Review: Toto – OVO Hydro

Ok so, this is a performing arts website and the rock music industry is, at best, a cousin to the stagecraft I normally write about. However, both I and Mrs QR are big TOTO fans, so we headed off to Glasgow a couple of days ago to catch the DOGS OF OZ (TOTO, Wizard of OZ, get it?) tour. In truth, only guitar maestro Steve Lukather remains from the founding line-up, but vocalist Joseph Williams has been part of the TOTO family for a long time to be sure.

So how was the concert? Pretty darn good – ‘Africa’ is an all-time banger, and watching its present custodians play it live is very special indeed. Lukather’s fleet-fingered prowess still impresses, and Williams still has the chops to belt out ‘Hold the Line’ admirably. Indeed, if the sound design could have been a little more bone-rattling, from ‘Rosanna’ to ‘Stop Loving You’ and ‘Pamela’, every track was delivered with genuine style.

However, before TOTO took the stage ‘Special Guest’ Christopher Cross was on hand to warm things up. Honestly, the words ‘special guest’ are doing some heavy lifting in gig listings of late. They typically mean ‘Tour Support’. In this case, though Chris was happy to wish the audience a happy time with TOTO, the main act didn’t mention him once. With the two acts being long-time friends, there’s surely a missed opportunity to do more.

“So how was the concert? Pretty darn good – ‘Africa’ is an all-time banger, and watching its current custodians play it live is something very special indeed.”

It’s a pity, because Mr Cross not only comes equipped with epic tunes such as ‘Ride Like The Wind’ and ‘Arthur’s Theme’, but also a full band, complete with a three-strong female backing group. TOTO, for their part, are currently a 100% male affair: ‘Georgy Porgy’ might sound familiar, but it sure doesn’t hit the same without a strong female vocal in the mix. If only someone touring with them could help with that…

**TOTO in action – ©Eric Wallengren – @fzbassman**

However, reviewing what was in front of us, it is very cool to hear Christopher’s singular voice floating by with his seminal yacht-rock classic, ‘Sailing’. He and his band seemed in good form, but the mix wasn’t always ideal. 50 years since his Grammy and Oscar winning prime, including a truly horrendous bout of Covid-induced paralysis, he retains his singularly haunting tone. Maybe he’s lost a little range, and maybe his voice isn’t quite as lithe, but it’s more than good enough. Plus, Chris can shred a guitar better than most – so there’s no need to hide him quite so much. Better to let him soar front and centre in the mix – live music is all the more thrilling for flawed reality.

TOTO themselves remain true to the band’s long-running ethos of allowing only the best musicians to join the club. Joining Lukather and Williams, Greg Phillinganes (keyboards / vocals), Shannon Forrest (drums), John Pierce (bass), Warren Ham (horns / percussion / vocals), and Dennis Atlas (keyboards / vocals) make a ridiculously talented, and dynamic band. The last, and youngest, Atlas is a complete revelation, a genuine prog-rock prodigy currently hiding out with one of the world’s more successful commercial hit-makers.

**Lukather** & **Williams** – **©Eric Wallengren – @fzbassman**

The ‘breaks’ built into the Dogs of Oz show are simply staged: everyone else gets off stage, leaving one to show off. There’s little ceremony and honestly, only Atlas really seizes the moment as opposed to filling the gap. Taking off on his keyboard he immediately threatens some 13-minute fantasia, and frankly I don’t think the audience would have minded if he just cracked on given the response. That’s on top of his genuinely thrilling head-voice vocals which reaches the silly register of the rock scale with ease. When allowed to pick up his mic and march centre stage, it’s a marquee moment.

“Atlas really seizes the moment as opposed to filling the gap. Taking off on his keyboard he immediately threatens some 13-minute fantasia, and frankly I don’t think the audience would have minded if he just cracked on…”

With such a collection of superb musos on stage and an enviable discography to pluck from, the results will never be bad. Could there have been a few more crowdpleasers and a few less ‘deep cuts’, sure, but horses for courses. That said, it’s quite odd to watch an audience brought to their feet, at least in part, only for the gig’s fluctuating energy to send them back into their chairs. Of course, some of the audience will still be bathing in the memory of their favourite number getting a live airing.

They will also doubtless remember the show finishing at 22:50, 10 minutes before curfew, and without any chance of an encore. I don’t think the house could bring the lights up fast enough, just in case the audience got ideas. I want to be sent out cheering like a lunatic after a triumphant encore, not feel like it’s chucking out time at a club.

Despite this, and the other interesting choices I, and Mrs QR, were still delighted to have seen the 2025 vintage TOTO in action. Bands with so many great tunes and such a huge amount of skill don’t come along very often. It will never get old to experience talents like theirs and Christopher Cross’s, so familiar from years listening to the radio, in person, doing their thing. Doing that alone makes this a very good gig, but in doing little else, greatness remains out of reach.

Featured Image: TOTO promo material