If you grew up in the 60s/70s, you were a fan of The Doobie Brothers. I mean, everybody loved The Doobies. The harmonies, the hooks, and the rich sounds made them immensely popular among country, rock and pop fans. As much as I loved The Doobie Brothers myself, I never had a chance to see them live until Friday night when they opened for Santana at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center. They opened their set with the 1972 hit, Rockin’ Down the Highway, which got the crowd cheering and singing. The band, which consists of original members Tom Johnston (guitars, vocals) and Patrick Simmons (guitars, vocals) along with John McFee (guitars, vocals, violin), was backed by touring musicians on bass, sax, percussion, and keyboards. Their sound was smooth and polished, their harmonies blending well together. The Doobies played a 12-song regular set, followed by an encore of Black Water and China Grove. They played all their greatest hits, which pleased the crowd immensely. I especially enjoyed listening to them jam, and the keyboard solo by Bill Payne was outstanding. It was awesome to hear so many of my favorite songs from “back in the day” performed live by the guys who made them popular in the first place! The Doobie Brothers will be on tour with Santana through the end of August, then will hit the road again mid-September on their headlining tour through the end of 2019. https://thedoobiebrothers.com/events