Doobie Brothers Phoenix concert rocked every hit that stirs your '70s soul
Michael McDonald rejoining the fold just in time for the 50th Anniversary Tour was a big deal for obvious reasons to anyone who grew up in the ‘70s when the Doobie Brothers ruled the airwaves with an endless string of pop hits that continue to define their place in music history.
He hadn’t done a Doobie Brothers tour since 1996 before they launched their anniversary tour in 2021. He’s an amazing talent. And he did sing lead on several of their biggest singles, from “Takin’ it To the Streets” to “Minute by Minute” and “What a Fool Believes,” which took them to the top a second time on Billboard’s Hot 100.
The anniversary tour played Phoenix twice. And they’re still out there touring — and recording! — with McDonald, who seemed right at home from the time he strolled onstage and took his place behind the keyboards when the tour hit Footprint Center on Wednesday, June 26.
Doobie Brothers setlist: Every song Michael McDonald and crew did in Phoenix
From 'China Grove' to 'Black Water,' Doobie Brothers played the hits
McDonald shared the vocal spotlight with two founding members, guitarists Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons, with Johnston out front on such crowd-pleasing classics as “Listen to the Music,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove” and Simmons at the wheel on a spirited “Jesus is Just Alright” and “Black Water,” the Doobies’ first chart-topping entry on the Hot 100.
Even John McFee took a turn in the spotlight, swapping vocals with McDonald on the soulful “One Step Closer.”
All three guitarists — Johnston, Simmons and McFee, a multi-instrumentalist who nailed the blues-harp break on “Long Train Runnin’” and the fiddle on “Black Water” — had a chance to shine on lead guitar.
Michael McDonald's keyboard riffing was a delight
McDonald’s keyboard playing was fantastic.
A karaoke machine would probably have docked McDonald points for all the liberties he took with the delivery of his greatest hits, approaching “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute” as opportunities to re-explore his signature songs with the looseness of phrasing a jazz singer might have applied to re-interpreting those songs.
But here's the thing. He sounded great. As did Johnston, whose voice is apparently ageless, and Simmons.
The four official members were joined by touring bassist John Cowan, drummer Ed Toth, percussionist Mark Quinones and saxophone hero Marc Russo, whose habit of ending his solos really wailing on those high notes, often drew spontaneous ovations from the audience, especially on “Eyes of Silver” and “Long Train Runnin’.”
The video screen behind the stage was often filled with footage of the Doobie Brothers in the ‘70s — performance clips as well as old home movies of the band on tour in a plane that said the Doobieliner during “What a Fool Believes.”
It was especially thrilling to watch Simmons solo along to a younger version of himself on “Dependin’ on You.”
As long as they kept the focus on the Doobie Brothers, the visuals were great. The scenes of couples of a certain age embracing during “Here to Love You” felt uncomfortably close to a TV commercial on how you, too, can conquer erectile dysfunction with a hint of Folgers in your cup. Which is to say it felt a little corny.
Kicking off the Phoenix concert with 'Take Me in Your Arms'
They started the show on a high note with their cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland standard “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While),” a Motown classic first recorded by Kim Weston that became one of the Doobie Brothers' biggest hits.
Before the set was through, they’d touched on nearly all the staples you’d expect while dusting off a highlight of their latest album, “Liberte,” a song called “Cannonball” that Simmons said he chose because he wanted to do a motorcycle song.
They also did “World Gone Wrong,” the title track to an album from 2010 that definitely lived up to its introduction of “We’re gonna take you down to New Orleans."
The Doobies held their heaviest hitters for the back half of the concert, bringing the set to a crowd-pleasing finish with “Jesus Is Just Alright,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove” (which brought more people to their feet than any other song they’d done until that point)
Then they came back to open their encore with another of their most enduring hits, “Black Water,” which became a massive singalong. An instrumental version of “Amazing Grace” by Russo and McDonald gave way to a suitably spirited “Takin’ It to the Streets” before they signed with one final classic, “Listen to the Music.”
The Robert Cray Band opened for the Doobie Brothers in Phoenix
The Robert Cray Band opened with a set of truly soulful blues and R&B led by Cray, who squeezed out some amazing solos on guitar with testing the limits of his vocal range on several highlights of his set, including a slow-burning cover of “Sittin’ on Top of the World” and a suitably fiery version of “Hot.”
He’s got a great band, from George Sluppick swinging the beat with authority behind the kit to keyboard player Dover “White Cliffs” Weinberg coming through with something guaranteed to grab you by the collar every time he stepped into the spotlight, up to and including that ridiculously high note on the organ at the end of “Time Makes Two.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Doobie Brothers and Michael McDonald bring the hits in Phoenix