Few bands contain an arc as curious as The Doobie Brothers.
Beginning as a hippie, sanitised version of Little Feat, they later evolved into a blue-eyed soul outfit led by the omnipresent Michael McDonald.
There’s no amalgamation of the two. Mixing both versions of the band is like spreading vegemite across ice cream.
With McDonald long gone from the outfit – his focus is now on solo releases and Christmas compilations – tonight’s set is centred on the boogie era that made the Doobies one of the most revered groups of the ‘70s.
And it’s clear that despite numerous line-up changes across their 40-year plus history, the band’s live sound remains unblemished.
The collective excellence of the group is matched only by the amazing capabilities of its individuals.
Pat Simmons remains one of the most underrated guitarists of his era. Tom Johnston is an energetic and stoic frontman, lifting a packed Palais Theatre to its feet before the night’s end. Despite these heroics, however, it’s John McFee who arguably takes the honours, shifting from guitar to violin to pedal steel to harmonica without so much of a warm-up. Remarkable.
Evident from the opening trifecta of ‘Jesus Is Just Alright’, ‘Rockin’ Down The Highway’, and ‘Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)’ is the Doobies’ still astonishing harmonies. They sound uncannily like their records, only with a fuller, more expansive sheen. Having two drummers gives muscle to their bluesy, boogie swagger, while the touches of saxophonist Marc Russo completes the setup nicely.
‘Dependin’ On You’ follows before Simmons brings things back to a rootsy grounding with ‘Clear As The Driven Snow’.
One of the strengths of the band is their ability to coast between swamp rock and driving acoustic shuffle. The duelling between Simmons and McVee provides a timely reminder of the latter, with the two breaking into a lovely instrumental that takes its cues from Duane Allman’s ‘Little Martha’.
A duo of cuts from 2010 effort World Gone Crazy are admirably unleashed before an atmospheric version of ‘South City Midnight Lady’ blends into the roaring snarl of ‘Eyes Of Silver’.
Darkness illuminates the theatre with keyboardist Guy Allison wigging out on a solo before ‘Takin’ It To The Streets’ – the closest taste we get to McDonald – appears. The slickness of the band’s harmonies and dual vocals of Simmons and bassist John Cowan ensure an invigorating rendition.
If any more evidence was needed of Melbourne’s fondness for the band, it was found during the acapella call-back of ‘Black Water’ – the Doobies’ first number one hit.
On Johnston’s request, the words of “I’d like to hear some funky Dixieland / Pretty mama come and take me by the hand” echo boisterously across the Palais’ near-perfect acoustics.
The order of the setlist curtails into a crowd-pleasing finale, with an extended version of ‘Long Train Runnin’ closing the set before an encore containing ‘China Grove’ and the anthemic ‘Listen To The Music’ cap off proceedings.
Of course, there’s a sense of irony in all this – who would’ve thought a band named after a love of hash could age so well?
The good news is they have, and their delivery tonight across an hour-and-a-half is exceptional.
