Rockin’ With The Doobies 50 Years Down the Highway

The Doobie Brothers, a band I’ve loved for many years, have been celebrating their 50th anniversary with an extensive tour that started in August 2021. When they announced a few months ago the addition of 35 U.S. dates including a show right in my neck of the woods, I spontaneously decided to get a ticket. That gig happened on Saturday (July 8) at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, and turned out to be a great night!

After attending two fantastic Doobies concerts in the late ’90s and in July 2018, initially, I had not planned to see them a third time. But then I spotted the above opportunity and listened to the music again. When ticket prices turned out to be reasonable, going to another Doobies concert felt like a no-brainer. Then, I got second thoughts.

The Doobie Brothers (from left): Patrick Simmons, Marc Russo & John McFee and Michael McDonald

In May, Ultimate Classic Rock and other entertainment outlets reported that founding member Tom Johnston (vocals, guitar, harmonica) needed to sit out the tour’s upcoming leg due to a back injury that required surgery – bummer! After all, Johnston was a crucial member, especially during the band’s early days, which are generally my favorite period. How would his absence impact their sound, especially their multi-part harmony vocals? Fortunately, my concerns turned out to be completely unfounded!

The line-up who performs during the tour’s current leg features Patrick Simmons (guitar, banjo, flute, vocals), the band’s only constant member during all of their incarnations and their de facto leader; John McFee (guitar, violin, pedal steel guitar, harmonica, vocals) and Michael McDonald (vocals, keyboards, mandolin, accordion), who initially had joined the Doobies in April 1975 as a temporary replacement for Johnston. They are supported by top-notch musicians Marc Russo (saxophone), John Cowan (bass, vocals), Ed Toth (drums) and Marc Quiñones (percussion).

The Doobies at State Theatre New Jersey, July 8, 2023

Including their eponymous April 1971 debut, The Doobie Brothers have released 15 studio albums, which have sold more than 48 million copies and won four Grammy awards. Their most recent, Liberté, appeared in October 2021, which I reviewed here at the time. In 2020, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, something Simmons noted during the show, thanking the band’s fans for getting them there. His words felt very genuine!

The concert’s setlist drew from nine albums and not surprisingly focused on the group’s ’70s releases, their heyday, particularly The Captain and Me (1973) and Minute by Minute (1978), as well as Toulouse Street (1972), Stampede (1975), What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) and Takin’ It to the Streets (1976). The only two non-’70s albums, from which the Doobies played songs, were One Step Closer (1980) and the aforementioned Liberté (2021). I’d say let’s listen to the music!

At some point during the show, a grateful Simmons mused he was happy to stand on this stage. Simmons who is turning 75 this October jokingly added he was happy to stand anywhere, wondering whether he had taken his medicine. He also cheerfully noted the band would rock as hard as they can – and boy they delivered! Here’s Rockin’ Down the Highway, written by Johnston and included on Toulouse Street, the Doobies’ second album released in July 1972. This combination of rock and multi-part harmony singing is my kind of Doobies song!

Eyes of Silver, another tune Johnston penned, was among the setlist’s tracks I did not recognize – thank goodness for Setlist.fm! It’s a tune off What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits, the Doobies’ fourth album from February 1974. I love the song’s soulful vibe. Check out Michael McDonald on vocals – that tune was made for him. And Marc Russo who just is a hell of a saxophonist!

One of my all-time favorites by the Doobies is Jesus Is Just Alright, another track from Toulouse Street. Originally, this is a gospel song written by Art Reynolds and first recorded by Reynolds’ own group, The Art Reynolds Singers, on their 1966 album, Tellin’ It Like It Is. Do yourself a favor and also check the tune’s original – so good! And then listen to the Doobies’ mighty rendition!

Usually, I focus concert reviews on the main part of the show, but when the encore is as killer as in this case, I’ll happily make an exception. BTW, I should briefly note the main set went down without any noticeable glitch. As soon as they were ready to launch into the encore, for some reason, none of Simmons’ two acoustic guitars had sound. He was pretty relaxed about it, while McDonald and Russo proved they were quick on their feet and launched into a cool instrumental improvisation featuring piano and saxophone. And some point, they worked in a portion of Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years. And then came this: Takin’ It to the Streets, the title track of the Doobies’ March 1976 studio album, which was their sixth. Again, McDonald who really sounded sweet on vocals, and Russo were standouts.

Next up was the track that initially had been planned as the first song of the encore: Black Water, another tune off What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. This was one of the moments when John McFee demonstrated his impressive multi-instrumental skills, in this case, the fiddle. Earlier in the evening, he had played some neat pedal steel guitar. This guy is an amazing musician! At 72, age appears to have been very kind to him. The song about the Mississippi River, which I think is safe to say is one of the Doobies’ most beloved tunes, was penned by Simmons.

And then it was time for the final song of the night. To the more casual listener, it may have been a surprise The Doobie Brothers not only chose to perform a cover but picked a seemingly out-of-left-field tune: Pretzel Logic, the title track of Steely Dan’s 1974 studio album. Of course, if you’re a fan of the Dan you know that Michael McDonald became a recurring guest on Steely Dan albums starting with 1975’s Katy Lied, the album that followed Pretzel Logic. This nice jam version was a perfect way to end a great night!

Here’s the setlist:
• Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) (Kim Weston cover)
• Here to Love You
• Dependin’ on You
• Rockin’ Down the Highway
• Neal’s Fandango
• You Belong to Me
• Slack Key Soquel Rag
• South City Midnight Lady
• Clear as the Driven Snow
• It Keeps You Runnin’
• Eyes of Silver
• I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight & the Pips cover)
• Better Days
• Real Love
• Minute by Minute
• Without You
• Jesus Is Just Alright (The Art Reynolds Singers cover)
• What a Fool Believes (Kenny Loggins cover)
• Long Train Runnin’
• China Grove

Encore:
• Instrumental Improvisation (Michael McDonald & Marc Russo)
• Takin’ It to the Streets
• Black Water
• Listen to the Music
• Pretzel Logic (Steely Dan cover)

What else can I say? As I’m sure you’ve figured by now, I was a happy camper. I’m really glad I purchased my ticket before the news about Johnston’s back issues broke. His absence and my above-noted initial concerns likely would have changed my decision. I also should add that bassist John Cowan proved to be a pretty solid vocalist. While I would have loved to see Tom Johnston perform with the band, they did a fantastic job without him.

The Doobies’ 50th-anniversary tour was recently extended with a Canadian leg and currently has dates until the end of October. Upcoming gigs include Morristown, N.J. (July 11 & 12), Canandaigua, N.Y. (July 14), Springfield, Ill. (August 12) and Waite Park, Minn (August 18). Some of their other shows also include Memphis, Tenn. (August 25), Atlantic City (October 8) and Ottawa (October 16). The full schedule is here. If you love the Doobies and can get to one of their remaining gigs, I can highly recommend it!

Sources: Wikipedia; Billboard; Ultimate Classic Rock; Setlist.fm; The Doobie Brothers website; YouTube

Tedeschi Trucks Band’s I Am The Moon Called Their Most Ambitious Studio Project to Date

Last Friday (Aug 26), Tedeschi Trucks Band released I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell, the fourth and final installment of their I Am the Moon four-album series. This is the second part of my review of what has been called the band’s most ambitious studio effort to date. You can read the first part here.

Borrowing from my previous post, I Am the Moon is a series of four albums, each accompanied by a film, with a total of 24 songs. The extraordinary project was inspired by a 12th-century Persian poem. Intriguingly, the very same poem also inspired one of the greatest blues rock albums of all time: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, by Derek and the Dominos.

Tedeschi Trucks Band: Led by Susan Tedeschi (guitar, vocals) and Derek Trucks (guitar), the group also includes original members Tyler Greenwell (drums, percussion), Mike Mattison (harmony vocals), Mark Rivers (harmony vocals) and Kebbi Williams (saxophone). Isaac Eady (drums & percussion), Alecia Chakour (harmony vocals), Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet), Brandon Boone (bass) and Gabe Dixon (keyboards & vocals) complete the current 12-piece lineup

I Am The Moon is the fifth studio effort by Tedeschi Trucks Band, who were founded in 2010 and are led by married couple Susan Tedeschi (guitar, vocals) and Derek Trucks (guitar). After touring together in 2007 as the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival, Trucks and Tedeschi merged their respective groups to create a mighty 11-piece band. In 2015, they added another member and have since been a 12-piece – what an army of musicians!

The project was inspired by Layla and Majnun, a poem written by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. The romantic narrative poem has been called the “Romeo and Juliet of the East” by English poet Lord Byron, who according to Wikipedia is considered one of the greatest English poets and a leading figure of the Romantic movement.

I’d say it’s time to get to some music. Let’s start with two tracks off I Am The Moon: III. The Fall, which was released on July 29. Here’s the opener Somehow, penned by the band’s keyboarder and vocalist Gabe Dixon, together with external songwriter Tia Sillers. The album’s accompanying essay by renowned American music journalist David Fricke describes the tune as “an easy-rolling groove that soon turns into full-blown soul power.” I could totally picture Bonnie Raitt singing it – love this!

Yes We Will is more bluesy. Penned by Susan Tedeschi, the tune is much closer to what I had associated with Tedeschi Trucks Band before listening to I Am The Moon. From Fricke’s essay: “Derek and I have so many blues roots,” she says, “and I really wanted to show those roots, where this band is at.” The result is early-Seventies B.B. King arm in arm with the Staple Singers, while the guitar breaks affirm the rise-and-shine in the lyrics and Tedeschi’s vocal. Come on, wake up people, can’t you see it now? Time is right now, she declares as Mattison, Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour bring the train-to-glory in the chorus. You can’t help but believe it. Great song!

Here’s a Spotify link to I Am The Moon: III. The Fall:

Here’s the companion film for the third album:

On to I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell. My first pick here is Soul Sweet Song, co-written by Derek Trucks, Gabe Dixon and the band’s harmony vocalist Mike Mattison. From Fricke’s album essay: “That was Gabe,” Trucks says of Dixon, who co-wrote this song with the guitarist and Mattison. “He had the idea of writing it about Kofi” – original TTB keyboard player Kofi Burbridge, who was ill when Dixon joined in late 2018, at first on a temporary basis. (Burbridge died in February 2019, on the day his last album with the group, Signs, was released.) “Gabe writing lyrics about Kofi (I feel your rhythm moving me/’Cause your soul’s sweet song’s still singing) – that one hit me between the eyes.” A special guest on congas, Marc Quiñones – a longtime bandmate with Trucks in the Allman Brothers Band – adds a decisive and familiar, rhythmic element to the celebration.

The last track I’d like to call out is I Can Feel You Smiling, which perfectly sums up my sentiment about this album series. One last time quoting from Fricke’s album essay: This sparsely arranged ballad “was fun to write,” says Trucks, who “woke up in the morning, had the tune and put it on my phone. It reminded me of something Oliver Wood” – singer-guitarist in the Wood Brothers and a longtime friend of TTB – “would have written, so I sent it to him. He wrote back, ‘Man, I woke up the last few days with that melody in my head. Do you mind if I write something to it?’ I’m like, ‘Have at it, man.'” Wood sent back “this beautiful recording with one verse and a chorus, and I was like ‘Okay, that song’s done!'” Dixon contributed as well, underscoring the group work ethic – in composing, arranging and performance – that produced every song on I Am The Moon.

Here’s a Spotify link to the fourth album:

And here’s the companion film to I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell.

I Am The Moon is a massive project, so there’s a lot to take in here. While I knew Tedeschi Trucks Band were top-notch musicians, I really didn’t expect them to be as soulful as they are on these four albums. Admittedly, at least part of it could be plain ignorance. In any case, I really dig what this group has done here. Now I feel like seeing them. After four big-ticket shows back in June, it is going to have to wait!

Sources: Tedeschi Trucks Band website; YouTube; Spotify