On Wednesday, The Doobie Brothers brought their sprawling 50th Anniversary Tour to New York’s hallowed Madison Square Garden, enlisting the support of the great Steve Winwood for a landmark performance. In the course of the evening, both groups delivered independent sets lined with treasured originals from decades of performance, plus a smattering of thrilling cover treatments.
Winwood and his ensemble–including his daughter Lily–kicked off the evening’s festivities with Traffic’s triumphant 1970 standout “Glad,” then wound steadily through the artist’s canon with that foundational band and the other titanic outfits he was involved in, Spencer David Group and the incomparable supergroup Blind Faith. Between cuts like “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “I’m a Man” and “Can’t Find My Way Home”–as well as solo originals including “Higher Love” and “Back in the High Life Again”–the artist snuck in a treatment of Timmy Thomas’ vamping, inspiring “Why Can’t We Live Together,” which arrived as his 32nd cover of the song reintroduced to his repertoire this year after 17 years on the shelf. To wrap its portion, Winwood and company issued a rousing run of The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’.”
The Doobie Brothers, featuring Michael McDonald on keys, assumed the spotlight with the 1975 smash “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While).” Further hits ensued through the set, with “Rockin’ Down The Highway,” “Minute By Minute,” and “China Grove” receiving tremendous responses; a true highlight arrived as the band moved into the final swing of its main set by pairing its classic, soul-stirring version of “Jesus Is Just Alright” and the instantly recognizable “What a Fool Believes.” After the lights went down, the band returned for a four-track encore, comprising “Black Water,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “Listen to the Music” and a rare instrumental cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years.”
Get an inside look at the performance in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Bill Kelly. For tickets and more information on The Doobie Brothers’ ongoing 50th Anniversary Tour, which continues through Oct. 16, visit thedoobiebrothers.com/pages/tour.
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