Venue: Schwarzl Freizeitzentrum / Graz / Austria
Concert date: August 19, 2006
Attendance: 5000
Ticket price: 55€
Right. At first I meant to file this one under festivals, but thanks to the unexpected turn of events described in the lines below, that move kind of lost its point. Of course, once again in the safe shelter of the “Concert freak” transport, we wandered carelessly onto the grounds as early as 16.30. The bus was packed with music fanatics from Slovenia, including musicians from The Drinkers, Mary Rose and Rock Shock. They’d come along with the inconsolable Toto fans to witness the peak of rock perfection that is Toto, and on site you could even shake hands with the eminent gentleman and elder statesman of Slovenian rock, Tomaž Domicelj. You know how it is with Toto. Most Slovenes don’t know them, and the handful who do often take them as musical role models, which only confirms how highly this band is rated in music circles. Why? That’s an old story. With Toto you can send even Dream Theater back to kindergarten without breaking a sweat.
SHE SAYS 18.15 – 19.15:
After the torture of Mauff doing their “dub” thing, which the bravest and most imaginative among us dare to call “music,” the rather unexpected start to the festival was put back on the right track by the young Austrians She Says. A singer on acoustic guitar and vocals, a bassist, a guitarist and a female drummer. Modern “groove,” vocals in the style of The Cranberries meets Nena or Alanis Morrisette. Modern rock with a “crunchy,” rasping guitar and a slightly alternative flavor, songs built simple and hitting you easily right in the head. The crowd gave them a warm welcome. Of course, they were locals and had a charming singer with an elegant yet slightly furious voice and a very self-assured stage presence. The band is still young and the arrangements will surely grow. A touch of this and that here and there in the transitions or the background melodic line wouldn’t have hurt, but for open-air partying She Says are a very fitting rock wake-up call.
STATUS QUO 20.40 – 21.00 :
19:15. Hoppla! In three quarters of an hour Status Quo were supposed to play. They would have, too, but black clouds suddenly started rolling in over the sky. Then the wind got even nastier, and as a big bonus surprise prize it poured in the nastiest way imaginable. Of course the tent canvases around us were flapping like Buddhist prayer flags on the slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, prices of dry T-shirts at the official “merchandise” stand suddenly shot up, and the vendors were kicking themselves over why the hell they hadn’t brought umbrellas printed with the Status Quo and Toto logos, which would have sold like hotcakes. Well, I hope you don’t believe everything the previous sentence let on. The clock had long since tirelessly shoved its hands well past eight. It stopped raining! Hallelujah! I think it was 20:20 when Bojan and I jumped backstage and had a quick business “chat” with Greg and Simon from Toto. After a few minutes the familiar sounds of boogie rock ‘n’ roll rang out, along with the song Caroline. Whoosh!!!! Bojan and the camera were gone. By the time Bojan came back successfully from official duty, we were just wrapping up the conversation. On stage the sounds of boogie-rock were merrily spreading, then all of a sudden the musical backdrop to our interview simply vanished. Silence. A minute, then another minute. Still silence. And would you look at that! A few moments later Parfitt, Rossi and their other three companions waddle backstage wrapped in blue terrycloth boxing robes, fuming to the core, to every basic degree of the rage of nature that the average Earthling knows. Apparently there was a short circuit that knocked out the main source of electric current that made “music on juice” possible. Some gray-bearded sage would have to clear that up, but I later found out that they fixed the thing quickly, or rather emergency-patched it, and that Status Quo could have gone back on stage. Well, they chose cartoons, commercials, a warm bath with a rubber duck and a safe little bed instead. On the other hand, you have to take into account that the Status guys had already started a good half hour late… Still, in their whole monstrously long career, which counts a full 40 years, they could have figured out by now that it rains from time to time in this corner of Europe, and rains nastily. Apparently bottles flew onto the stage, along with other objects of various colorful dimensions. I didn’t fret much about Status Quo, since I was deep in conversation with my two interlocutors. I’m truly sorry for the people, because you have to keep in mind that Toto and Status Quo, who musically are like the planets Venus and Mars, brought together two completely incompatible camps of music fans under the stage that night. There were those who came first and foremost for Status Quo, and the camp of those who came first and foremost for Toto. However I turn it over, it was a bold move by the organizer to draw as many people of different musical tastes to the concert as possible, but it ended miserably for Status Quo fans. The band never came back on stage. A short circuit knocked them off it, and Status Quo turned into “Status Woe,” whimpering in the wings.
TOTO 22.00 – 0.00:
Intro….. here they come! Bang! Philinganes on keys, an avalanche of Lukather’s guitar fire pours down and Bobby Kimball charges onto the stage: “IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII’ve just got to find…!” You should have heard it. The power with which he tore the place apart with the very first line! Holy Madonna, goosebumps! Toto served up unbelievable intensity right from the start. Falling In Between doesn’t hide its harder, hard rock leanings, but even so, an opening demolition blast like that from greats like Toto still surprises on stage. After it they stay on the new album and hit King Of The World. After the calm of Pamela, Steve steps up to center stage with an acoustic guitar. Bottom Of Your Soul! An excellent song written to fit Luke like a glove. Luke literally enchanted everyone with his emotional vocals. The guys used a pre-recorded percussion sample throughout Bottom Of Your Soul, which raises the question of why there wasn’t an extra percussionist on stage for this number. I mean, nothing wrong with a sample, but it’s nicer when it’s played in flesh and bone. Anyway, I don’t want to philosophize too much about Toto, but these gents are at the very top of the world when it comes to stage delivery, as far as sound alone goes. And have been for many years. When you listen to the vocal harmonies you can’t believe that such precise tuning is possible, such precision, such a recording, and with it an upgrade of the studio! Insane. The chorus of Caught In The Ballance was one of those highlights of the concert!
Bobby seemed the most playful of everyone on stage. He was much more wound up than five days earlier in Belgrade. He was probably already celebrating the last day of Toto’s concert tour. He sang explosively, the way only he can. The guy is 59, and his voice is as well preserved and strong as a Siberian tiger! Bobby ruled. Always in the right place at the right moment. It was incredible to watch how the guys sense each other on stage while playing. Sometimes two of them stand together and watch a third pull off an important part of the show, and then add their own contribution. Everything is played to the dot. These dudes perceive each other on stage during a concert as if in a trance.
The sight of Mike Porcaro, who by doctors’ orders should have been diligently swimming laps in the pool at the Šmarješke Toplice spa, rehabilitating his damaged cervical vertebrae, was especially emotionally charged. Accompanied by a bar stool, the guy gritted his teeth for two full hours and played at full steam. Granted, he didn’t go swinging on a vine like Tarzan, but his fingers were fiery-quick and determined as ever. Outstanding slides and pull-offs got under your skin, especially during Simon’s drum solo and Luke’s guitar solo. Mike is a bassist who simply has that miraculous touch.
Steve was totally standard-issue Steve. Playing with extraordinary ease, convincingly immersed, he won in every guise, and as a winner he contributed his strikingly distinctive, slightly raspy vocals too. As for the extra Michael Jackson bit during the introduction of Greg Philinganes, I won’t waste words on it, since he treated himself to a witty ribbing at Greg’s expense in the role of Michael Jackson. Greg played the Jackson tune and Luke turned into Michael on vocals: “He’s the one of my favourites,” etc.… he flattered Philinganes in a half-falsetto, so that Greg could barely hold himself back from giving him a proper smack.
Simon is simply Simon. An extraordinarily motionless-yet-moving drummer. A rubber drummer. He’s such a pleasure to watch that I declared his solo my personal favorite of all the Toto concerts. The guy sits there and only his arms work. Short strikes, perfect effect! Short, concise movements, results of exceptional scale. Efficiency pushed to the maximum. Simon Phillips is one of the most magnificent drummers whose playing takes your breath away, and he proved it especially vividly in his solo spot.
Greg convinced everyone present that he was born to be in Toto. He did a fantastic job on vocals, for instance in the intro of King Of The World and especially in the closing Africa, where he also carried the main melody of the song through the evergreen tune. His solo was a new, pleasant surprise, designed differently from similar solos at other concerts, and it keeps you concentrated on what’s happening on stage the whole time. You could feel the guy has plenty of mileage behind him. Fili(n)gree Philing(r)anes!
And then there was one more dude standing on stage facing the audience. With him Toto made their vocal harmonies flawlessly perfect. This guy held down the rhythm guitar for Lukather and delivered a downright brilliant lead vocal on Stop Loving You. His name is Tony Spinner, and all I can say is that with him Toto hit the nail right on the head. Needless to say, the girls were holding their breath, and they promptly crowned him the best-looking Toto member (unofficial, up against the official ones). Huh,… good thing I’m not a woman.
As I said, the first part was set harder, with songs from the new record “Falling In Between”! The second part followed, where the hits reigned, and in it Toto surprised especially with a somewhat restructured arrangement of Rosanna, which even the New Swing Quartet wouldn’t shy away from in their own version, before they quickly got down to business and back to the song’s standard lines (right after the first chorus). The third part began with a 20-minute medley, which was the definitive atmospheric peak of the concert, as we all bathed, especially during Steve’s and Simon’s solos, in a one-of-a-kind hypnotic, transcendent vibe. That was cut off by an explosive Taint Your World. After the Bonham-style solo I didn’t come back to my senses for a few moments. The blue glow spreading from the stage was suddenly replaced by flashes of yellow-red light and Toto were already hurtling through Taint Your World. Before I’d even fully realized it. The absolute proof of flawless tightness was I Won’t Hold You Back, where Toto built an unrepeatable atmosphere in the chorus through the giant intensity of its waves of dynamics. The chorus is a jigsaw of lightning-fast switching between melodic multi-vocal harmonies, with a completely soft, subtle part wedged in between, where the band floats on a gentle bass line. Like therapy: inhale – exhale! A perfect moment and a new experience that I’d never had at concerts before, which left me thrilled and pleasantly shocked.
The Toto concert ended with just one encore, and there was no need to guess which. Africa. In it the musicians left the stage one by one, saying goodbye to the audience. First to hit the road was Tony Spinner, followed by Bobby Kimbal, then Steve Lukather raised his arms in the air and joined them, and Greg after them. And so only Simon remained on stage, alone with the audience for a few moments. The last closing roll still echoed and Simon froze. The blue light goes out, the stage goes dark, the concert is over!
It was the first time I really got to watch Toto properly. In Belgrade I was so far away that I followed them via the film projection on the screen. Well, in Graz there were no screens, but there weren’t as many people as in Belgrade either. Toto connoisseurs would have a lot more to say, but it’s time to wrap up. Basically we got two hours of perfection that you can only believe once you’ve lived it. The ups and downs from night to night are certainly not ironed out between individual Toto performances, but those probably amount to no more than differences in level of immersion and playfulness, which is simply part of the band’s daily on-stage working chemistry. Toto’s stage performance remains, at its base, at a standard of quality that few bands can match today. Especially in the live sound itself. You simply don’t come back to your senses, at least I didn’t, from all the marveling at this perfection. Maybe it was unlucky that this was Toto’s last concert of the tour, so the band could “say a bit more” to the audience. Maybe that damn downpour scrambled things, and on the other hand the audience was awfully passive during the concert. There were around 5000 people. Now the question is how many of them were fuming Status Quo fans, who probably followed the rest of the Toto concert with long faces, but as we know, Austrians are by nature fairly reserved at concerts, which is by no means a rule. Sadly I missed a real reaction from the crowd. But you could feel that the Graz show was the last one and that Toto, despite the unique experience they gave us in Graz, were above all looking forward to going home and vacation. Spring will come soon, I’d love to live to see it, and with it Toto again. Guys, see you in March 2007! Indoor hall, please, and no support act!
Setlist
1. Intro
2. Falling In Between
3. King Of The World
4. Pamela
5. Bottom Of Your Soul
6. Caught In The Balance
7. Make Belive/Hold The Line
8. Stop Loving You
9. I’ll Be Over You
10. Cruel
11. Keyboard solo – Greg Philinganes
12. Rosanna
13. Medley: Endless/Isolation/Gift Of Faith/Kingdom Of Desire
14. Guitar solo – Steve Lukather
15. Drum solo – Simon Phillips
16. Taint Your World
17. I Won’t Hold You Back
18. Girl Goodbye
—encore—
19. Africa
