Toto Rocks Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall with Last Show of Spring Tour
Ruth Eckerd Hall was packed with Toto fans on Thursday night for the “Dogz of Oz” tour. Toto has been touring arenas with Journey on their 50th Anniversary tour and pulling some solo gigs in-between. A great setlist and some of the most accomplished musicians around today, you knew you were in for a special night of live music!
The leader of this Dogz pack is guitarist Steve Lukather. An original member of the band from the beginning, “Luke” has literally kept Toto going for the fans over the ups and downs of the years. He has played with and for a virtual who’s who in music. I recently caught him and Greg Philliganes on the “Michael Jackson Thriller 40” documentary talking about working on Thriller with Michael and Quincy Jones. A tip of the iceberg of who Lukather has played with. Along with his Toto duties, he has been touring with Ringo’s All-Star Band since 2012. The other half of the Dogz of Oz is singer Joseph Williams who has been with Toto on and off since the mid-80’s. Son of composer John Williams, he is from a musical family. He sang the part of Simba in the Lion King animated movie and gave us a little taste of Hakuna Matata. He and Luke share lead vocals with Williams taking on the majority. He is a fun stage presence for the band.
Toto opened the show with two tunes from their debut album in 1978, “Goodbye Girl” and “Hold the Line”. Fans were out of their seats and Steve played to them to the stage edge. Showcasing the bass talents of John Pierce were on for the hit “99”. John played with Pablo Cruise and then with Huey Lewis & The News. The musicianship of this band is unparalleled with most of them being session musicians for a large majority of the music industry. Greg Phillinganes took a keyboard solo spot to bring us some great R&B vibes with his FOUR keyboard setup! Mr. Phillinganes toured with Stevie Wonder, Aretha and he was Michael’s musical director on his “Bad” and “Dangerous” tours. Steve Maggiora also works the keys along with Greg and handles background vocals for the band.
One of my favorite spots in the show was Luke playing tribute to Hendrix with “Little Wing.” Powerful guitar riffs with the iconic lyrics sung by Luke. Luke also takes time in the show to pay homage to all the original lineup of Toto, the Porcaro brothers, David Paich, Kimball & Hungate. I loved that he did that, more bands could make nice for their great beginnings. Next came an energetic drum solo by Shannon Forrest, another sideman in this band that has played in Nashville for everyone from Taylor Swift to Don Henley. He has been touring with Toto off and on for years.
On the anthem “Home of the Brave,” percussionist Warren Ham steps to front stage to hit some vocals. Warren also does double duty on saxophone along with percussion. He has played with Cher, Donna Summer and is known to audiences by playing with Ringo’s All-Star Band with his bandmate Luke.
Closing out the show, starting with a nod to their friend Ringo’s lead vocal on the Beatles, “With A Little Help from My Friends.” They brought the audience out of their seats for a great sing-along and were totally ready for that timeless love song “Rosanna.” Of course, the big finish was that massive, iconic 1982 song, “Africa!” The tune has been streamed over a billion times and is close to a billion views on YouTube for the video. Simply amazing for a song released over 40 years ago. A rock show with excellent musicianship and fun for every generation in attendance. Next time Toto comes down the yellow brick road near you don’t miss out! They have some fall dates in the U.S. Check out www.totoofficial.com
Vicky Sullivan Photos