Big City Nights

Contrary to impressions that might be brought upon by my Multiply moniker, my music preference does not always involve the obnoxiously loud and the "deeply evil" (to use the term many Jesus freaks use to describe heavy metal). On any given day one can hear me and my wife kicking out the jams with artists like Tom Waits, The Doors, Blue Oyster Cult, Cat Stevens, The Eagles, The Cure, Norah Jones, Radioactive Sago Project, Bob Dylan and the likes. In this seemingly gray area of my musical taste comes the band Toto. So when I heard that this Grammy Award winning group will perform in the country, wife and I quickly jumped at the opportunity.

The Toto gig, billed simply as Toto Live in Manila 2008, happened last April 3 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. It was actually their second night in the country, the first being at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel the previous night. Both were well-attended gigs, I heard, with mixed reviews. I'll add my voice to the cacophony.

My wife and I arrived at the venue around 7 pm just after a quickie dinner at The Old Spaghetti House in nearby Ali Mall. The gates were already open and we got in without hassle. For about 30 minutes we hung around the lobby surveying the crowd, which were composed mainly by baby-boomers and foreigners. Only a small percentage of the audience were about our age, which was quite understandable since Toto was a band that made waves in the late Seventies and early Eighties, back when we were sucking our thumbs for entertainment.

8 pm - the start of the show according to schedule - found us seated at the Upper Box B watching the preparations and other goings-on onstage. Around us, people were trickling in, some munching on popcorns, some snapping pictures at the still empty stage. Excited conversations everywhere, mixing in with piped-in advertisements from the venue's speakers. By 8:30 pm it was obvious that the show will start late. (Other reviewers pounced on this fact in giving the gig a below-than-average review.)

Shortly before 9 pm the band came out to loud cheers and immediately went down to business. What can I say? Veterans that they are, their live performance can be described simply as "tight." There was never a misplaced note, with each musician adroitly playing their respective instruments like it was the easiest thing to do in the world. (There were moments in the gig, particularly during the "exhibitions," that reminded me of Dream Theater, a band I'll sell my soul to the Devil to watch.) I sure as hell wanted to pick up a guitar and enroll myself in Yamaha after the show.

Despite what I've already noted, there were quirks, though, and I'll be glad to point them out one by one.

First, there seemed to be a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the band. Except for band leader Steve Luckather (guitars, vocals), the rest seemed tired and couldn't wait for the show to be over so they could go to their hotel and snooze. I'll tear lead vocalist Bob Kimball for this one. His habit of leaving the stage every time his part ends smacked of Tom Cruise-like cockiness. Unforgivable, to say the least. I've seen such attitude from performers in benefit concerts, where most of the time they are not paid. But that night, when some people shelled out as much as Php4,000 for a seat, that attitude was simply inexcusable for Toto.

My second gripe was actually a minor one, but I'll note it anyway: The band jammed three of their best ballads - I'll Be Over You, I Won't Hold You Back and Lea - in one freaking "unrehearsed jam." Pretty disappointing, especially if you went to the concert to hear the said songs in their complete form. (But if you come to listen to the music in general without giving a fuck if it's a hit or not, you'll let this one pass, as I did. Well, in a way.) Nevertheless, that part wherein the band let the audience sing a part of I Won't Hold You Back caused on me some goosebumps.

I guess what I can consider as the highlight of the show - well, aside from Africa, of course; man, that song doesn't wear out - was Luckather's guitar solos (plus his "exhibition" at the latter part of the gig). A fan of screaming guitars that I am, Toto - or Luckather - didn't disappoint in that department. And thank god for that, it saved the gig from being a complete bomb.

All in all, the Toto gig at the Araneta Coliseum was far from being a mind-blowing experience, especially if one entered the gates expecting Toto as "hit makers" rather than an esteemed unit of musicians (two different bananas, in my book). They could've shown a little respect with their audience by showing a little more energy, though. My take on this: Hey, the guys played Cebu the previous night, and they're not exactly teenagers. Indeed, great musician or not, age's a nasty bitch.