Toto to Go on 35th Anniversary European Tour

Legendary band Toto is to go on an extensive European tour beginning May 30 ahead of anticipated U.S. dates later this year. The band, whose members have been South Park characters while the hit single Africa was the base for an entire episode of Family Guy, will tour arenas across Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy. Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The tour heralds the celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary.

Toto sold 35 million albums which spawned hits such as “Africa,” “Rosanna,” “99,” “I’ll Supply The Love,” “Make Believe,” “I Won’t Hold You Back,” “I’ll Be Over You” and “Georgy Porgy.”

The line up solidified in 1976 with drummer Jeff Porcaro, keyboardist David Paich, guitarist Steve “Luke” Lukather, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, bassist David Hungate and singer Bobby Kimball.

The band’s eponymous debut album birthed “Hold The Line” which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard chart in 1978, delivering a multi-platinum debut.

Worldwide, the song hit the top spot in several territories.

The band’s fourth album titled Toto IV followed Hydra and Turn Back, in 1982.  That record carried “Africa,” “Rosanna,” and “I Won’t Hold You Back” and went multi-platinum.

In 1983, Toto won six Grammys including the album of the year for Toto IV and record of the year for “Rosanna.”

In February 2010, the band announced that Mike Porcaro was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  They planned a tour to generate funds to support the care of their brother, and to raise the public’s consciousness about the disease.

Toto World Tour 2013 will feature Luke, Paich, Steve Porcaro on keyboards, drummer Simon Phillips (The Who, Judas Priest, David Gilmour), bassist Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins), and singer Joseph Williams, who sang the hits “Pamela” and “Stop Loving You” on the worldwide platinum release The Seventh One (1988).

With the absence of both Mike and Jeff Porcaro, the success of 35 years can be bittersweet. Jeff died of heart failure.

Paich said playing “helps me get through the heartbreak of not having Mike and Jeff with us.  Whenever Toto is on stage, playing the songs we created together, I see them both sitting there.  I’m reunited with my old friends again.”

Source: Hollywood Reporter