The band has announced 30 dates supporting Journey and 14 headlining shows for 2024
(EDITOR’S NOTE: In this episode, we mention Toto will perform with Journey for 44 dates this year. That number is 30 with 14 headlining dates of their own).
Next week, Toto launches its third consecutive tour with Journey with 30 appearances throughout the United States and Canada through the spring with an additional 14 headlining performances planned. A tour of Europe follows this summer with additional headlining dates to be announced.
The band is led by guitarist Steve Lukather (Luke) and frontman Joseph Williams, also known as The Dogz of Oz. In the fall of 2019, we began our podcast with Luke featured in our inaugural episode. Now, as we hit the 200 mark, we invited Williams to join us in the hot seat where we chat about the band’s new lineup featuring Williams on vocals, Luke on guitar and vocals, Greg Phillinganes returning on keyboards and vocals, Nashville studio musician Shannon Forrest returning on drums, John Pierce on bass, Warren Ham on horns, percussion, vocals, and Steve Maggiora on keyboards and vocals — and additional topics.
“It’s unbelievable how many versions of this band if you count all the musicians that have played from behind. Of the old guard, you know, it’s basically just me and Luke, you know,” Williams tells us. “But Greg Phillinganes is back and he was once a full-blown member back in the early 2000s. And we’re thrilled to have him back because he’s just exceptional in every single way, so that’s wonderful. And then Shannon who was with us during the teens for about six years is back, and it’s great to have him back. He probably more than anybody reminds me of the way [original drummer] Jeff [Porcaro] used to play. And he also has this encyclopedic knowledge of all the Toto material, so rehearsals are like a breeze. So between those guys, I mean, it’s really solid, and it sounds amazing. I can’t wait for everybody to hear it.”
Over the past decade, Toto has had a major renaissance in popularity like few bands at this point in their career. No individual statistic exhibits this more than achieving the milestone of over 3.4 billion streams at Spotify alone. The total plays of the band’s collected works across all platforms is now approaching five billion. Amongst the most listened-to recordings, “Africa” accounts for over one billion streams on Spotify alone. The song was recertified by the RIAA eight times platinum.
Individually and collectively, the band’s family tree can be heard on an astonishing five thousand albums that together amass a sales history of half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with hundreds of Grammy nominations. They are pop culture and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles while continuing to remain relevant.
Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV.
Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes.
