind the scenes. It's going to take me a few years to do it, just like the last one did and I've got a documentary in play too. There will never be a Toto story per se because there's a person that'll stop that. Actually, there are a couple of people now that'll stop it from happening.

So I'll write a second book, write a solo record, I'm going back out with Ringo, I've got other tours to do and I want to stay home and just be a dad. I want to watch my little kids grow up a bit, I'm hardly out of work (laughing), I haven't been out of work since I started so I'm very fortunate, but there is a price to it all. So, for now, I'll just get to stay home a little bit more and that will be really, really cool for me. This is a great time to step back because it's the end of a cycle. We never thought we would get to forty years, are you kidding me? We're going out with a bang though! Every night there's nothing but good vibes on stage, the reviews are great, the revenue is good and the audiences are loving it. We have just decided to go out there and kick ass."

Steve Lukather & Joseph Williams

Luke on the future of Toto:

"There have been eight versions of Toto, eight from the beginning lineup right up to today. People come, people go and we reconfigure. I'm the only guy that has been there for every one of them. Will there be a 9.0 version? I don't know, not the way it is now. It breaks my heart and I can't predict the future, but I'll tell you that in Philadelphia, it's the last time that you'll see this incarnation of the band."

(Sidenote- a 9.0 version of Toto does indeed exist and has been successfully touring the world.)

Exclusive Interview: The Doobie Brothers' Patrick Simmons Talks RRHOF, Vegas Residency & New Music in the Works

(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

ICYMI

When I was growing up in the late seventies The Doobie Brothers were truly a staple in my house. My dad was WAY into classic rock and for two hours each night (like it or not), I was given the kind of musical education that will truly last for my entire lifetime. The older I get, the more I realize just how much I love songs like "Long Train Running" or "China Grove" and it's not just because the bands' four Grammy's and 48 million records sold tell me that I should. I genuinely appreciate the intricacies of their work.

Based on their fanbase that numbers in the millions, it's clear that I'm not alone. The band wrapped up a summer tour with Santana only to announce that their first-ever Las Vegas residency will begin in early 2020. As if that isn't exciting enough the true shining moment of 2019 for The Doobie Brothers likely comes in the form of their first-ever nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

I recently caught up with founding member/multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Patrick Simmons, to chat about all the exciting news and some new music to come from The Doobies. Check it out below!

(Photo: Tyler Habrecht)

Patrick Simmons on The Doobie Brothers finally being nominated for The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:  

"It feels great and everyone, including myself, is really pleased about it. You don't really think about it all the time because it's something that's out of your control, but when something like this comes along we really appreciate it. It's just a nomination so it doesn't mean that we're there yet, but at least we're on the path and that's pretty special. It's kind of a big deal (laughing), I think. 

If we were to make it in then the guys who founded the band, and the second configuration of the band that included Michael McDonald, I think all of those guys would be recognized. I would hope that as many of those guys that could, would choose to show up and have a go at playing because it would really be fun for everybody."

Patrick's thoughts on touring now:

"We did the tour with Steely Dan last year and then this summer we toured with Carlos Santana. I love shows where we're the headliner and so on, but I enjoyed the heck out of playing those shows with Carlos this year. We would jam with him almost every night. We would do "She's Not There" or something like that and just had a great time playing with him. 

When when we go off on our own we're just The Doobie Brothers in Concert and then two-thirds of the audience are the hardcore fans that have had the records and know the songs. That's when you can have those light-up moments when you can look out and see the audience with a surprised look on their faces and hear a spattering of applause when they know the songs. Those are such fulfilling moments for me personally

I love the medium-sized halls that have between 3000-5000 seats. Old theaters often sound really good. We recently played the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska and it was just so great. Such a fantastic theater and an incredible audience. I like the towns that don't always have big concerts coming through because it's a little more special when someone like The Doobie Brothers does play there. Those kinds of venues usually sound great and the audiences are enthusiastic and they're coming out just to see you. We have a great house engineer too that makes us sound really good onstage. You can feel the energy and it's as exciting and fun for us as it is for the audience." 

(Photo: Tyler Habrecht)

Patrick on discovering how to make some old songs feel brand new again:

"This year we did this thing at The Beacon Theater where we played "Toulouse Street" and "The Captain and Me" both front to back, all the songs and we ended up having a wonderful time. We had never played some of those songs in a live setting before and we realized how well they really translated. We had never tried them before because, in our own minds, they weren't the right songs to play live for our concerts. So this was something new that we discovered, not only do these songs really work, but they're fun to play too (laughing). 

We did a little tinkering with the arrangements to bring those songs forward a little bit and I think that those additions really brought the songs to another level. That was something that took us all by surprise and it brought us to a point where we had this interesting material that we had never considered using before. That made things more fun for everyone in the band. We've always included songs that were not hits in our setlists, but to be able to find material that we have never performed before ever, and have it work was a lot of fun. We threw these songs into the set and they really worked as far as the audience responding and so it's nice to have some old songs that feel new again.

We've only done a few of these shows so far, one in New York and another in San Francisco,  but they have been such fulfilling moments for myself and the rest of the band too. It's just so fun to challenge ourselves. Normally you start a show at one level and you move in an upward level of momentum until you get to your biggest hits and most popular songs. When you do an album all the way through the energy goes up and down and it's a little bewildering at first (laughing). The first show seemed a little weird but by the next one, we understood that the energy in this kind of setting flows more like if you're at home listening to a record. 

We also really take the time to tell some of the good stories behind these songs to help pull the audience in a little more too."

Patrick on new Doobie Brothers music:

"About six months ago or so, when we were all together, we went into the studio with some new stuff just to get our feet a little wet with some of the ideas that we had. Then we kind of sat on that material for a little while and our next task was to find a producer to work with. We wanted someone that could help us with perspective because it's always good to have that view from somebody outside of the band. We searched around and finally spoke to a guy named John Shanks and he has been working with us on some songs. We actually have some stuff in the can that we've recorded and pretty much finished, so we're talking about putting that out sometime next year. We're still in the early stages of figuring out how we're going to market it and what we're going to do with it. That's where we're at right now. I think we've got good songs and good performances so we just have to figure out where we're going with it. 

I know those of us that are writers are always working on something. Whether or not we'll end up using it for something, in those moments we have no idea, but in the back of our minds, there's always the thought that if The Doobie Brothers do some releases then this might be good for that. If not then they'll be good for something that we're doing individually on our own. Half of it is the fantasy of what might happen with the song (laughing), that's part of what being creative is all about. First, you have to imagine the music and then you have to imagine what you can do with it. I think it really enriches your life to have some creativity going on all the time. Since I discovered that I can write a song, it has been something that I've tried to do every day for all of my life. There's always something going on inside your head and every experience that you have, you reflect on it and figure out how you can use it creatively." 

Patrick on The Doobie Brothers first Las Vegas residency, beginning in 2020: 

"It was an opportunity that just presented itself. Obviously, it's kind of getting to be a 'thing' in Las Vegas. The business folks that run those entertainment centers where people just go to get away and play are always looking for something to get people in. They've been doing residencies with Aerosmith, Santana, Cher, Foreigner... there have just been countless artists doing it. In the past it was Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Wayne Newton (laughing) and so it's just a cool thing that we never really thought about doing ourselves. 

When it was offered we realized it's a great gig for an artist because you don't have to play and then travel to the next gig. The crew isn't packing up the gear every night and loading it just to unload it somewhere else the next day. Then there's the lighting and sound, just so many complicated components, so this is a real gift to any artist to be able to come in and play for a couple of weeks. As a touring professional band, it's lucrative and while we don't do it just for the money, we do have to get paid."

Patrick on what he hopes that people walk away with after seeing the band play live:

"I don't know if we are at the top of our game, but I do know that we have a really great band. Everyone is dedicated to doing the very best that we can. We work hard to make those three-part harmonies really tight and that's a huge part of the band. We are hard rocking and can get as heavy metal as anybody (laughing) because we like to play all kinds of music. That may be the oddest thing about the band, the fact that we're all over the map with what we play. There's country, some jazz-tinged stuff, we play super hard, loud stuff, we play straight-ahead blues. There are also ballads and some stuff that we think is really pretty (laughing) and delicate. 

We enjoy the challenge that comes with trying to inject different sounds and styles into our concert every night. We care about different musical forms and that's something that we really want people to understand after listening to the band play live."

(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)

Keep up to date on everything that The Doobie Brothers have going on by bookmarking their official site. Check out their tour dates here and grab some of the bands' merch too!

 

Exclusive Interview: The Doobie Brothers Tom Johnston Talks Touring with Steely Dan and New Music to Come

(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

ICYMI

When I was growing up in the late seventies The Doobie Brothers were truly a staple in my house. My dad was WAY into classic rock and for two hours each night (like it or not), I was given the kind of musical education that will truly last for my entire lifetime. The older I get, the more I realize just how much I love songs like "Long Train Running" or "China Grove" and it's not just because the bands' four Grammy's and 48 million records sold tell me that I should. I genuinely appreciate the intricacies of their work.

 The Doobie Brothers are spending their summer on the road co-headling a tour with Steely Dan, a combination that sounds like nothing short of perfection to me. While their styles are technically different, they compliment each other fantastically. Somewhere between tour stops in Utah and Colorado, Tom Johnston, founding member/lead vocalist/guitarist, gave me a few minutes of his time to discuss life on the road and new music to come from The Doobies.

(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)

Cate Meighan: I know that you've been out on tour with Steely Dan for a while now. How is that going?

Tom Johnston:  We've been out on the road for about a month and a half now and we've got another month and a half to go. The crowds have been great and I'm happy to see that they're embracing a wide spectrum show like this. There's quite a difference in our musical styles, but somehow they seem to really compliment each other and I think it's great. We've played with Steely Dan as recently as last year, but this is the first actual tour that we've done with them in many moons (laughing). We played with them back in the 70's and now Donald (Fagen) has got something really great going on with a very large group of exceptional players and they put on a great show. The crowds have been very into it and vocal- dancing around having a great time and so it has been a lot of fun interacting with the crowd.

CM: It seems to be a great summer in general for rock tours and the fans are truly excited about the shows coming to venues near them.

TJ: I think besides being a great escape mechanism, the idea is always for people to just come out and have a great time. Forget about your troubles for a little while and just immerse yourself in the music. In this case, they know songs from both bands so it's not like their going to a show where they won't know a portion of the music. They're already familiar with it and it's already a bit of a comfort zone for them. We're very fortunate to still be on the road and doing this after so many years.

CM: Are you seeing a variety of different generations at your shows now?

TJ: We generally see people at our shows ranging from their 30's to their 60's, but we're also seeing some kids who are big fans of both bands and really into the music. That's gratifying when you realize that you've reached that many people with your music and that it means something to them. It's nice when they decide to take the time out of their busy lives to come and see a show. I think it's great when people go back and check out music from the past and the ability is definitely there, most notably by downloading it. That has become the go-to way for most people to listen to music and it has changed the way that music, be it old or new, is presented to the public.

CM: Everything changes and evolves over time so how has life on the road changed for you over the years?

TJ: In the 70's we flew, I mean early on we were in a Winnebago (laughing), but then we flew. Quite frankly that was great and I loved it. Nowadays it's all buses and it has been since we reformed back in 1989. That's basically how most people tour unless of course, you're in the top echelon because then you've got a private jet. We're not there just yet so we're on a tour bus like most everybody else.
We play an hour and a half every night and then Steely Dan comes out and I think that they play for about two hours. After that, we all head to our buses and hit the road for the next town. It's not nearly as glamorous as people often think (laughing).

CM: It's not all glamorous, so what keeps you out there on the road?

TJ: It's the playing for sure. I'll always love playing the most and then interacting with the crowd. The best moment of the night for me is always when the crowd starts responding. When they're singing the songs and they know the words. To me, that interaction is what it's all about and it makes all of the traveling worthwhile.

We're very fortunate to be able to do this because there is a demand for this show. People want to see the bands that are out on this tour and so it's a joy to get out there and play every night. I guess people look at it as a job, but we really don't see it that way because it's more of a privilege to get paid for doing what you love.

(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)

CM: I know that the band has been working on new music. Is there an update on the status of the next project?

TJ: It's really in progress and I have no idea when it's going to come out. We started working on some things last year and we've also been writing on our own. One song is semi-recorded for demo purposes. I'm not anxious to get off this tour, but when I get home I am looking forward to going back and working on the new stuff. I think it's imperative that we put out new material.

Technology has really changed how we do things too. In the old days, you had yourself and a guitar. You came up with chord changes and lyrics. Nowadays with the software that exists you can have your own studio in your house. You can lay down the track- play the drums, you can play the bass,  the keyboards. Then you can also play guitar right into the computer and you can sing into the computer as well. Back then, you would grab maybe a drummer to work with and take a song as far as you could. Then you would bring it to the studio with a producer and the whole band so that everybody could come up with parts. The producer would come up with ideas and the song would come to fruition that way. Now with all of the technology, you can walk in with a complete idea of what you have in mind. It doesn't mean that it won't get changed, but you're able to present a much more detailed version of what you're trying to do and I absolutely love it.

(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)

You still have to start with a good idea though. You need chord changes and an idea of where you want the song to go. That part of it is still the same.

The writing process is a bit different for me now though because I used to write alone. Now I'm realizing that to do it with other people that have ideas when you're stuck, is a real blessing. It moves the process along and they may have some really great ideas that I would never have thought of, so it's great. Sometimes when you're writing alone you find yourself running into a wall, for whatever reason,  that you just can't break through. Then when you get with someone else they'll break that wall right down for you which is fantastic. I'm looking forward to getting as many songs written as possible and then choosing what songs to use and getting them out. I think it's imperative for a band to keep moving forward. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing this, you still need to stay as fresh as you can. I think if you rest on your laurels you're giving up something, so moving forward helps to make it all valid for me.

CM: How far in advance do The Doobie Brothers plan their next career moves?

TJ: Well planning a few months ahead happens, like now we know that we'll be out on the road this summer with Steely Dan. Then in the fall, we have another tour and in the interim, we know that we're going to be working on new stuff. We're busy all the time, doing different things in different places but I can't imagine ever planning a whole year in advance. Life kind of handles itself sometimes and you just have to go with it.

(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)

Keep up to date on everything that The Doobie Brothers have going on by bookmarking their official site. Check out their tour dates here and grab some of the bands' merch too!

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Utopia- 'Love Is the Answer'

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Toto - 'Georgy Porgy'

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Michael McDonald- 'I Keep Forgetting'

Toto Leaves Everything That They've Got on Stage at The Met in Philadelphia for Final Performance for Foreseeable Future

I can't remember a moment in my life when music wasn't somehow playing in the backdrop binding together those things that would become real memories while helping the less important things to just sort of drift away into oblivion. When I was a kid, if my dad wasn't at the studio, then he was most definitely locked away in his home studio. He first sucked me in the door to that room with disco and a lot of my homework was eventually done on the floor next to one of his huge speakers. The deal was that once my homework was finished then I could pick any song and listen to it in his chair, with his headphones on. That was a huge thing to me and dad was smart because as my musical taste expanded, so did my time in his favorite chair. What started as one song while looking at cover art turned into dad leaving me with entire albums and loads of liner notes to dissect.

In the late '70s rock was just rock and there was no need to categorize it or throw it into some sort of sub-category. Good music was just that, good music. Toto's eponymous debut, followed by Hydra a year later, were two of my favorites and I spent a lot of time with headphones on soaking up every note played. I didn't know exactly what "shredding" was, but I believed my dad when he said that Steve Lukather was already one of the best and I also believed him when he said that David Paich was writing songs that were going to "stick". 

Flash ahead 43 years and my dad was right because Lukather is now the guy that other equally legendary musicians consider as a personal mentor and Paich, well that silly little song about "Africa" has made him a mountain of cash (plus I dare you to find anyone over the age of twenty that doesn't know the chorus). Four decades have brought the band an abundance of riches, like a handful of Grammys, more than 40 million records sold, plus induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009. 

Those same years have contained painful losses, debilitating illnesses, litigation, and the kind of personal demons that touch each and every one of us eventually, in one way or another. Sometimes the family that you choose becomes almost more important than the one that you were born into and the brotherhood of Lukather, Paich, Steve Porcaro, and Joseph Williams might be even more precious today than it ever was before.

Toto decided to commemorate their 40th anniversary by embarking on a 40 Trips Around The Sun tour, a celebration that has actually lasted for nearly two and a half years. The band brought down the house last night at The Met in Philadelphia as they closed the door not only on this tour but also on this incarnation of Toto. The band is now on hiatus for a well-deserved break and any future plans will be decided much further down the road.

The near-capacity crowd at The Met seemed well aware of the fact that it was the beginning of the end for this era of Toto and there were some bittersweet moments that spilled off the stage into the audience, but for the most part, this show was a celebration. The band took the audience on a two-hour ride through their catalog of 14 studio albums, serving up some of the anticipated favorites and just enough deep cuts to make true fans grateful to be in the house.

Opening with "Devil's Tower" and "Hold the Line" delivered a one-two musical punch, the kind that lets you know that it's going to be a fantastic show. The first electric set seemed to fly by as it included an extra sentimental variation of "I Will Remember" and "English Eyes". The instrumental "Jake to the Bone" is a personal favorite of mine because it really shows off the musicianship that is the backbone of everything that Toto does. Lukather is just fantastic and keyboardist Steve Porcaro seems to have a bit of a mad musical scientist thing going on as well. 

The quintessential favorite, "Rosanna" closed out the first set and anyone that had still been in their seat abandoned it. As the audience recovered from the adrenaline blast of that song, chairs were placed on stage, and Lukather, Porcaro, Williams, Warren Ham (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist), and bassist Shem von Schroeck all settled in for an acoustic set. "Georgy Porgy", the first song that Lukather ever sang for Toto, kicked off a sentimental musical journey that included "I'll Be Over You" and "No Love". I love stripped-down sets and this one really showed off just how much value each member has on their own. It's no wonder that the fully plugged-in band sounds like layers of perfection.

Let's talk for a minute about 27-year-old keyboardist Dominique "Xavier" Taplin. He stepped in last year for an ailing David Paich and learned the entire show in just a couple of days. Lukather mentioned the band all wanting to adopt him and after a lengthy chat with him last year, I kind of felt the same way. He is talented enough to have toured years ago with Prince (let that sink in),  and his piano solo in this show was absolutely beautiful. 

One of the best parts of seeing Toto play live is the way that they really capture that whole jam band kind of energy. Nearly every note may be carefully placed but it never really feels that way. Instead, it feels like a group of guys that really listen to each other and play off of each other in response and nowhere was that vibe more apparent than in the final set. 

The often lost in their catalog "Girl Goodbye" sent the band soaring with some of Lukather's best playing of the night matching Williams' effortless vocals. The latter was a ball of energy throughout the entire show, laying down some of the best vocals that I've ever heard him do live. "Dune (Desert Theme)" is another of those layered instrumental pieces that is best appreciated live and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a sentimental favorite of Lukather, was one of the best songs of the evening. If you think that an electric guitar solo can't take you on an emotional roller coaster ride then you need to spend a few minutes with this version of the George Harrison classic. 

On an evening filled with "moments," Toto was going to have to go a long way to top themselves, yet they did just that with their 12-minute version of "Africa".  David Paich (sidelined for health reasons since last year) was not only in the house, but he took his seat at the keys and sang those lyrics that he wrote so many years ago. The audience knew just how important this moment was and responded with both respect and gratitude. 

Lukather shredded, Williams played with the crowd and percussionist Lenny Castro's solo smack in the middle of the classic song was nothing short of genius. As someone pointed out to me, you could hear the sleigh bells that are actually in the song, usually lost beneath everything else. An encore of "Home of the Brave" closed out the night with the entire band leaving absolutely everything that they had left to give on the stage of The Met. 

Their break is more than deserved. 

 

 

Setlist

Devil's Tower

Hold the Line

Lovers in the Night

Alone

I Will Remember

English Eyes

Jake to the Bone

Rosanna

Acoustic:

Georgy Porgy

Human Nature

I'll Be Over You

No Love

Stop Loving You

Piano Solo

Girl Goodbye

Lion

Dune (Desert Theme)

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Make Believe

Africa

Encore:

Home of the Brave

Currently Booming: Toto- Quarantine Version of 'Africa'

Currently Booming: Yacht Rock Playlist