Rhino Historic Tours: The Doobies Do the Hollywood Bowl
29 years ago today, The Doobie Brothers, who’d been broken up for half a decade, kicked off a mini-reunion tour which subsequently led to a permanent regrouping of the band that has continued in some capacity or other ever since.
When the brothers Doobie made the decision to go their separate ways, it was because they’d reached a level of tension amongst the various members that had resulted in the whole thing just not being fun anymore. Past problems were set aside, however, when drummer Keith Knudson started calling around to the past members to see if they’d be willing to regroup for a charity performance to benefit the Vietnam Veterans Aid Foundation.
In the end, Knudsen was able to sway singers Michael McDonald and Tom Johnston, singer-guitarist Pat Simmons, bassist Tiran Porter, guitarists Jeff Baxter and John McFee, sax player Cornelius Bumpus, percussionists John Hartman and Bobby LaKind, and drummers Michael Hossack and Chet McCracken to play. The only two former members not in the mix: bassists Dave Shogren and Willie Weeks. (The latter was unavailable, and Knudsen had never even met Shogren, so he didn’t feel comfortable calling him.) Even better, the benefit was so successful that it led to a mini-tour by the regrouped band.
Although the amalgamation of all of the band’s lineups didn’t end up sticking together for the long haul, the bond of the Doobie Brothers proved strong enough that the band went back into the studio and released a new album, Cycles, in 1989…and they’re still touring in 2016. Who says reunions don’t last?
