On July 25, 1995, the Doobie Brothers played the Star Lake Amphitheatre with the Steve Miller Band and it was a big deal because other than a few scattered reunion shows, Michael McDonald hadn’t been out with the band since the split in 1982.
Little did we know it would be another 27 years before that would happen again, especially since they all seem to like each other.
McDonald, Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons finally made their way back to Western Pennsylvania together Saturday for a Star Lake show originally scheduled for 2020 as the 50th Anniversary. That show, of course, was bumped to 2021, and then bumped again when McDonald contracted COVID in September.
“We’ll call it 50 years,” Simmons said a few songs in. “It’s a little more than that, but anything over 50 starts to get scary.”
So, where do you start?
From the very beginning. The Doobies hit the stage with Johnston, the most robust of the singers, taking the lead on “Nobody,” the first song on the first album, back in 1971. It was a driving acoustic rocker that nobody but the hardcore fans know.
It was the first indication that The Doobies didn’t come to just play a greatest hits show. Oh, they played them, but they also dug into some deep tracks, like “Clear As the Driven Snow,” the proggiest of Doobies songs, and “Eyes of Silver,” quite the jazz excursion.
They also came with tuneful new songs like “Better Days” and “Don’t Ya Mess With Me” that are a few notches down from vintage-era Doobies but sound rock radio-friendly in some universe, nonetheless.
“We’re gonna do one more new song,” Johnston said between them, “then we’ll get on with the stuff you came to hear.”
He was only being partly truthful with that because two songs later they did the 2010 song “World Gone Wrong,” which was, as promised, a pretty funky trip to New Orleans. The first of those.
So, how was Mr. McDonald, aka Captain Michael, in the Yacht Rock world?
He came along in the early ‘70s with Steely Dan and the Doobies with an impossibly high, one-of-a-kind blue-eyed soul voice that was going to be a chore to maintain at 70, which he turned in February.
We got the first wind of it two songs in when he and Johnston traded verses on “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While).” It’s still distinctly McDonaldian. It sounded a little like a struggle then. Now it sounds more so, which makes it less smooth. If it was like a cool glass of milk then, now it’s kind of like a lumpier milkshake.
Simmons had told the PG in a recent interview that McDonald is happy now in a situation where he doesn’t have to carry a whole solo show. You can see where that would be a strain. That said, it was good to hear him on songs like “You Belong to Me” and “Minute by Minute,” even if they weren’t pristine.
Simmons may have the easiest of the voices to maintain, cause he’s just super chill, doing “South City Midnight Lady” and “Dependin' on You.”
Throughout the two-hour show, with no opener, all of the harmonies were dead-on, and Johnston and Simmons took turns churning out scorching solos with classic tones. The Doobie Brothers had some of the best guitar engineering and they matched that pretty well live. At times, they were a three-guitar army with longtime member John McFee, who also played pedal steel. Almost stealing the show at times was charismatic sax man Marc Russo, who was blowing fire every time he stepped forth.
Once we got past that jumble of new songs and deeper tracks, the Doobies went on a nine-song tear of hits at the end, starting with “Minute by Minute” and gearing up their hardest rocker, “Without You,” and total throwdowns on “Jesus Is Just Alright,” “Long Train Runnin'” (Russo’s big showcase) and beloved set-closer “China Grove.”
“Black Water,” their only No. 1 hit, was that second funky trip to the Bayou, McDonald let loose the rhythm and blues on “Takin' It to the Streets,” and they wrapped it up with their calling card, “Listen to the Music.”
Johnston has a point about anything over 50 years being kind of scary, but, as they detailed in the new bio “Long Train Runnin’” they’ve been doing it since they were kids, and when you make music that never gets old, maybe it keeps you young.
Doobie Brothers Set List
Nobody
Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)
Here to Love You
Dependin' on You
Rockin' Down the Highway
You Belong to Me
Easy
South City Midnight Lady
Clear as the Driven Snow
It Keeps You Runnin'
Eyes of Silver
Better Days
Don't Ya Mess With Me
Real Love
World Gone Crazy
Minute by Minute
Without You
Jesus Is Just Alright
(The Art Reynolds Singers cover) pat killer guitar
What a Fool Believes
(Kenny Loggins cover)
Long Train Runnin'
China Grove
Encore:
Black Water
Takin' It to the Streets … teased Still crazy
Listen to the Music
First Published: July 10, 2022, 3:35 a.m.
