The Doobie Brothjers' 50th-Anniversary Tour at the TaxSlayer Center -- August 28.
Saturday, August 28, 7:30 p.m.
TaxSlayer Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline IL
With its core group of musicians all veterans of the band since the 1970s, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee hit the TaxSlayer Center stage on August 28 with the eagerly awaited Doobie Brothers 50th-Anniversary Tour, a night with the legendary, chart-topping, Grammy-winning rockers and recent inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Revered for their vocal harmonies and flexibility in performing across numerous genres, the Doobie Brothers have been active touring performers for five decades, with the group's current lineup consists of founding members and guitarists Johnston and Simmons playing alongside keyboardist McDonald and guitarist, violinist, and pedal-steel musician McFee. Having originated in Santa Fe, California, in 1970, the group, from its debut to 1975 featured lead vocalist Johnston and a mainstream rock sound with elements of folk, country, and R&B. McDonald joined the band in 1975 as a keyboard player and second lead vocalist, and his interest in soul music introduced a new sound to the band. After years of significant popular and critical success, the band broke up in 1982, with Simmons being the only constant member to have performer on all of their albums. In 1987, however, the Doobie Brothers reformed, and McDonald – who had previously made several guest appearances since their reformation – returned to the band full-time in 2019 for their 50th anniversary tour.
The Doobie Brothers' 14 studio albums include six top-10 appearances on the Billboard 200 album chart, among them 1978's Minute by Minute, which stayed at the number-one position for five weeks and won the band a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The album's single "What a Fool Believes" also won three Grammys itself. To date, the band has released six live albums and numerous greatest-hits compilations, including 1976's Best of The Doobies, which was certified diamond by the RIAA for reaching sales of 10 million copies and became the band's best-selling album. The Doobie Brothers' 16 Billboard Hot 100 top-40 hits include "Listen to the Music," "Jesus is Just Alright," "Long Train Runnin'," "China Grove," the 1974 chart-topper "Black Water," "Takin' It to the Streets," 1979's number-one smash "What A Fool Believes," and "The Doctor," all of which remain in heavy rotation on classic-rock radio. In 2004, the band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, finding becoming inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last November, and to date, the Doobie Brothers have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
The August 28 engagement with the Doobie Brothers opens with a set by the Louisiana-based talents of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is $37.50-89.50, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting TaxSlayerCenter.com.
