The Doobie Brothers have revealed that they’re set to hit the road next year, announcing a 50th anniversary tour with former vocalist Michael McDonald.
Over the last 50 years, US rock outfit The Doobie Brothers have been busy dishing up some of the finest classic rock numbers on offer, with a large amount of their discography on constant rotation on radio stations around the world.
First forming in 1970, the group’s lineup has fluctuated over that time, with only Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston having been with the group since the start.
In 1975 though, the group welcomed aboard Michael McDonald, who served as the vocalist on a number of their classic songs, including ‘What A Fool Believes’ and ‘Takin’ It To The Streets’, the latter of which is the only tune from this era that still gets a run in the setlists of today.
However, following the band’s split in 1982, McDonald embarked on a solo career, occasionally reuniting with the group over the years, with his last appearance being back in 1996.
Check out ‘Takin’ It To The Streets’:
Following a few rumours of reunions over the years, Rolling Stone reports that The Doobie Brothers took to the stage to announce some big news.
Having kicked off their encore with a performance of ‘Black Water’, the band welcomed their former member onto the stage, with Patrick Simmons telling the crowd that, “you might remember him from, well, he has his own band these days,” he said.
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“But you might remember him from his band, the Doobie Brothers — Mr. Michael McDonald.”
Closing off their show with a McDonald-led version of ‘Takin’ It To The Streets’, the band revealed that they would be hitting the road with the famed vocalist for a 50th anniversary tour in 2020.
“We’re truly excited about our 50th Anniversary Tour, as it’s a celebration of the band’s entire history,” Tom Johnston explained in a statement. “We’ll be performing songs from our full catalog, as well as new music.”
At this stage, there’s no word as to whether The Doobie Brothers’ anniversary tour will make its way down to Australia yet, but considering the band haven’t visited our shores since 2017, we’d say they’re long overdue for a return visit.
Check out ‘What A Fool Believes’ by The Doobie Brothers:
