TOTO TO STAGE EIGHTEEN APPEARANCES WITH JOURNEY IN ARENAS
Tour Begins April 7 in San Diego and Ends May 11 in Hartford
“AFRICA” CROSSES THRESHOLD OF ONE BILLION STREAMS ON SPOTIFY
TOTO has announced the band will stage eighteen appearances with Journey in arenas across The United States. The run begins on April 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA and ends on May 11 at XL Center in Hartford, CT. Toto’s Steve Lukather shares, “’On behalf of myself and the band, we are very honored and excited to do this tour with our old and dear friends Journey. Gonna be a great night of music, and as all the guys are lifelong friends… a blast off stage as well.” General on-sale is Friday, November 19.
Toto’s “Africa” recently crossed the threshold of ONE BILLION streams on Spotify. This accomplishment speaks to the continual discovery of the band’s repertoire, alongside the multi-generational fan base enjoying a composition that is nearing forty years since the band’s album IV was released. Co-writer David Paich shares, “This surpasses a dream come true! Thank you to our family, friends and fans! ‘Africa’ is the result of a team effort in the studio – resulting in musical magic! And thanks to Spotify for helping TOTO connect with so many awesome listeners. I know my co-writer Jeff Porcaro would be smiling and celebrating this moment with us.” Cumulative Spotify streams exceed 3.3 Billion plays.
The band recently released With A Little Help From My Friends via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group. To screen the title track, which presents the new line-up of Toto.
The global tour that will commence in 2022 will stretch several years, and is presented by Toto co-founder and musical director David Paich. Joining Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams on the road are new band members bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis and The News), drummer Robert “Sput” Searight (Ghost-Note), and keyboardist / background vocalist Steve Maggiora (Robert Jon & The Wreck). Keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin (Prince, Ghost-Note) and multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Warren Ham (Ringo Starr) segued over continuing their tenure in the ensemble. This marks the fifteenth incarnation of the Toto line-up in consideration of band members or sidemen who joined or exited.
Steve Lukather offers, “When the music is performed by great musicians it honors Toto. The documentary featured on the DVD offers great insights in to our thoughts looking forward. David, who stands with us, alongside Joe and myself, desire to keep this music alive. And Paich could pop in any time for a show as a special surprise. We’ll be selecting a broader mix from the Toto catalog that includes deep cuts, the hits, and tunes from Joe and my recently released solo albums. Both of us could not be more thrilled with the global response to these records.”
Luke and Joseph Williams are life-long friends since they were kids, and bandmates sharing a deep colorful history that has thrived professionally on a global basis over the past decades. Joseph Williams shares, “Luke and I have been through a lot with one another. He’s like a brother to me. Our creative partnership has always enriched our lives. As we look towards what’s to come in unison, there is nothing but anticipation to bring everything in our minds to life. I can’t think of anyone else on Earth I’d rather launch the next chapter with than with this lifelong, loyal and gifted friend and band mate. We’re the last men standing…The Dogz of Oz.”
With A Little Help From My Friends was Produced by Joseph Williams, who also edited the accompanying long-form video. The band’s long-time front of house engineer Ken Freeman mixed and captured the sound. On February 26, Luke and Joe presented solo albums via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group which charted in multiple territories across the globe. Both artists made significant contributions to the other’s recordings. Additionally, David Paich performed on select tracks on Luke’s I Found The Sun Again and Williams’ Denizen Tenant. The titles were released on LP, CD and a limited-edition deluxe edition is available with the two titles bundled together.
Confirmed dates with Journey are:
4/07 San Diego, CA Pechanga Arena San Diego
4/09 Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena
4/11 Denver, CO Ball Arena
4/13 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
4/15 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
4/20 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
4/21 Orlando, FL Amway Center
4/24 Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center
4/25 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
4/27 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
4/28 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
4/30 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
5/02 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
5/04 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
5/05 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
5/07 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
5/09 Washington, D.C. Capitol One Arena
5/11 Hartford, CT XL Center
EUROPEAN DATES (Announced, additional shows to follow in the coming weeks):
11 July, 2022 Tilburg, NL 13
12 July, 2022 Tilburg, NL 13
14 July, 2022 Bonn, Germany KunstRasen
15 July, 2022 Amsterdam, Netherlands Ziggodome
16 July, 2022 Halle, Germany Peißnitzinsel
17 July, 2022 Ulm, Germany Munsterplatz
19 July, 2022 Pratteln, Switzerland Z-7)
20 July, 2022 Tussling, Germany Schlossplatz
21 July, 2022 Middelkerke, Belgium Proximus Pop-Up Arena
23 July, 2022 Vitrolles, France Festival Jardin Sonore
24 July, 2022 Vienne, France Antiq Theater
25 July, 2022 Verona, Italy Arena Di Verona
27 July, 2022 Hamburg, Germany Stadtpark
28 July, 2022 Schwetzingen, Germany Schlossgarten
29 July, 2022 Graz, Austria Messe Open Air
31 July, 2022 Warsaw, Poland Torwar
04 August, 2022 Vaasa, Finland Vaasa Festival
05 August, 2022 Tampere, Finland Tampere Sorsapuisto Festival
06 August, 2022 Helsinki, Finland Kaisaniemi Park
07 August, 2022 Turku, Finland Paavo Nurmi Stadium / Park
10 August, 2022 Helsingborg, Sweden Sofiero Castle
11 August, 2022 Viborg, Denmark Paradepladsen
13 August, 2022 Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Arena
14 August, 2022 Gothenburg, Sweden Partille Arena
16 August, 2022 Trondeim, Norway Sverresborg
18 August, 2022 Oslo, Norway Vulkan Open
19 August, 2022 Bergen, Norway Plenen
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
