ICC Sydney Theatre
Saturday 19th April 2055
Toto first toured Australia in 1992 on the back of Kingdom of Desire, and those shows lifted the roofs off the clubs and beer barns of the day. They’ve since returned to Australia several times over the years, selling out venues, with their most recent tour prior to this, being in 2019. So, their latest venture to Australia as a touring entity was naturally met with an enthused response, selling out the venue that is almost doubled in size to their previous tour.
The ICC Sydney Theatre, as a seated venue, has a steep tiered set up which allows for a good view of the stage, and a quality audio experience, regardless of the location, and as a replacement of sorts for the old warhorse that was the Entertainment Centre, it is an impressive improvement.
Opening tonight was award winning, guitar aficionado, Christopher Cross, whose set drew substantially from his self-titled album, Christopher Cross, and to still be hitting the boards decades later, with a solid fanbase, hanging on every note is an impressive feat. His debut album artwork cover was used a large backdrop, with the frontman positioned centre stage, backed by a trio of combo amplifiers, twin foldback wedges, and two guitar racks.
To his left was keyboardist and wind instruments musician, Andy Suzuki, whist to his right, grand pianist, Jerry Léonide. Behind Léonide were three backing singers, Jewelee Peters, Lisbet Guldbaek, and Julia Sarr, all on one riser, in pink skirts, whilst behind Suzuki, was drummer Francis Arnaud and to his left, bassist, Kevin Reveyrand.
“All Right” from 1983’s Another Page opened, enhanced by some oboe from Suzuki. His backing vocalists added chorus stylings, as did his pianist, with some excellent drumming prowess, deftly returning to the song rhythm figure without missing a beat. Some solid soling guitar playing, with tasteful tone, soon ensued from Cross on his Anderson Stratocaster styled guitar. His debut album, vocal driven track of “Never Be the Same” followed with guitar chord strumming subtlety, embellished with some of more Suzuki’s wind instrument skills that soon melded into a brief, succinct solo section, then moving effortlessly into a key change, and vocal harmonies between Cross and his backing vocalists.
His rapport with the audience between tracks was immediate, referring to his upcoming 74th birthday with self-deprecating wit. Re-arranged version of “I Really Don’t Know Anymore” had rhythm section drive, led by his bassist, and more backing vocals during the chorus push, against piano accented chords, then delving into some piano soloing, traded with fluid saxophone lines, and solid percussion.
Referring to deep cuts, and devoted fans, Cross aired “Dreamers” from the 2011 Doctor Faith album, dedicating it to social justice, thus Dr. Martin Luther King. Using some acoustic chorus effects, Cross coaxed some interesting guitar tones, and utilised his backup vocalists, with some keyboard washes to fill out the track. Cross’ subtle yet melodic command of guitar was evident in his solo.
After band member introductions from Cross, Léonide was spotlit for a chordal introduction, the first big hit of the evening arrived with debut album track “Sailing”, at which point all the phones in the audience arose, capturing video. Cross’ guitar lines rang out as lighting patterns flashed across the stage, with his vocals soon introducing the recognisable track’s melody line.
Musicianship continued to be evident with the backing vocals and piano introduced the light filled lament of “Think of Laura” from Another Page, followed by recent, country tinged, melodic song “You”, backed with wind instrumentation, shortly after a guitar strap repair, and some quips to the audience from Cross. The film soundtrack hit of “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” that originally included Toto as the rhythm section, was next, and went over beautifully, with spinning lighting arrays and the requisite saxophone solo.
Debut album track “The Light Is On” was delivered with exacting music skills. Cross’ solo guitar playing was tasteful, with a dash of gain, and without overpowering the song. “No Time for Talk”, also from Another Page followed, allowing for some pianist brilliance from Léonide. Of course, to finish proceedings, debut album international hit “Ride Like the Wind”. Red stage lighting, with backing vocalists adding some choreography to the lyrics, and post chorus audience handclaps added to the flawless delivery of the hit track. Cross even added some spicy guitar soloing with great blues guitar tones and techniques, with the completion of the set met with a standing ovation.
The stage changeover this evening was fast, with a local crew of many spinning the various platforms and staging requirements for Toto with utmost speed. As the Toto sword moniker backdrop appeared, and the stage set was configured, with guitarist Steve Lukather’s amplifier cabinets set back into the stage, nestled between the platforms of new keyboardist and vocalist Dennis Atlas, and percussion based multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham, it was a given this was a serious guitar show.
Lights soon dimmed for Toto to walk on, kicking off with debut album, Toto, instrumental track “Child’s Anthem”, with Lukather slightly stage right of centre stage, flanked to his right by legendary session keyboardist Greg Phillinganes who recently returned to the Toto live fold. To Lukather’s left was enduring, superb vocalist Joseph Williams, then bassist John Pierce, poached from Huey Lewis and the News, with drumming maestro Shannon Forrest situated on a riser. So, in effect, there were three risers with each with rigs for Atlas, Ham and Forrest.
“Carmen” from the fantastic 1984 album Isolation followed, with Atlas adding backing vocals. Lukather’s guitar tone, perfect as always, reverberated throughout the venue, with him boisterously walking around the stage. The dual keyboards set up allowed for a combination of piano and keyboard tones, depending on the song requirements, but with handclaps from the audience and Williams hamming his tambourine between vocals, it was evident many eyes were glued to Lukather, who was simply astonishing to watch peeling off solos, and rhythm parts with flawless ease.
Changing guitars was par for the course and soon started by the third track, with “Rosanna” from the incommensurate Toto IV being unleashed early on. Williams and Lukather’s vocals were harmonious, with the latter’s signature guitar solo, after Atlas’ keyboard solo, played note for note to the record, with all the jazzy passing notes. It’s a perfect song, with the chorus getting the first of many singalongs. Somehow, in the song, Toto managed to insert a snippet of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, probably because they could. Then the outro solo, which started out as a jam section, soon morphed into the two-tone bends, and fiery set of licks that floored guitarists back in 1982 and still remains a definitive Lukather guitar solo.
Lukather, aka Luke, took on vocal duties, for the poetic Hydra track “99”, which was followed swiftly with the underrated Mindfields title track, and the chant like “I Will Remember” from Tambu, as backing lighting changed colours and pulsed. The fiery guitar prowess kicked back in with the amusing Williams’ ‘anecdote’ introduced “Pamela” from The Seventh One, which also included trade off solos staring with Atlas and then Phillinganes. As Lukather soloed, Williams pointed to his guitar virtuoso mate, with Phillinganes and Lukather soon trading solo parts, as Lukather jumped between rhythm and lead sounds without missing a beat.
To introduce the heartfelt “I Won’t Hold You Back” from Toto IV, Phillinganes contributed a piano solo, being spotlit, after which Williams and Lukather traded vocal lines. A trip down memory lane was enhanced with Atlas’ falsetto vocals on the only other song heard from Isolation tonight, in “Angel Don’t Cry”, which has the proverbial hard rock guitar riff of the age. Crowd favourites continued with “Georgy Porgy”, a keyboard solo from Atlas that seemed to include aspects of Jordan Rudess’ track “Hoedown”, not surprisingly given his tenure with extraordinary instrumental guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal. It was cool to get a live rendition of Hydra track “White Sister”, with Lukather soloing as per the era, with unrestrained relish, and plentiful wide bends.
The ballads of Fahrenheit track “I’ll Be Over You” and live favourite from The Seventh One, track “Stop Loving You” were next. The former saw Lukather on vocal duties, then passing that baton to Williams, as Luke soloed with enigmatic charisma, as the venue was lit up with phone lights. The latter track saw Ham jump from his riser to join Phillinganes and Luke as he worked on his saxophone. Luke’s soloing then melded with a crowd singalong, as the song completed with dramatic chord hits by the keyboardists. An array of coloured lighting then ensued as Forrest hammered his drums, managing to knock off a cymbal from his riser in the process, which was duly reinstated by a crew member, for Forrest to wallop the cymbal just to check it was intact.
“Don’t Chain My Heart” from the positively hard rock album Kingdom of Desire was delivered with powering sustained chords and expressive, loose bluesy, borderline fusion soloing. If you saw “Gypsy Train” live in 1992, this was a mere taste of how powering across genres Toto can be when they feel inclined. Changing guitars again, and with a jovial crowd interaction, the big hits were due, but not before band member introductions that let no doubt as to the vintage and legacy status of the musicians on stage. As each member was introduced by Lukather, with his usual sardonic wit, snippets of massive hits were played by all, from “Beat It”, “Carry on My Wayward Son”, to “The Power of Love”, The Blues Brothers and The Lion King. Williams then joked that Lukather had 87% alien DNA, as Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” riff was referenced.
To kick off the final trifecta of songs, “I’ll Supply the Love” from Toto had the punch and power of the day, with all the band working together, pushing the funk groove of the track. Shortly after, “Hold the Line”, also from Toto, delivered the piano riff introduced hit the audience had craved, with Lukather’s soloing typically mesmerising. Naturally, “Africa” found its way to top of the set list to close out the show. Seemingly, the song has found a way to sit well with Lukather and company, who probably had tired of the track at one point in time. But as professionals, there is no hint of not enjoying playing the track live. As various lighting effects pulsed and added to the stage set, Toto finished their victorious set with their classic chart-topping hit from Toto IV. Long may Toto grace our stages, play their hits and demonstrate to all ages what true musicianship entails. A flawless and sensational performance by both acts tonight, but with Toto being unquestionably fantastic.
Set List:
Child’s Anthem
Carmen
Rosanna
99
Mindfields
I Will Remember
Pamela
Keyboard Solo – Greg Phillinganes
I Won’t Hold You Back
Angel Don’t Cry
Georgy Porgy
Keyboard Solo – Dennis Atlas
White Sister
I’ll Be Over You
Stop Loving You
Drum Solo
Don’t Chain My Heart
I’ll Supply the Love
Hold the Line
Africa.