After years of listening to them on the radio (and my “classics” playlist), I had the pleasure of attending Toto’s show at the Hydro last Saturday.
The evening opened with the one and only Christopher Cross, along with his unbelievably talented group of instrumentalists and three back-up vocalists. He belted out fan favourites like “Ride Like The Wind” and “Arthur’s Theme” and included a touching personal anecdote about a song inspired by a visit to Africa with his children, wrapping up his set with “Hey Laura”.
At about 9pm the Dogs of Oz themselves strutted onstage, their energy and grins contagious, letting us all know that we were in for a show of a lifetime. The crowd reciprocated and we all stood up to sing “Rosanna” at the top of our lungs, along with their other classics, “Hold the Line” and “Georgy Porgy”. Some of the best parts of this gig were when the band prompted the audience to sing along, particularly during “Don’t Chain My Heart” and of course, “Africa”. Seeing so much talent on one stage and singing their timeless tunes back to them was probably one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
During almost every track, Steve Lukather’s surprise guitar solos put the audience in an absolute trance. Seeing this absurdly talented living legend do his thing, no less as bridges to songs most of us know and love by themselves, was truly the ultimate experience.
Another highlight of the night was seeing each member individually perform mind-blowing solos. Dennis Atlas, in particular, might be my new hero, with his keyboard solos and his voice both being what I can only describe as genuinely otherworldly.
Toto has always been a bucket-list sort of band for me, as I’m sure they are for many others, and the gig itself was everything and more that I’d hoped for. It’s one of those shows where you rewatch the few short videos you took over and over, and reliving it somehow never feels less magical.
The artists, the solos, the banter between band members, the audience, the venue and even the lighting really did ‘meet all the way’ and came together to create one of the best nights of my life.