Tuesday 26 May – The Hammersmith Eventim AKA Apollo AKA Odeon
Whatever you think about Toto – love ’em or hate ’em – there is one thing you cannot deny: the members of the band are among the greatest rock musicians of all time. For Thriller, Michael Jackson was effectively their lead singer. Their credits in the annals of music are just incredible. Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Earth, Wind and Fire, George Benson. The list goes on forever. Guitarist Steve Lukather played the guitar solo on Olivia Newton-John’s single Physical. You have certainly heard the musicians of Toto, even if you haven’t heard much by the band themselves.
Of course, I love them, always have. Some deride Toto as AOR or soft rock, both of which are tags I don’t recognise from the shows I have seen. But I don’t care much about that. I have an eclectic taste in music and can switch from Toto to Gaz Coombes in a heartbeat. If I like something, I like it; end of.
They are mainly in their late fifties, but possess the energy of men 30 years their junior. The show, over two and a quarter hours long with no break, rumbles along with impressive energy and – dare I say it? – passion. The old songs – Africa, right at the end, Hold The Line and Rosanna are there, but the album from which they play the most songs is their latest one, Toto XIV. In fact, the show opens with a barnstorming Running Out Of Time from this year, moving on with I’ll Supply The Love from 1978 and that’s how it goes. New stuff and old stuff, well known stuff and very obscure stuff.
The musicianship is sublime. David Paich, in top hat, is on keyboards to our left, Steve, the remaining Porcaro, plays keyboards to our right. Behind Paich is the brilliant percussionist Lenny Castro and alongside him is the renowned drummer Shannon Forrest. The ageless David Hungate plays bass and ruling the mike at the front is Joseph Williams, son of the great composer John. And on backing vocals are the amazing Mabvuto Carpenter and Jenny Douglas-Foote.
The seats had been removed from the downstairs section at the Eventim which was just as well given the legion of dad dancers, but to be fair there was a surprisingly large turn out of younger fans too. I cannot remember a gig passing by any quicker.
It was a rock concert but it wasn’t too loud. My hearing has been battered after too many loud shows and the ringing in my ears that once left me soon after the show is now there all the time. But Toto didn’t make it any worse, thankfully.
It is arguable that Toto have made the greatest music of the rock era. Personally, I think they are right up there in the Premier League in terms of the music they have made, but they are world class musicians. Soaking up the joy of the great music was greatly enhanced by seeing great players at peak performance.
Two of the three Porcaro brothers, Jeffrey and Mike, have died during the band’s 38 year career, but still they add to the legacy with new, brilliant musicians, who add new magic to the music. But the spine of Lukather, Paich, Porcaro and Williams holds it all together.
They didn’t play any of my three favourite Toto tunes – Human Nature (the song they wrote for Michael Jackson), Love Has the Power and I Can’t Stop Loving You – but who cares? They played a whole lot more great tunes anyway and I loved them all.
At the end of the show, Lukather said something like, “See you next year!” I hope he’s right because I’ll certainly be back.
SETLIST
Running Out of Time
I’ll Supply the Love
Burn
Stranger in Town
I Won’t Hold You Back
Holy War
Hold the Line
Takin’ It Back
Pamela
Bottom of Your Soul
Caught in the Balance
Without Your Love
Little Wing (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
Orphan
The Road Goes On
Great Expectations
Rosanna
Encore: On the Run / Child’s Anthem / Goodbye Elenore
Encore 2: The Muse / White Sister / Africa
