Whoa oh whoa, listen to the music, because The Doobie Brothers are back on the road. The yacht rock royalty kicked off their 46-city North American tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California on June 23, joined by The Robert Cray Band. Nearly fifty years since the release of the band’s eighth album, Minute by Minute, and Micheal McDonald, Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee are still grooving as hard as they did in the ‘70s.
The Doobie Brothers stayed true to form for their night in Los Angeles, dishing out an unbeatable 19-song setlist filled with their characteristic harmonies, saxophone solos, acoustic guitars and soulful keys. Touching nearly all their bases, the band played at least one song from 9 of their 15 albums, including the live debut of “Cannonball” from their 2021 record Liberté.
The Doobie Brothers set the tone from the get-go, starting with the upbeat strums of “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While),” followed by the in-the-pocket grooves of “Here to Love You” and “Dependin’ on You.” The band kept fans moving with the pulse of indisputable hits like “Eyes of Silver” and “World Gone Crazy.”
In an interview with The Bradenton Times, guitarist and founding member Pat Simmons discusses their thought process in developing the setlist for the tour.
“Our setlist is obviously going to be the songs that are more familiar to people and then a few oddball songs that we want to play for ourselves. We just finished a new album and as it stands, we’re going to be doing at least one song from that new album that we recorded recently called ‘Walk This Road.’”
Saving the best for last, the band closed the night with cult classics like “What A Fool Believes,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove,” returning for a spirited encore with “Black Water,” “Takin’ It To The Streets” and “Listen to the Music.” Even if some of these songs have been played over 1000 times live, no matter how familiar these melodies may be, they never seem to get old.
Having been around for over 50 years, The Doobie Brothers have always been one-of-their-kind, responsible for the sounds that defined a genre of smooth-rockin’, foot-tappin’ music for the soul. Whether you’re driving down a long desert highway or lounging by the beach with a cocktail in hand, The Doobie Brothers have the kind of versatility that withstands the test of time. Currently working on producing their first album with Micheal McDonald since 1980, Simmons discusses the bands longevity.
“So many bands I think hold on to petty differences, jealousies and s***. We’ve been able to get past that. I certainly think it’s so much easier when you’re younger to be plagued by that kind of thinking. We broke up more than once and so here we are back together 50 years from our inception. A lot of it is just luck. We do work hard. We do enjoy what we have and we don’t take it for granted.”
The 2024 Tour
06/25 - Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
06/26 - Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
06/29 - Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
06/30 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07/02 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
07/03 - Durant, OK @ Choctaw Grand Theater
07/06 - Rodgers, AR @ Walmart AMP
07/08 - Jacksonville, FL @ Daily's Place
07/10 - West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
07/11 - Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/13 - Atlanta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
07/14 - Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boiling Arena at Food City Center
07/30 - Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavillion
07/31 - Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
08/03 - Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
08/04 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
08/06 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arena
08/07 - New York City, NY @ Madison Square Garden
08/09 - Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre
08/10 - Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
08/12 - Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
08/13 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
08/15 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
08/17 - Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
08/18 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
08/20 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
08/22 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
08/24 - St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL
08/25 - Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
08/27 - Omaha, NE @ CHI Health
08/29 - Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
08/30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater
09/03 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
09/05 - Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
09/06 - Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater
09/08 - Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
09/10 - Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheater
09/27 - Syracuse, NY @ Oncenter War Memorial
09/28 - Allentown, PA @ PPL
10/08 - London, Ontario @ Budweiser Gardens
10/09 - Kitchener, Ontario @ The Aud
10/12 - Laval, Quebec @ Place Bell
10/13 - Kingston, Ontario @ Slush Puppy Palace
10/15 - Quebec City, Quebec @ Centre Videotron
10/16 - Saint John, New Brunswick @ TD Station
