Doobie Brothers still rocking 50+ years after their founding
Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood is, figuratively, worlds away from Chateau Liberté — the legendary rock ‘n’ roll bar in the Santa Cruz Mountains where the Doobie Brothers got their start in 1970.
Chateau Liberté in those days was the rural stomping grounds of the Hells Angels and was known for attracting musicians from Northern California bands such as Moby Grape, Deep Purple and the Grateful Dead. It was where the Doobies — led by co-founders John Hartman and Tom Johnston — worked on their craft and performed their first big hits.
Zappos Theater, on the other hand, is in the middle of one of the most famous urban stretches in the world. But it’s also where the Doobies have landed, more than 50 years later, for an eight-show gig that continues through May 28.
If their opening show Friday was any indication, the years have been good to the Doobies.
Performing a 20-plus song set over nearly two and a half hours, the Doobies treated fans to both old and new music, hits and B-side material.
Johnston and Patrick Simmons — the two original band members — were strong both vocally and on their guitars, performing such Doobie standards as “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While),” “South City Midnight Lady,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove.”
Michael Mcdonald, the keyboardist, singer-songwriter extraordinaire who changed the sound of the band when he joined in the mid-’70s and helped the Doobies skyrocket to fame, his voice not quite as soulful as it once was, still lifted the spirits of the audience with lead vocals on hits such as “Minute by Minute,” “What a Fool Believes” and “You Belong to Me.”
John Mcfee, a relative newcomer to the band having joined in 1979, showed off his musical chops on the lead guitar, steel guitar, dobro and fiddle.
Saxophonist Marc Russo stole the spotlight several times during the show.
As the Doobies left the stage, concertgoers probably wondered what they had left in their tank for an encore — hadn’t they played every hit? But the Doobies — many of them in their 70s — still had a few hits up their collective sleeves. They ended the night with a trio of memories — “Black Water,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” and “Listen to the Music.” It was rock at its finest, no matter the venue.
The Doobie Brothers’ limited engagement at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood continues with shows at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Wednesday, plus May 27 and 28. Ticket information is available at ticketmaster.com/doobiebrothersvegas.