The Canadian Tire Centre was packed last night as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, The Doobie Brothers made a stop in Ottawa on the Canadian leg of their 50th anniversary tour.
For the first time in 25 years, fans were able to see original members Patrick Simmons (guitars/vocals), John McFee (guitars, pedal steel, dobro, fiddle, vocals) and Michael McDonald (vocals/keys), who joined the band in the mid-’70s and helped their rise to popularity and massive catalog of hit songs. This leg of the tour was unfortunately missing Tom Johnston (guitars/vocals), as he had surgery last spring and had to step away. Additional touring musicians included Bill Payne on keyboards, Marc Russo on saxophone, Ed Toth on drums, and John Cowan on bass and vocals.
They kicked off the show to a packed crowd with “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” and “Here To Love You”, featuring the instantly recognizable Michael McDonald on vocals. Hi soulful baritone and extensive range have been staples on radio for years and featured on many of the band’s biggest hits.
Together for more than five decades, The Doobie Brothers had no problem filling their 25-song set with hits and fan favourites, which displayed the talent and depth of the band and their additional touring musicians. Sharp musicianship and flawless vocal harmonies were on tap all night. Behind them, they made use of a massive video backdrop to add various visual enhancements to their songs, such as a set of spinning wheels for “Rockin’ Down The Highway”. Other highlights of their set included “Long Train Runnin’”, “China Grove,” and No. 1 singles “Black Water” and “What a Fool Believes”.
I was born in the ’70s, and as soon as I could manage to start digging through my mother’s albums, The Doobie Brothers were one of the groups that immediately caught my ear, and whose musical presence in my house growing up made an indelible impression on my love for music.
Despite the fact that their already long list of accomplishments is reason enough to take a break, they just keep going, releasing a new album, Liberté, in 2021 and their autobiography Long Train Runnin’ in 2022.
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