Anyone tried the BluRay of the 35th Anniversary gig (2013) in Poland? The YouTube upload sounds great on my Oppo PM1's, so surely that makes the BluRay a must on the Oppo UDP 203 player? They sound really great live too on this particular concert.
Hopefully they'll come back. It seems like they're riding this revival as far as it can go, which is wonderful. As long as they sold lots of tickets last time, there's a good chance they'll be back.
Geeze I really like the early stuff - solid musicians and the tunes were always dependable and sometimes amazing. Like many bands who have been around as long, the line-up changes left them mostly up and down for me. I bought the new release and have not listened to it enough to really pass judgement; but, after one listen, I heard nothing reach out and grab my one good ear? Cannot bash them - the early stuff is enough for me.
Looks like they're in London on June 13th. Not sure if it's the same line up as who appeared in the 2013 gig in Poland? I'm not familiar with the band enough.
Different rhythm section, Simon & Nathan East both left to do solo stuff, but their replacements are great. Shannon Forrest is the drummer, and he's the closest thing to Jeff Porcaro that they've had, and the new bass player is fantastic as well. David Paich's absence is more of an issue, I'm not sure whether he'll be back (he's apparently having health issues). I can't remember the name of the substitute keyboardist, but he was a beast of a musician, and did a very good job. It's a fun show, trust me. Lukather and Joseph Williams are capable of carrying it, and both are in fantastic form, with a wonderfully varied setlist that covers all eras of the band.
Thank-you for this. Ahh, that's a shame. That would be a game changer for most people, but it would still probably be a good night. If you like the music, you like it.
Yeah, obviously I didn't know about Paich until after I'd already bought tickets (and it wasn't heavily publicized), but the show was still very good. It's definitely bordering on questionable legitimacy (they are far from the only classic rock band with this problem), but Lukather is my favorite guitarist so as long as he's onstage I'll go see him play with just about anyone. If you've never seen them, you'll have a good time. And it's Toto, so obviously everyone they get to join or fill in is a top-notch musician, unlike some similar situations with other bands.
I've heard a lot of bands say a lot of things. Like REM would split up if one of them left the band, or Mr. Big wouldn't play any shows without Pat Torpey, etc etc. I DO think if Paich doesn't come back and has to leave the band officially, that Luke might throw in the towel. As of now, I think they're operating under the assumption that his absence is still temporary (since this has happened several times before). But I also think they're playing to more casual fans at their gigs than before, who maybe care less about who is onstage and just want to hear the hits that have recently come back to (relative) prominence. Who knows. I've seen the band 3 times over the last 4 years, and they're clearly having fun and enjoying this moderate resurgence (Luke really emphasizes this in his book as well), but there's also the fact that neither him nor Joe Williams could make anywhere near as good of a living doing anything else right now, and it's silly to think that isn't a factor.
I love some Toto. I don't know what there is not to like. Somebody needs to load up Turn Back on the turntable for these people and let them hear some Goodbye Elenore. EDIT: Why you're at it, play them some Hydra, Rockmaker and some of the smooth stuff like You Are The Flower and Waiting For Your Love. Toto were solid. Very talented bunch.
Paich is still in the band, but he's just not touring. This isn't the first time he's taken a break, but that having been said one wished he was there for posterity sake. At least there is still a Porcaro.
Byron has some pipes on him for sure. Too bad he couldn't get his ego and his dance moves in control.
Hi, I have been a fan since the early eighties and have seen them live 25 times since 1988. Having heard Joseph Williams live in 1988, Jean-Michel Byron 1990, Bobby Kimball from 1998-2007 and now Joseph again I have to say that they sound better than ever. Of course nothting is the same without Jeff and Mike but the replacement guys do a great job right now. I agree that the Porcarogroove now is back with Shannon behind the kit and Shem on bass who also sings great. Toto´s songs are really hard for any singer but if you are more or less constantly out of pitch (which was the case during the second Bobby-era) it doesn´t matter if you have the greatest guitarist or drummer in the world... So - listen to Joseph live since 2010 is a pure joy and the band is on fire again. To me the Seventh One is the best album even if the biggest hits are on Toto IV. I also recommend to take a look on Luke´s new book "The gospel according to Luke" and I also can say that the new songs on the box album (so far) on "Old is New" is very good. Pure Toto... Johannes, Sweden
They had dates scheduled pretty far out in advance. But I suspect if David really has diabetes, they'll take a break in 2020 or so. That's something he should be able to get a handle on, but changing eating habits and/or getting used to a new insulin regime is best done without that kind of a travel schedule. I'd hope they might take advantage of some time off to record again. Problem is, their Old Is New project was fantastic and still isn't in wide release. But if anything new would be on that level, bring it on.
It certainly would be great if Dave's been using this downtime from the road to get back into a creative mode.
The Beyond Yacht Rock fellers have made me aware of the greatness of Toto. I appreciate them much more than I used to do.
If you can get hold of The Far Corporation from 1985, Kimball was lead singer for that project, which included a reworking of Stairway to Heaven. This will have been after he was replaced by Fergie Fredrikson in Toto, for Isolation.
On Stairway, Robin Macauley takes the main lead and Bobby does the wig out at the end. Personally, I find it to be a much more enjoyable listen to the original but I am aware I am in a very small minority here. In fact, I think the whole album is decent.
I also think highly of Toto and never understood the negativity. I enjoy much of their music, especially the first four albums. I made a point in another thread about Toto that many bands used hired guns to play the instruments. These same groups will downplay the outside session guys. Boston were portrayed as a band on their first album ("just another band out of Boston...) while Tom Scholz played most of the instruments on Boston even though the picture on the back cover shows all the guys. Guitarist Drew Abbott quit Bob Seger's Silver Bullet band over the increasing use of session musicians. The list goes on and on. Toto were/are a great group of great musicians who don't try to portray themselves as something they are not. They were more "real" than most groups out there. Scott
early to mid 80's Toto gets the most attention, but I also like this early 90's song. I always come back to this band for a listen Don't Chain my Heart
