Live Review: Toto

Whether it was the notoriety associated with a cover-and-response exchange with Weezer or being featured in the likes of Stranger Things and South Park, as they undertook their 40^th anniversary tour rockers Toto found themselves in the headlines again.

Like selected mega-selling contemporaries that survived their hard-living glory days, the jazz-infused prog-pop/rockers were evidently now able to reap the spoils of nostalgia and the marketability of “classic rock” branding. This resulted in drawing a predominantly enthusiastic audience that while largely skewing older still retained a multi-generational feel. A thumbs down, though, to a noticeable, but vocal minority of punters who had evidently shelled out their hard-earned solely to hear that song (as the band referred to it) and opted to converse loudly amongst themselves for the remaining two hours. A little gig etiquette goes a long way, folks.

“We still have fun for a bunch of old guys,” guitarist/vocalist/band linchpin Steve Lukather quipped. The, at times, somewhat self-indulgent vibe even included airing the title track from their score for David Lynch's ill-received '80s sci-fi epic Dune, which Lukather joked they'd had plenty of requests for. 

On occasions dad rock-esque vocalist Joseph Williams ceded centre stage to fan favourite Lukather, or the assorted virtuoso solo spots and lengthy instrumental passages that reminded all and sundry of their collective, considerable chops. That may have led to a few casual fans heading to the bar but devotees lapped it up. Toto's core line-up was fleshed out to an eight-piece live outfit via the likes of a percussionist and saxophonist/backing vocalist, as well as impressive keyboardist Dominique 'Xavier' Taplin (Prince), filling in for founding member David Paich due to health issues.

Airing chart-dominating Hold The Line second song in was a deft move, and Rosanna, boasting those anthemic hooks you just can't shift from your cerebral cortex several tracks later aided the momentum. After covering the Beatles' It's Only Make Believe ushered in plenty of crowd participation, before an extended Africa inevitably supplied the roof-raising finale to the main set. Having an anthem in your catalogue that's nudging half a billion streams on Spotify was clearly a blessing. The crowd had thinned somewhat as the group returned to encore with their version of Weezer's Hash Pipe, which may have confused the uninitiated but somehow proved fitting.

Overall, this was a well-honed show that did exactly what it said on the tin; a greatest hits-style evening punctuated by Toto's trademark genre-hopping prowess and instrumental flair.