Toto at the Riverside Theater (2/18/2026)

Here at Defenders of the Faith, we pride ourselves on being a cut above your average online metal outlet. Call it elitism, sure, but I’d rather face charges for that offense than capitulate to the ever-growing, clickbait-fueled TikTok metal mob who simps over any band with masks and semi-distorted riffs over trap beats (You know who I’m talking about). Rather, we model ourselves after the underground zines of yesteryear, or Kerrang! in its prime. You know, back when you could pick up an issue and read about Venom creating black metal in real time on one page, salivate over a full color stage shot of David Coverdale on the other, and then flip to read a full concert review of Toto at *insert academy here*…which is what you’re getting today.

For those familiar with Toto beyond “Africa”, I’m preaching to the choir when I brand them one of the most gloriously eclectic bands in rock history. It’s not uncommon to hear them go from anthemic AOR to jazzy sophisti-pop, passionate power balladry to overtly technical proto-prog metal, sometimes over the course of a single album side! We were treated to all these styles and beyond last night at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as Toto kicked off the 2026 leg of their ongoing “An Evening With” jaunt to an enthusiastic near-capacity audience.

Now before I go any further with this review, I must say that if you’re a band with over 30, 40, or especially 50 years under your belt, take note. More bands need to embark on these types of tours. Sure, you can reconfigure the same nostalgia package over and over until the cows come home, but what’s the point when you’re playing the same dozen songs ad nauseum? It almost defeats the purpose of a multi-generational catalog, which Toto aren’t afraid to explore at all. In fact, many of the evening’s songs were dusted off for the first time in decades, starting with the opening “Goodbye Elenore”.

Hailing from the oft-maligned Turn Back (1981), my camera just about hit the floor when Steve Lukather’s signature Music Man exploded with the iconic riffs to this forgotten AOR classic, which the band absolutely nailed. Why Turn Back tanked, and is still ignored to this day, is a mystery to me. Perhaps it’s another case of having the misfortune of being sandwiched between two landmark albums (1979’s Hydra and 1982’s blockbuster IV)? Whatever the case may be, on this particular night, “Goodbye Elenore” set the stage for an evening of hits, obscurities, and jams. Lots and lots and LOTS of tasty jams.

Let’s start with the hits, shall we? “I’ll Supply the Love”, “Rosanna”, “99”, “Hold the Line”…you name it, they played it. Considering the *ahem* demographic who attends Toto shows these days, there was lots of standing up, sitting down, repeat, with ringmaster Luke egging on everyone from the front row of the floor to the last row of the balcony to rock out to these anthems, which they are. As easy as it is to roll your eyes at a band’s biggest hits, belittling them as “overplayed” or “burnt out”, in the case of Toto, the hits remain fresh as ever. Nearly 50 years on, and “Hold the Line” sounds like it could’ve been recorded yesterday…and by “yesterday”, I mean if there were musicians in the world of pop music who boasted a fraction of the talent as this band.

As for the deep tracks, those were present too in spades! My personal favorite Toto song of all time, “Hydra”, was played for the first time since 2015. Youngster keyboardist-singer extraordinaire, Dennis Atlas, came out from behind his Keith Emerson-esque rig to belt out “Endless” off the cult classic, Isolation (1984), doing a dead-on Fergie Frederiksen in the process. ’90s curio “Gift of Faith” made its first appearance in nearly two decades, while the fiery “Taint Your World” (inspired by Van Halen, per Lukather) and doomy “Kingdom of Desire” showcased the band’s metal side, silencing the naysayers who dismiss them as “yacht rock”, whatever the hell that is.

Linking all these songs together is a shared love and passion for musical excellence, and if that’s a criminal offense, then this whole band belongs behind bars. While Luke remains the only “day one” member of Toto onstage, he’s joined by a hell of a support cast, if you can call them that. Frontman Joseph Williams, best known for his late ’80s stint with the band, remains on vocals, belting out those crystal clear highs like it’s nobody’s business. Multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham also goes back to the ’80s, and on this particular evening, he handled vocals, bongos, saxophone, harmonica, flute…am I forgetting anything, Luke?

Longtime Huey Lewis and the News bassist John Pierce holds down the low end, journeyman drummer Shannon Forrest holds down the beat, and dual keyboardists Atlas and newcomer Rai Thistlehwayte handle pianos, organs, synths, strings, and other assorted soundscapes. Together, it takes 7 men to bring the music of Toto to life onstage, but at the end of the night, it’s all worthwhile. Towards the evening’s finale, Luke joked with the crowd, “We may mess shit up, but at least we’re doing this all live.” It’s sad to think that Luke has to even make such a statement, and for said statement to receive such a roaring ovation, but in today’s age of Milli Vanilli-ism on steroids, such artistry is scarce.

By the time Toto closed out with, you guessed it, “Africa”, the crowd were back on their feet, singing along word for word to the song that has singlehandedly buttered this band’s bread for over 40 years. Sure, maybe it’s cringey, cheesy, or worse. To quote Luke from our 2021 interview with him, “People say, ““Africa” makes me wanna fucking kill myself blah blah blah.” Dude, we cut that record in 1981. You think you wanna kill yourself *laughs*?” And yet it’s closing in on 2.5 billion streams on Spotify alone. Not million. Billion. Let that sink in for a second.

Say what you will about “Africa”, it is a song that has united people from all walks of life for decades on a scale that few songs in the history of music has. By extension, Toto has done the same. Their fanbase runs the gamut from wine moms to musos, metalheads to prog nerds, boomer retirees to frat bros. Go read a Rolling Stone from the late ’70s, when an act like Toto was the bane of that publication’s existence. Now find me ONE band that rag hailed nearly half a century ago who’s still sustaining today and on the same scale. You’re not going to be able to. Whether the tastemakers like it or not, Toto is timeless and has come out on top. Score 1 for the Dogs of Oz.

Setlist