Well, a mix-up on the family events calendar resulted in Toni and Nicki up in Seattle attending the Lion King show and me down in Tacoma at the Emerald Queen Casino at the Michael MCDonald concert. Not sure if it was just a matter of poor planning or some strange voodoo magic of Toni’s to get out of going to see Michael MCDonald. Oh well, she’ll have another chance in August when he comes through this area again touring and co-headlining with TOTO.
The photo cops were out in strength, enforcing the “no photo” rule, which of course wasn’t posted anywhere I could tell. Another bummer about the show was that there was no swag! Every performer sells swag. It’s a staple of income and a given that you can buy a shirt, CD, poster, headband or whatever, but not tonight…bummer, my first Michael MCDonald show, and no commemorative T-shirt.
The show started a bit later than the typical 8:00pm start with him coming on to stage around 8:45. He came out and started the show off right with a couple of older Doobie Brothers songs and then a great mix of his single stuff, some great covers and more Doobies. They did a great rendition of Eric Clapton’s 1996 Grammy hit Change the World, it turns out it was written by the bassist for Michael MCDonald‘s band Tommy Sims. They also performed an incredible medley of Stevie Wonder songs. But of course, everyone was there to hear him perform the great hits such as Yah Mo B There, Takin’ It to the Streets, It Keeps You Runnin’, Minute by Minute and What a Fool Believes.
I have always enjoyed his music. He has such a unique and soulful voice and writes songs with a strong southern blues a jazz influence. His soft rock ballads bring back so many memories that make you sit back and remember all the good times.
Missed not having Toni with me at the show tonight, but I am glad I didn’t miss it.
bryonsconcertblog 
Leave a Reply