‘Bless the rains’ and spend ‘An Evening with Toto’ at Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on June 18
From a press release:
Multi-Grammy Award-winning rock band Toto has announced the first set of dates for their summer U.S. tour, including a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets, which are $39, $45, $55, and $69, plus fees, go on sale this Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A special Kirby Member pre-sale begins Wednesday, March 8 at 10 a.m.
The shows on this tour are billed as “An Evening with Toto,” and their performances will feature repertoire for their latest studio album, “XIV,” classic hits, and both band and fan favorites from their vast catalog in performances that will stage two hours of music. Last summer, Toto embarked on their first U.S. headline run in over a decade.
The core Toto members – Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, and Joseph Williams – will be joined by Lenny Castro (percussion), Shannon Forest (drums), Shem von Schroeck (bass), and Warren Ham (saxophone, vocals). Guitarist Steve Lukather shares, “We had such a great time last summer that we wanted to regroup and hit some cities we didn’t get to last time. Always a thrill to bring our full show around the country.”
Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5,000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations, and they were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009.
With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and accolades to their names, Toto remains one of the top-selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire, which includes hits like “Hold the Line,” “Rosanna,” and “Africa,” continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are a part of pop culture and one of the few ’70s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational fan base.
In 2015, Toto released their first new studio album in 10 years, “Toto XIV.” The album exhibited world-class musicianship, masterful arrangements, topical lyrical commentary, and melodies that the collective talents of Lukather, Paich, Porcaro, Williams, and their assembled bandmates brought to life. It debuted Top 10 in nine countries around the world and became their most successful album since 1988 in the U.S. and U.K.
In 2016, they released the Blu-Ray/DVD title “Live at Montreux,” which quickly charted Top 5 or better around the globe as well. With the band’s 40th anniversary coming up in 2018, Toto has major plans in the works to celebrate their enduring career.
