Toto is an enigma. An everchanging cast of virtuoso musicians, a band that has experienced the highest of highs, and a band whose members have contributed to some of the greatest songs in pop history, but also a band that has never been favored by the critics and has been snubbed for decades by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Toto is on the road this summer with Men at Work and Christopher Cross, this hits-packed extravaganza made its way to Bridgeport, CT and thrilled a packed audience.
Please scroll below for MisplacedStraws’ Toto live photos and review.
Men At Work were the first act to the stage on a sweltering summer night. Colin Hay, for many years now, has been the only original member of the band. His tours alternate between being billed as Colin Hay and featuring songs from his vast solo catalog as well as Men at Work hits and billed as Men at Work which features a set predominately made up of that band’s songs. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Colin quite a few times and it’s always fun. His voice is still fantastic, and he surrounds himself with a great band.
The band’s 45-minute set featured 4 tracks from the smash debut Business As Usual, three from its follow up Cargo, and one of Hay’s solo tracks. The current band, Jimmy Branly on drums, San Miguel Perez on guitar, Yosmel Montejo on bass, Rachel Mazer on sax, flute, and keys, and, of course, Hay’s wife Cecilia Noel on backing vocals and percussion, plays these songs with joy and an energy that is infectious.
Christopher Cross led his band to the stage next. Cross had lightening in a bottle with his incredibly successful, self-titled debut. While he saw some success after, he was never able to recapture the critical and commercial success of the debut. Unsurprisingly, five of the nine songs in the set were from that first record, with 3 from its follow up Another Page, and, of course, his classic “Arthur’s Theme”.
Cross’s voice sounded exactly like it did 40+ years ago and his band was remarkable. Cross once filled in for Ritchie Blackmore at a Deep Purple gig, so he can hold his own on guitar and showed a few flourishes throughout his set. In contrast to Men at Work in that Cross’ band seemed to be all business. There was little smiling and laughing on stage. The somewhat mellow set seemed like it would go over better in an intimate theater setting rather than outdoors on a summer night.
Finally, it was time for the main event. Toto, in any incarnation, is an exceptional live band. Steve Lukather surrounds himself with the best musicians on the planet and this lineup is no different. While there may not be a Porcaro in the band and David Paich is no longer touring, the 2025 Toto is filled with stellar players. Long time vocalist Joseph Williams is joined by a few performers, Warren Ham on sax and percussion, Greg Phillinganes on keys and percussion, and Shannon Forrest on drums, who have done stints with the band in the past. The lineup is rounded out by bassist John Pierce, who has been in the band since 2020, and newcomer Dennis Atlas on keys and vocals.
The Toto setlist is always a perfectly curated cross section of the band’s career. The hits, “Rosanna”, “Hold The Line”, “Stop Loving You”, and, of course, “Africa”, are always there, but so are the deep cuts that longtime fans crave. The biggest surprise of the night was the title track to the 1999 record Mindfields. Lukather mentioned that prior to this tour, the band had never played the song live. The funky track fit perfectly in the set and was a definite crowd pleaser.
For me, the highlight of the set came from a very unexpected place. Isolation was a 1984 release; it followed the monster IV record and was the only record to feature Fergie Frederiksen on vocals. The band played two tracks from this release, “Carmen”, and an absolute show-stopping version of “Angel Don’t Cry”. The song began with Williams, sounding better than ever, on vocals before bringing Dennis Atlas who gave an incendiary performance handling Frederiksen’s part of the song. Atlas may not be a household name, but getting tapped for a spot in Toto means that you are at the absolute top of your field, and he proved in throughout the night, as did Steve Lukather. Watching him play guitar is a joy, he makes every note look effortless and has a tone that cannot be duplicated.
No Toto set would be complete without the ubiquitous “Africa”. The song holds a unique place in the band’s canon. It is their biggest hit, a song nearly everyone knows, but it is also the song that almost ended the band due to lawsuits from the widows of deceased members. On this night, all that mattered was that it was the song everyone wanted to hear. Members of Men at Work and Christopher Cross joined the band onstage and everyone left the show happy.
While there are some similarities between these three bands in terms of all being huge in the early 80s, it goes deeper. Steve Lukather and Colin Hay spent years together as part of Ringo’s All Starr Band while past members of Toto were featured on some of Christopher Cross’ recordings. These connections run throughout the night and make for a fun, enjoyable night of music. Who knows what the future holds for Toto, but hopefully, they will remain on the stage for a very long time.
