Local rock heroes the Doobie Brothers headline Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Bay Area rock institution and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Doobie Brothers bring their current tour featuring singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald to the Toyota Pavilion at Concord Sunday night.
Founded in San Jose in 1970 by guitarist, singer and principle songwriter Tom Johnston, the Doobie Brothers built a strong regional following with their mix of R&B, folk, blues and rock. The roots of the band date back a year earlier when drummer John Hartman was introduced to Johnston by former Moby Grape member Skip Spence. The two musicians began collaborating, eventually bringing on guitarist and songwriter Pat Simmons and original bassist Dave Shogren.
Adopting the moniker the Doobie Brothers, the group played any gig they could find across the Bay Area and Northern California, building a following that included local chapters of the Hells Angels (the Doobies frequently performed at the Chateau Liberté, an Angels hangout in the Santa Cruz Mountains). A demo that spotlighted the twin lead guitars of Johnston and Simmons as well as their three-part vocal harmonies caught the ear of Warner Bros. A&R rep and producer Ted Templeman, who signed the band and took them into the studio.
While their first album made little impact, their seminal second effort Toulouse Street kicked off a string of critical and commercial successes powered by such early hits as "Listen To The Music," "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me," "Rockin' Down the Highway," "Takin' It To The Streets" and "China Grove." Toulouse Street also was the first album to feature new bassist Tiran Porter, who brought a funkier sound to the group's propulsive tunes. Their 1973 follow-up album The Captain and Me would eventually go double platinum, while the next year's What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits featured the Doobies' first #1 hit in the Simmons-penned "Black Water," ironically the b-side to the album's first single "Another Park, Another Sunday."
When health problems sidelined Johnston in 1975, the Doobie Brothers brought veteran session singer and keyboard player Michael McDonald to join the band. The group's sound took a turn from the guitar-focused boogie of their early efforts to a more sophisticated style of blue-eyed soul anchored by McDonald's distinctive vocals and keyboards and former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's stinging leads with such hits as "Long Train Running," "What A Fool Believes," "It Keeps You Runnin'" and "Minute By Minute."
Johnston returned to the fold after recovering his health, but his role in the band was diminished and before long he departed again to launch a solo career, just after Minute by Minute became the Doobies biggest hit album yet. Despite the success, there was friction between members with Baxter and longtime drummer Hartman departing after the record was released. The group continued on with new members, but after the release of One Step Closer in 1980, plans for Simmons to leave for his own solo career led the Doobies to announce a farewell tour in 1982 that came to a close at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre with a show that featured Johnston returning to play "China Grove" and "Listen to the Music."
While McDonald would enjoy the most successful solo career of the band's members, he joined an initial reunion in 1987 for a benefit concert that would become an acclaimed 12-date tour featuring alumni from across the band's history. A line-up featuring the early pre-McDonald version of the Doobies reconvened to record the 1989 comeback album Cycles, that found the veteran band in heavy rotation on MTV with their throwback hit "The Doctor." The group has recorded sporadically and toured consistently since then, but only occasionally shared the stage with McDonald until he rejoined the fold for the first time in a quarter century during the band's 2020 tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary and the Doobies induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Fans can expect a career-spanning setlist of greatest hits and album cuts when the band headlines Toyota Pavilion at Concord on Sunday night. '80s blues favorite the Robert Cray Band warms up the crowd with an opening set.
The Doobie Brothers with the Robert Cray Band
Sunday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. $38-$191.50
Toyota Pavilion at Concord