May 26, 2020

Toto - 35th Anniversary - Live In Poland (2014)

A wildly successful band in their own right, Toto helped shaped the sound of pop music in the '70s and '80s not just with their own songs, but as studio musicians for Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Michael Jackson.
Celebrating their 35th anniversary, the band that served as the backbone for some of the smoothest pop hits of their day take Europe by storm on 35th Anniversary Tour: Live in Poland.
Playing to a massive, standing-room-only crowd in Lodz, Poland, a lineup featuring Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, David Paich, and Joseph Williams take to the stage to deliver a stellar performance for their ecstatic European fans.
Featuring hits like "Africa," "Rosanna," and a rousing rendition of "Hold the Line," this live set does their old material justice, and will be a welcome addition to the collection of any die-hard Toto fan.

Over the last decade, Toto has put together a handful of live DVDs. One might think this is a band past its prime simply seeking to cash in on its middle-aged fan base who've got the cash to buy multiple DVDs from the favorite bands of their youth (i.e...I'm looking at you, Chicago). So when I got the new "Live in Poland," I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The lineup with Joseph Williams (featured on "Fahrenheit" and "The Seventh One") was, in my view, the best version of the band because it featured a variety of contrasting voices. The Bobby Kimball concerts of recent years were good, but Kimball's vocal was sometimes overpowering or just a bit over-the-top in its delivery. This DVD, featuring Joseph Williams as the lead vocalist on many songs, is truly excellent. J-Will's voice is still in top form. Even with the passage of time, he seems to understand the limits that may come with age and doesn't push where he can't go when he was in his 20's...but you won't miss those few notes. The songs are thoughtfully crafted with new touches, truly enjoyable.

David Paich (exclusively on piano) and Steve Lukather are still the driving musical forces behind the band. You can tell that these guys were all friends from high school who've been playing together for 35 years.

Highlights include "Going Home" (with its original writer, Williams, delivering the vocal the way it always should have been). On many of the songs that originally featured Bobby Kimball, Williams' voice is truly at home. He's not trying to do a Kimball imitation at all, yet he owns the songs, something Jason Scheff of Chicago could never say when singing Peter Cetera's songs. In many cases, these live versions are better than the originals. "It's a Feeling" never stood out to me on its original studio track, but it's now a new favorite. "White Sister" really rocks with Williams on the mic.

Steve Lukather still sounds the same on his vocals. Paich's jazzy piano puts a nice twist is put on "99," breathing some life into one of Toto's early hits that otherwise might not stand the test of time that well.


CD1
1.  Intro 13 
2.  Medley - 5:32
    (a) On The Run 
    (b) Child's Anthem 
    (c) Goodbye Elenore 
3.  Goin' Home - 5:04
4 . Hydra - 7:17
5.  St George And The Dragon - 5:45 
6.  I'll Be Over You - 5:19
7.  It's A Feeling - 3:37
8.  Rosanna - 9:43
9.  Wings Of Time - 9:35 
10.  Falling In Between - 4:02
11.  I Won't Hold You Back - 5:50
12.  Pamela - 6:11

CD2
1.  99 - 4:17 
2.  The Muse - 2:43
3.  White Sister - 7:13
4.  Better World - 8:13
5.  Africa - 10:24
6.  How Many Times - 5:51 
7.  Stop Loving You - 7:29
8.  Hold The Line - 5:14
9.  Home Of The Brave (Encore) - 10:11

Companies, etc.
Credits

Notes
Released: 2014
Recorded live at the Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland June 25th 2013.
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock, Soft Rock
Length: 2:09:37

Label - Eagle Records 
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