Truly great artists stand the test of time. Mozart, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra the list goes on and on. Even the first caveman who hit a rock with a stick is immortalized by every drummer who ever took the stage. That same may not hold true for Sir Mix-A-Lot (outside of bachelorette parties that is). But I am happy to report that Toto are a shoo in for membership in this exclusive club. Their current tour is titled “40 Tours Around The Sun” marking their 40th anniversary and took over the State Theatre last night.
There was no opener, after all with that many hits to play Toto wanted every minute of the audience’s attention. And just to remind everyone that they have not been resting on their laurels, Toto opened with the title song from their 2018 album “Devil’s Tower. Of course they sounded great. Toto has that unique sound that makes every song of theirs instantly being recognized as their song. The multiple keyboards and drums combine with the vocals to a complex wave of sound. Lead singer Joseph Williams joked that this was actually the 43rd year of the band’s history. We started our tour and 3 years flew by……….
There were nods to other artists Micheal Jackson, The Beatles and special bow to Prince with “Diamonds and Pearls”. My personal highlight and an unexpected treat was the inclusion of “Desert Theme” from the Dune soundtrack. I was not alone in having a grand old time seeing many songs that have been with me since my teenage days performed live. The crowd at the State Theater spend most of their time out of their seats. It was also great to see many younger faces in the audience. After all “Africa”, while it never faded away, recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity with Weezer covering the song. Speaking of “Africa”, the last number of their set turned into a drawn out party / singalong / percussion solo that left every single person in the house with a wide grin on their face – Try THAT on for size Weezer 🙂
Set List: Devil’s Tower / Hold the Line / Lovers in the Night / Alone / I Will Remember / English Eyes / Jake to the Bone / Rosanna / Georgy Porgy / Human Nature / I’ll Be Over You / No Love /
Stop Loving You / Piano Solo/Diamonds & Pearls / Girl Goodbye / Lion / Dune (Desert Theme) / While My Guitar Gently Weeps / Make Believe / Africa
Encore: Home of the Brave