Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York: The Doobie Brothers remain one of the most consistently satisfying touring bands, almost five decades after their peak recording years. From 1971 to 1980, they were also a top live band.
Along the way, this group has gone through many lineups. There was the early version that established the Doobie Brothers as a rocking guitar band in northern California and featured the two founding members of the group, Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons. They continued to add players to the lineup, including two artists who would play with Steely Dan, Jeff Baxter and Michael McDonald.
With Tom Johnson struggling with addiction, McDonald moved to the center of the group and the Minute By Minute album in 1978 became a blockbuster. Yet, after 1980’s One Step Closer, the Doobie Brothers broke up. They only gradually came back to touring and then in 1989 started recording again, with Johnston returning and McDonald having long stepped away to pursue a highly successful solo career.
The band has appeared with and without McDonald and released seven albums since 1989. Their latest album Walk This Road (Rhino) includes McDonald and he is back on the road with the band. Bill Payne, who was also a member of Little Feat, had previously been the group’s touring keyboard player and had played on Doobie Brothers albums prior to McDonald joining the group in the 1970s. Aside from Simmons, Johnson and McDonald, John McFee is the longest-tenured member of the Doobie Brothers. The rest of the touring band includes John Cowan on bass, Marc Russo on sax, Ed Toth on drums and Marc Quinones on percussion.
While McDonald has played with the group on previous tours since their 1989 reunion, the current dates feel especially vibrant and are no doubt aided by the inclusion of material from a new album that includes McDonald as a full-time participant. It’s his first time being part of a group LP since Southbound in 2014, and his only other post-1980 appearance on a Doobie Brothers album. McDonald’s last solo project was 2017’s Wide Open.
After a well-received opening set from the Coral Reefer Band, the late Jimmy Buffet’s backing band, the sold-out crowd was treated to a solid show that highlighted the Doobie Brothers guitar-driven rock, jazzy soul songs that featured McDonald and new material that received an enthusiastic response.
No matter what music they performed from their peak recording years, it’s always amazing how the Doobie Brothers do such thrilling live versions of what are essentially meticulously recorded studio tracks. Those albums were primarily overseen by one of the top progenitor of the West Coast sound, Warner Bros. Records staff producer Ted Templeman. With those near-perfect studio albums, they can pick and choose from a long list of songs that transcended at the time.
The Doobie Brothers’ 90-minute-plus set kicked off with a cover of “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While),” which was a huge hit for the group in the ’70s. They continued with two from Minute by Minute, “Here to Love You” and “Dependin’ on You.” It’s incredible how the group can jump from a driving upbeat rockin’ cover to the subtle keyboard-based sound of their biggest McDonald-era album. They also did the title cut from Minute By Minute and the biggest hit from the album, “What a Fool Believes.”
Their more guitar-driven material was highlighted by blistering versions of “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Long Train Runnin'” and “China Grove.” “Jesus Is Just Alright With Me” was yet another moment that rocked. (While it’s a gospel song, this cover was inspired by the Byrds’ version.) The Doobie Brothers also did a handful of songs from their strong new album, including the title cut from Walk This Road and the particularly tasty Cajun-flavored “Angels and Mercy.”
The encores started off with Simmons and Johnston on acoustic guitars on the huge hit “Black Water,” before the title cut from Takin’ It to the Streets, the second songs in the show from that album. They closed with “Listen to the Music.” With yet another barn-burning tour and excellent new album out, the road seemingly goes on forever for the Doobie Brothers.
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