'Best of The Doobies' On Display In Philly Area Show: Review

CAMDEN, N.J. —You can close your eyes and hear Tom Johnston sing and sound just like he did five decades ago. And then there's the AM Radio tour de force "What A Fool Believes," which singer Michael McDonald sang to the top of the charts.

Both were on stage to celebrate the continuing 50th-anniversary tour of The Doobie Brothers at the Freedom Mortgage Center on Saturday night.

Johnston and McDonald were the lead singers for two different eras of the group. And Saturday night allowed the audience to get the "Best of the Doobies," which was the title of their first greatest hits album in the 1970s.

With original member and guitarist Patrick Simmons and longtime guitarist John McFee in tow, the Doobies chugged along during a set shortened by Mother Nature.

Just before the show started, a storm swept in, forcing concertgoers to shelter in place and postponing the start of the show or a half hour.

With the forecast still calling for lightning and heavy rain, The Doobies and opening act Steve Winwood cut several songs for their setlists to get the show in before the skies opened up again.

Winwood, the kid who rode his B2 Hammond Organ to the top for The Spencer Davis Group with "Gimmie Some Lovin," opened with the jazzy "Glad" during his tenure in Traffic with Dave Mason and company.

He then showcased "Can't Find My Way Home," from his brief time with Eric Clapton in the group Blind Faith.

Winwood mainly stayed before the organ but did play guitar on a few songs and mandolin on his 1980s solo hit "Back In the High Life."

He also turned out big solo hits "Roll With It" and "Higher Love" before closing with "Gimme Some Lovin."

Sadly dropped from the set was the Traffic classic "Dear Mr. Fantasy."

The Doobies stormed onto the stage with "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)" with Johnston trading lead vocals with McDonald, blending the two eras.

The songs pretty much alternated between Johnston and McDonald.

A healthy dose of the Grammy-winning "Minute By Minute" album followed with McDonald singing the title track to the fans' delight before "Here To Love You" and Simmons' hit "Dependin' On You."

Due to the weather, the Doobies moved up "Minute By Minute" to the second song in the setlist.

The group also dropped five songs due to the weather: "One Step Closer," "World Gone Crazy," "You Belong To Me," "Eyes of Silver," and a song from their last album, "Cannonball."

But none of the classics were removed.

Johnston blasted out his signature songs throughout the set: "Rockin' Down the Highway," "Long Train Runnin," and the set-ender "China Grove" to the roars of the crowd with Simmons, Johnston, and McFee blazing away with endless guitar solos, sometimes with all three taking one on the same song.

Meanwhile, McDonald kept pace with "It Keeps You Runnin," and his major hit "What a Fool Believes."

Before the crowd could catch its breath from the double-whammy of "Long Train Runnin," and "China Grove," the Doobies pulled out all the stops with its encores.

Simmons performed his sing-along pleaser, the No. 1 hit "Black Water," featuring a violin and finger-picking acoustic guitar duet between Simmons and McFee.

Then McDonald played his first song with the group, "Takin' It To The Streets," which fired up the crowd even more before Johnston brought the ribbon on the whole show with the band's first major hit, "Listen to the Music."

It was the best of both worlds Saturday night and the Best of The Doobie Brothers.