Before any of you knuckleheads form opinions on a subject you most likely
know NOTHING about, take a few minutes and read this review with an open
mind, and you will hopefully understand what I am about to say. Toto is a
band that has recieved an amazing amount of
undeserved shit from the same press that hails no-talent hacks like Korn,
Limp Dics, and Godsuck as amazing 'bands' and leaders of some sort musical
revolution, while a band such as Toto, who I admit, have been around for a
while get lambasted for being "to poppy or slick.
Toto is comprised of some of the best musicians on the planet who have
written more grammy award winning songs for more artist than you would
possibly know, and they can rock harder than 90% of the brainless twits who
dare to call themselves musicians. Toto have NEVER broken up and decided to
change musical direction in the early nineties when guitarist/vocalist and
band leader Steve Lukather took the helm and decided to move them into a
more heavier, hard rocking direction. Thus, with the grunge revolution
taking place, they got lost in the shuffle and never achieved the success of
their past grammy award winning 'pop' efforts. But this Toto is something to
witness live and they can stand toe to toe with the best of them.
This is one of the rare east coast appearances for this band, who still
headline soccer stadiums the world over and have sold a staggering 27
million albums world-wide during their
25 year career. The venue was Mohegan Sun's Wolfs Den, which is a small 400
seat cabaret in the middle of the famous casino, located in Uncasville
Connecticut. I did not complain, though I had to stand in line for approx 5
hours to get in. The place was packed and about 1000 people were turned
away. The band, who are about to release their new CD in October sounded
like seasoned pros, but with the youthful energy of some of todays best
acts. The sound was crystal clear and the moment they took the stage it was
a non-stop parade of classic hits mixed with new tracks and some amazing
musicianship to boot. Guitarist Steve Lukather was simply awe inspiring (I
will state this now, this man is my all time guitar hero and one of the best
on the planet and he proves it everytime he picks up the instrument). His
playing was flawless, energetic and his charisma and attitude on stage was
fabulous. Lead vocalist Bobby Kimball sounded superb and hit all the classic
notes of the old material while lending a fresh edge to classic covers
tackled by the band on their newest CD (Due out in Oct). Simon Phillips,
drummer extrodinare simply hit the hell out of the drums and kept the pulse
of the show flowing so well. The band sang full 5 part harmony vocals with
no assistance from outboard gear. They sounded amazing and the songs took
such a life of their own while each member was given plenty of room to
showcase their talent. These guys simply gel together like no other. My only
complaint was that Luke had to keep the between song banter to a minimum and
no dirty jokes or Sammy Davis Jr. impressions were done, which if anyone has
ever seen or heard, are hysterical.
The set was longer than I had anticipated, but still a bit short for a die
hard fan like myself, but to able to have witnessed this band from the front
row and to have finally seen Steve Lukather in the flesh made this one of
the most memorable shows of my life. I do hope that American audiences will
one day get reaquinted with this band and give them the credit they deserve.
They are simply amazing and there aren't many bands today that can hold a
candle to their wealth of talent and songwriting.
Setlist:
1. Bodavistava (Steely Dan)
2. Girl Goodbye
3. Africa
4. I'll Be Over You
5. You Could Be Loved (Bob Marley)
6. House of the Rising Sun / Guitar solo
7. Jake To The Bone (instr) / Drum solo
8. Won't Hold You Back
9. Georgy Porgy
10. Rosanna
11. Hold The Line
12. Home Of The Brave
