Toto have confirmed the return of Greg Phillinganes on keyboards and vocals ahead of a 44-date North American tour. Drummer Shannon Forrest is also back in the band, and will join founding member Steve Lukather (guitar, vocals), Joseph Williams (vocals), John Pierce (bass), Warren Ham (horns, percussion, vocals), and Steve Maggiora (keyboards, vocals) for this run of shows.
“Barely two days into the new year, I get a call from Steve Lukather about joining Toto’s upcoming tour,” wrote Phillinganes on Instagram. “Next thing I know, I’m rehearsing, doing a photo shoot and back in Toto!”
Phillinganes is also celebrating winning his second Emmy, this one for Oustanding Musical Directon on last year’s Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize tribute to Joni Mitchell. “My last week has been bananas!,” says Phillinganes, who describes Mitchell as “an artist I never imagined even working with.”
Phillinganes first stint with Toto began in 2003, and he was asked to become a full member of the band in 2005. He left in 2008, but returned briefly in 2022, replacing Dominique Xavier Taplin on the band’s European tour. Shannon Forrest was previously Toto’s touring drummer between 2014 and 2019.
Despite numerous line-up changes (Steve Lukather is the only original member still performing with the band) Toto remain a significant draw on the live circuit, and have also racked up big numbers on streaming services. They have more than 3.4 billion streams on Spotify alone, more than one billion of which have been of their 1982 megahit, Africa, a perennial favourite. Just this week, in fact, US comedian Tom McGovern was pleased to be able to report that he’s finally learned how to play the keyboard solo from the song.
Toto’s North American tour includes 30 dates in support of Journey and 14 headline shows. A European tour will follow in the summer, with additional performances - including a run of UK shows - to be announced in the coming weeks.
A full list of tour dates can be found on the Toto website.
“I did a demo. I had Sheila E playing on it and Michael sang on it. I played it for Quincy and he said, ‘No.’”: Greg Phillinganes on the Michael Jackson song arrangement that Quincy Jones rejected because it wasn't "sexy" enough
“I was going to buy a Minimoog because Keith Emerson had one. I was in the store and I was trying it out and I hear a voice behind me say ‘you don’t want that’”: Why Foreigner’s Al Greenwood said no to the Minimoog and bought a little-known synth instead
“I did a demo. I had Sheila E playing on it and Michael sang on it. I played it for Quincy and he said, ‘No.’”: Greg Phillinganes on the Michael Jackson song arrangement that Quincy Jones rejected because it wasn't "sexy" enough
“I was going to buy a Minimoog because Keith Emerson had one. I was in the store and I was trying it out and I hear a voice behind me say ‘you don’t want that’”: Why Foreigner’s Al Greenwood said no to the Minimoog and bought a little-known synth instead
