Toto, Christopher Cross, and The Romantics Play NICU
The North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre held one of its best concerts of the summer. Visited by three superstar bands, each with innumerable songs that not only made the billboards, but endured the passage of time. Since July, Toto, Christopher Cross, and The Romantics have all been touring together, offering audiences a welcome trip down memory lane, while continuing to exhibit the talent they are known for. As one of the larger concert venues in the San Diego area, the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre was bursting with appeal, offering concertgoers an accessible view to a stage that was grand in scale.
The Romantics were the first of the three to perform, featuring Wally Palmer on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Coz Canler on lead guitar, Bruce Witkin on bass guitar, Joey Malone on guitar and Mike Rizzi on drums. They were a group of entertaining professionals, frequently tuning in with the crowd. Beginning with “Rock You Up,” “Do Me Anyway,” and “When I Look,” each piece was abound with energy.
The Romantics
“How’s everyone doing? Even up there? Local boy, lives right down the road–Bruce is going to sing this next song for you. On your mark, get set, go!” Palmer said, as Witkin sang “When I Look In Your Eyes.”
“This was the first song that we wrote and went into the studio to record, so we are going to do that first for you. Then we have something new that we came up with for this tour. First time for you guys to hear this song, and it is the third time for us playing it,” Palmar said, before the band cued “Little White Lies.”
The Romantics’ new single “Real Good Thing,” is currently available for purchase at their merchandise booths. In order for it to be heard outside of shows, people will have to obtain a physical copy. “The one thing you can’t do if you go home, look it up online, is try to buy it. You will not find it,” Palmar said.
Rizzi addressed the audience next, asking how they were doing that night. “Give me a B!” he started, “give me an O! Give me a P! What’s that spell?” With a great surge of excitement, they answered “Bop,” which revealed the next song of the set list. Collectively, these seasoned gentlemen made for a choice opener. Be it covering The Kinks’ “She’s Got Everything,” “Stone Pony,” or “Talking In Your Sleep,” each song arrived to an entire amphitheatre’s worth of enthusiasm, merely the start of a great evening.
“You guys sound great out there!” Palmar cheered, “you’re going to be hearing a lot more singing after we are done here. We got one more song for you. Mistero.” The audience rushed to their feet, excited to hear “What I Like About You.” It was boosted by the harmonica, and a perfect solo by Rizzi toward the end. “Everybody, are you ready? That’s what we love about you!” Palmer sang out, for their parting lyric.
Christopher Cross
During the break, while the audience mingled, crew members moved objects into place onstage. A grand, black curtain displaying Cross’ trademark flamingo was lifted high above, behind the instruments. Lights turned on in response to a darkening sky, until a voice was heard above, welcoming the vocalists onstage.
“Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Christopher Cross,” it said, before their first song, “All Right.” Cross’ voice was well-preserved and immediately recognizable. Both he and his trio of female vocalists had time to shine, as did the musicians, while the audience comfortably listened. On vocals was Bella Hicks, Elizabeth Goodbeck and Julia Sarr. David Mann played saxophone. The musical director, Kevin Reveyrand, played bass. Wes Little played on drums, and Curtiss Brengle played piano.
“Good evening,” Cross said, which led into an exceptional transition for the next song. For those who have memories attached to his music, hearing it live was an experience like no other. Mann’s abilities with the saxophone, those soaring solos, made a world of a difference. It’s one of the most identifiable aspects to Cross’ music, how fast it puts listeners in a serene mood. Soon, he was switching out guitars.
“It’s lovely to be with you. Thank you for coming out and joining us for an evening of music. I want to thank The Romantics for that great set, opening the show. We’ve been having a good time with them as well. So, this one here is from the first album, but it has kind of rearranged itself as we have traveled. I think if you’ve got that green record in your collection, you’ll recognize it as we get into it,” Cross said.
After “No time for Talk,” Cross acknowledged the people sharing the stage with him. He also thanked the folks who make their show happen every day, their crew–the first ones up, and the last ones in bed. “We are very grateful and they work really hard,” he said. From there, he introduced each person in the band.
Brengle set the stage for “Sailing,” gracefully playing piano, until the song dissolved into the strings that the recording also opens with. It was an atmospheric moment, a prime example of the cinematic, almost romantic quality to his music. The song paints a vivid image of being close to the coast, an ocean breeze guiding you home. The audience initiated a sea of lights, taking out their phones, holding them up high.
“Thank you so much,” Cross said, afterwards.
“I love you!” someone shouted.
“I love you too,” he answered.
“I’ll do a couple acoustic things for you. This is one I wrote for a friend of mine I lost along the way. If you have lost someone close to you, hopefully it will bring you some solace, maybe some nice memories of that person,” Cross said, beginning “Think of Laura.” The song was written in tribute to Laura Carter.
Next, Hicks walked forward to sing a duet with Cross. He said the piece was about that bad boy, good girl dynamic that happens with misguided romances. “We’re going to mention the word ‘Astaire’ in the song, but I want to be clear that I’m not talking about a flight of stairs. I am referring to the great Fred Astaire,” Cross said, before “I Know You Well.” Hicks was a fabulous talent, effortlessly singing in a high register. Afterwards came “The Light is On,” paired with a distinctive sound made by the electric flute instrument.
“This song here, I had the privilege of writing with a good friend of mine–a gentleman I consider to be one of the greatest songwriters of my generation. We lost him recently, so I am going to dedicate the tune to him, wherever he is roaming about with those gorgeous melodies. Mr. Burt Bacharach,” Cross shared, as Brengle played into “Arthur’s Theme.” It’s the title theme of the eighties romantic-comedy, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, made even better through another perfectly-executed saxophone solo. “Say You’ll Be Mine” was the next song Cross and his vocalists performed that evening. He mentioned that it was one of the first he released, and credited Nicolette Larson for the backing vocals on the track.
“Ride Like The Wind” was the big moment people had been waiting for. Everyone hustled to their feet, pumped to dance like it was the end of the world. It was one of the crowning moments of the show, this brief, but monumental occurrence. The band took a well-earned bow and dispersed, all but Cross, who stood alone beneath a spotlight with a microphone and an acoustic guitar. He saw the audience off with another, simpler take of “Sailing.” It paired beautifully with the flute, with the audience singing along.
“Beautiful,” Cross said, in appreciation. “Ya’ll be good to each other, I love you.”
Toto’s massive banner, “Toto: Dogs of Oz,” with the image of a sword running down the center of Earth, was lifted into place between acts. Toto’s members include Steve Lukather, on guitar and vocals, Joseph Williams on lead vocals, Keith Carlock on drums, John Pierce on bass, Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboards, Warren Ham on percussion and Dennis Atlas on keyboards. Their set kicked off with “Goodbye Elenore.”
Williams encouraged the audience to rise from their seats, but by that point, most of the attendees already had. They were cheering from their chests. Straight into “Rosanna” the band went, rather impressively. Many of the musicians jettisoned off into solos that lasted for extended periods of time. It was good.
“Good to be in California again, man. Some really crazy weather! Thanks for coming out, this is huge. We’re going to start having some fun. Play some songs off our second album, that we all kind of wrote together—sung by our brother David Paich,” Steve Lukather said. Next came “Hydra,” then “Georgy Porgey,” and “I Won’t Hold You Back.” It would be futile to try recounting how perfect they sounded.
“This young gentleman to my right, came to us as a gift a few years back. I’ll talk about it a little later in more detail. We haven’t been able to do this song since 1985, because we could not find anybody to sing it since our brother Fergie is floating around Heaven somewhere. But we are finally going to do it tonight with our future brother Dennis,” Lukather said. True to his word, Atlas had incredible stage presence. He rushed about the stage, multitasking, maintaining great control of the high vocals “Endless” called for.
“Okay, we are going to go back, in the way back machine. Way, way back. I am going to play this song that means an awful lot to me for a big reason. It was the last album I got to do with Jeff and Mike. I’m going to play this one for them. This is the title track of an album we did a long time ago, and it has kind of spaced out a ton, so I’ve left a couple special gummy bears under every seat,” Lukather wisecracked, playing into “Kingdom of Desire.” It was another grounded piece, one where the percussion, drums and bass shined. Lukather did justice to his past band members, as he was absurdly good on the electric guitar. Atlas got time to shine on the synthesizers afterwards, which was greatly suitable for such a vast stage.
“I got to acknowledge these musicians up here,” Williams said, “I’ve got the best gig, to wander around and watch my friends work their magic on their instruments. It’s amazing, I absolutely love it. I thought we might go back to the eighties. We’ll do a tune that was from 1987, from The Seventh One album. 40 years later, and I’m still singing about her. So join me in my therapy, why don’t you?” Williams asked, before “Pamela.” Thistlethwayte’s abilities on the keyboard shined here, as did Ham on the saxophone.
“Okay. This one is for all you young lovers of all ages. See if you all remember where you were in 1986, begging for something somewhere,” Lukather said, prompting “I’ll Be All Over You.” A woman tucked within the audience could be heard shouting her thanks, cheering with her group that she first heard this song when she was seventeen years old. The band played it under dazzling, rotating lights, and onstage, Williams controlled a light show stretching over the crowd. It’s become a staple for any good concert.
“Now I got to introduce the band, so you can get to know everybody a little bit. As you have seen and heard, this young lad over here, I met him through my friend Bumblefoot, legendary guitar player and musician,” Lukather said. Two years ago, Atlas answered Toto’s call for help, learning material in only two days, and the band has held onto him since. “Now, he’s the ripe old age of 28, and he’s got a new solo album out that we helped him with. We’re trying to help kickstart this kid’s career because he’s a badass!”
“Standing behind me, a dear soul brother for many decades. We played together in Ringo Starr’s band as well. He’s our swiss army knife. There’s nothing he can’t sing or play,” Lukather said, while introducing Ham, before turning to Carlock. “On drums, what a thrill to have him back. He was with us in 2014. We did an album and a tour together. Then, I got into a bidding war with Walter Becker from Steely Dan. I tried to get Carlock back forever.” Carlock played for Steely Dan, Sting, and others before his return.
Next, Lukather introduced Pierce. “This guy right here, he is my oldest friend on Earth, and before. We were fetuses together. Our moms were pregnant at the same time, on the same block, on the same street, in the same year. 1901, I think it was?” Lukather said, in fun. “We started out in diapers, we’re probably going to end up in them. He was in our high school band, we played in a million bands together.” During his studio career, Pierce also played bass, and traveled, with Huey Louis and the News for thirty years.
“On the keyboards, another one of these wild man geniuses. How did I get so lucky with this?” Lukather asked. Toto’s former keyboard player, Greg Phillinganes, is a father to two ten year old boys, so he chose not to go on the road for 150 days this year. Thistlethwayte was recruited afterwards, going straight from Sammy Hagar to Toto. “Man, he’s played with so many diverse people,” Lukater continued, “and he’s a big star in Australia in his own right. We’re very honored to have him here tonight, and in the band.”
“You–” Lukather said, turning to Williams, “I’ve known my whole life. Since we were fourteen to sixteen years old, before we used to break into handcuffs. We got into a lot of trouble throughout the years, but I love this man. He’s a producer, singer-songwriter, film and television composer, my brother from another mother. There’s a little secret he has that I want to share with you guys. We were all session musicians for many, many years when we were kids. Well, he was a session singer when he was a kid! He was the voice in a soundtrack, and movie, of a film many years ago.” To the delight of Disney fans in the audience, the band played a few notes of “Hakuna Matata, ” as Williams sang for an Adult Simba in “The Lion King.”
Finally, Lukather’s introduction arrived with a mighty drum roll, announced by Williams. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to introduce this man standing right here, that most of you recognize. You probably didn’t know that science has confirmed he has 77% alien DNA. The Amadeus of Rock and Roll, Sammy Davis for that matter. This guy has played on more records, for more artists–you know what I’m talking about. He’s done all the good stuff. He is my very best, good friend. I’d go all over the world with him. He is playing his guitar so sweet for you this evening. I want you to give it up for Mr. Steve Lukather!”
“God Bless you all!” Lukather shouted, against a colossal display of excitement. The band did not delay, continuing, and eventually concluding the night with the best of their work. From “I’ll Supply the Love,” to “Taint Your World,” and “Hold The Line,” until the awaited, spectacular finale, “Africa.” Toto did not sing it alone, as every musician that had performed that night returned to bring it all home. These bands are locked in to tour until Aug. 30th. More information is available at https://totoofficial.com/events/.