Located in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre hosted the fourth stop on Grammy Award-winning Toto’s 2025 North America Summer Tour on Tuesday night. This tour bill was rounded out with special guests Men at Work and Christopher Cross. Built in 2008, this 12,000 capacity open air venue is a premier destination spot for summer concert goers, including those brave enough to tolerate the typically unbearable heat by selecting uncovered lawn seats just to enjoy an evening of familiar musical hits from their favorite touring artists.
Starting off the humid-heavy evening was Grammy Award-winning musician Christopher Cross. Causally strolling out at 6:45pm to a wave and a smile with a full backing band behind him, Cross kicked off his set with the single “All Right” from his second studio album, Another Page (1983). For 45 minutes, the 74-year-old Cross warmed up the early Atlanta audience with his adult contemporary vocal tone and smooth guitar playing, highlighted by expected and familiar radio hits in “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do).” Cross closed out his enjoyable performance with “Ride Like the Wind,” a tune pulled from his highly-decorated and influential 1979 debut studio album.
Setlist:
1.) All Right
2.) Never Be the Same
3.) I Really Don’t Know Anymore
4.) Sailing
5.) Think of Laura
6.) Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)
7.) The Light is On
8.) No Time for Talk
9.) Ride Like the Wind
Following a less-than-30-minute equipment turn, the current touring lineup for Men at Work took their places as frontman and founding band member Colin Hay appeared at 8:00pm. Donning a stylish white suit while still emanating rock star coolness with a smirk, the 72-year-old Hay opened with back-to-back songs pulled from Men at Work’s second studio album, Cargo (1983), in “No Restrictions” and “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive.”
For those unaware, Hay is also a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, a musical ensemble performance I was fortunate enough to catch here in Atlanta just under two years ago. During that tour, Hay showcased three Men at Work hit “covers,” including “Down Under,” “Overkill,” and “Who Can It Be Now?,” all of which were obviously played to the capacity crowd’s full delight on Tuesday night. Hay’s recognizable voice continues to age gracefully, and it was a pleasant surprise for the musically-tight band to conclude with the single “Be Good Johnny” from Men at Work’s 1983 Grammy-winning debut release, Business as Usual.
Men at Work
Colin Hay – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
Jimmy Branly – Drums
San Miguel Perez – Guitar, backing vocals
Yosmel Montejo – Bass, backing vocals
Scheila Gonzalez – Saxophone, flute, keyboards, backing vocals
Cecilia Noel – Backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) No Restrictions
2.) Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
3.) Can’t Take This Town (Colin Hay song)
4.) Down by the Sea
5.) Overkill
6.) It’s a Mistake
7.) Who Can It Be Now?
8.) Down Under
9.) Be Good Johnny
As the clock approached 9:15pm and with the sun mercifully set, the amphitheatre house lights went dark to a large and lit up Toto backdrop. Anchored by founding band member and iconic guitarist Steve Lukather, rock and roll institution Toto first put into motion “Child’s Anthem,” a track dating back to the band’s 1978 self-titled debut studio album.
Formed in 1977, Toto has produced chart-topping, generational radio-friendly tunes for decades, and they did not hold back in front of an adoring crowd that stretched back to the last blade of grass in the rear-venue general admission lawn seating. With vocals primarily delivered by long-involved Joseph Williams, Toto skillfully showcased their deep catalog of rock classics throughout the night, including “Rosanna,” “Georgy Porgy,” and “I’ll Supply the Love.” At times, both Dennis Atlas (keyboards) and Warren Ham (percussion, whom also supports the All-Starr Band) also took turns on lead vocals, which was a refreshing touch.
However, it was the build up to the final few anticipated anthems that brought the fans to their feet permanently. After putting on a guitar masterclass all night, Lukather’s familiar riff for the band’s 1978 hit single “Hold the Line” launched cell phones into the air to capture the moment. That then transitioned into Toto inviting Hay back out on stage, along with fellow back up singers from his and Cross’s bands, to lead the audience into an amazing sing-along supporting the chart-topping, culturally significant tune “Africa” to end their encore-free performance.
This massive summer tour continues on through the end of August, wrapping up on Saturday, August 30th, at the Cascades Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Washington.
Toto
Steve Lukather – Guitar, lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
David Paich – Keyboards, lead and backing vocals (not touring)
Joseph Williams – Lead and backing vocals, additional keyboards
Current Touring Members
Warren Ham – Saxophone, harmonica, flute, backing and occasional lead vocals, percussion
Greg Phillinganes – Keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals
Shannon Forrest – Drums, percussion
John Pierce – Bass
Dennis Atlas – Keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals
Setlist:
1.) Child’s Anthem
2.) Carmen
3.) Rosanna
4.) 99
5.) Mindfields
6.) Pamela
7.) I Won’t Hold You Back
8.) Angel Don’t Cry
9.) Georgy Porgy
10.) White Sister
11.) I’ll Be Over You
12.) Stop Loving You
13.) Home of the Brave
14.) Don’t Chain My Heart
15.) I’ll Supply the Love
16.) Hold the Line
17.) Africa
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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.