American rock band Toto will return to Dubai to headline the 14th Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, taking place between February 24-26, 2016, at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.
Their opening night show marks their second time performing at the festival.
The last time the band played there, it was a sold-out gig in 2007 and they were on the verge of a break-up (nonetheless, it was a great show — read our review here). It was just a few short months before they would announce their then-conclusive hiatus.
It had all seemed so final back then. In no uncertain terms, frontman Steve Lukather wrote on his website: “There is no more Toto.”
“I just can’t do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own,” he said.
But it turned out that all Lukather and the band needed was a prolonged breather. They regrouped earlier this year and, in March, released their first album in nearly a decade. They called it Toto XIV.
It seems apt that they come back to Dubai now to reopen a chapter that they had just begun closing when they were last in the city.
“As we travel the globe, this appearance is one that all of us have looked forward to for some time now,” Lukather said in a press release.
According to him, the set will feature a mix of the band’s bigger hits — think Africa, Rosanna, Hold the Line and I’ll Be Over You — as well as their favourite deep cuts.
Speaking to tabloid!, Anthony Younes, co-founder and CEO of Chillout Productions, the organisers of the festival, said that the band were chosen because they represented ‘pop culture’.
“[They] are one of the few late ’70s legendary bands that have withstood the ever-changing trends and styles. With more than 38 years into a career, they still enjoy a multi-generational fan base,” he said.
Opening for Toto will be the YouTube-famous band Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ).
Don’t miss it:
Tickets to the festival will go on sale at noon on October 21 at ticketmaster.ae. Regular Standing (Dh325), Golden Circle (Dh695), Fan Pit (Dh895) and VIP (Dh1,250) will all be available. For more details, check dubaijazzfest.com.
