An American rock band founded in 1977 performed on Sunday 24th at Espaço Unimed, led by guitarist Steve Lukather, in front of 6,500 people
For reasons that border on the inexplicable, the Toto It’s one of those bands that didn’t have much success in Brazil. It’s true that his first three hits… Africa, Rosanna AND Hold the line – played a lot on national radio, but this failed to make the North American group, formed in 1977, popular here.
This Sunday, the 24th, they played only their second show in the country in their more than 45 year career. The memorable performance at Espaço Unimed marked the group’s return to São Paulo after 17 years. The Brazilian debut took place in 2007 at the now defunct Via Funchal.
The audience present in the concert hall located in the Barra Funda region knew exactly the importance of supporting Toto, an exponent of the so-called Yacht Rock, a musical subgenre that emerged between the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, characterized from smooth melodies, refined harmonies and sophisticated production effectively incorporate elements of jazz, R&B and soul music into rock. Within this label it is also common to associate names such as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and Christopher Cross.
Furthermore, the founders of the band – Steve Lukether (guitar), David Paich (keyboards and vocals) and the brothers Jeff (drums, passed away in 1992) and Steve Porcaro (keyboards) – were some of the most sought-after names in recording studios in the Eighties, including for recording sessions. Thriller (1982), by Michael Jackson, the best-selling album of all time. It is worth mentioning that the soundtrack of Dune (1984) was also created by this group of musicians.
With the departure of the other members, however, Lukather takes on the role of leader and remains the only original member. A first-rate guitarist, he is responsible, for example, for the solo of physicsthe success of Olivia Newton-John, as well as memorable parts in beat it. Among the millions of projects in which he has participated, two projects with Brazilians stand out: in Make evident (1979), by Gilberto Gil, e Candy (1983), by Rita Lee. Today, the 67-year-old artist shares his Toto work with being Ringo Starr’s right-hand man in the former Beatle’s solo career.
Leading the band that made him famous, Lukather is accompanied by equally illustrious names, such as keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, another illustrious participant in the Thriller (among other albums by the King of Pop); bassist John Pierce, member of Huey Lewis And The News for 30 years; and singer Joseph Williams, son of none other than John Williams, the master composer of some of history’s most important soundtracks.
In fact, it’s the singing voice of Simba’s Joseph in the classic Hakuna Matatafrom The Lion King (1994), a theme that at a certain point in the show was immediately remembered, characterized by an accurate repertoire, covered by the successes mentioned above, rediscovered by the new generations in series such as Stranger things, South Park AND The boysas well as other fan favorites: Georgy Porgy, Burn, I will provide the love, Stop loving yourself, I will forget you, 99, Pamela and the instrumental epic Jake to the bone.
“Muchas gracias! Thank you!”, said Lukather, addressing for the first time the audience in Sao Paulo, made up of around 6,500 people. With his white hair and “87% alien” DNA, as his colleague Joseph defines him, he walked excitedly from side to side and played with absurd dexterity.
The title of the current tour Dogz of Oz – which still passes through Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday 26th – refers to the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), from which the band draws inspiration for its name: Dorothy’s little dog is called Totó.
From the stage, for just over two hours, the extreme mastery in reproducing the complexity of Toto’s music overflowed, amplified by the high-level talent of the members with an almost mathematically calculated perfectionism, but without leaving room for improvisations and surprises , like covers of Small forwardby Jimi Hendrix, e With a little help from my friendsby the Beatles, but interpreted in the light of Joe Cocker’s emblematic blues version.
The brilliant concert left the definitive impression that Toto deserves more recognition and respect. Some disparagingly say the band makes “elevator music.” But the truth is that, nowadays, there is no group capable of conceiving pop songs of such refinement.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
