Steve Lukather Says Toto Are ‘Calling It a Day’

That 70s Guy

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Toto’s 40th anniversary tour ends this Sunday with a performance in Philadelphia. According to guitarist Steve Lukather, it’s the last you’ll see of the band for a while.

"I don’t know what the future-future’s gonna be, but I do know that’s gonna be the last show ... for the foreseeable future – and certainly the end of this configuration of Toto,” Lukather revealed during an interview with the Morning Call.

He alluded to the constant grind of touring as a factor in Toto’s impending hiatus. “This kind of lifestyle is way harder than people think it is," Lukather said. "They just think that we float around from city to city magically and live a life of luxury. And I’m not saying that we travel poorly, but it’s a burden to be away from your family 230 days a year, like me.”

Health concerns already forced band cofounder David Paich to leave the road. He fell ill following a string of European performances in 2018.

“It was really the scariest thing ever,” Lukather recalled. “He had some sort of a seizure or something like that. We went home and he had to retire from touring because of his health. Apparently, he pushed himself a little too hard and he fell, you know, so to speak.”

Lukather noted that "Dave’s still playing. He can sing. He’s up and about and he’s happy and he’s walking around. But he’s not built for speed anymore, you know what I mean? He came out in L.A. recently ... came out at the end. And that was a nice way to close the book — at least this chapter.”

Ongoing legal issues are also played a role in Toto’s break. “Another bummer of our situation and why we’re calling it a day,” Lukather said. "We’ve had some horrendous litigation. Horrendous, horrendous, awful, mean, you-gotta-be-kidding-me kind of lawsuits, and we lost the suit. So, it beat us down.”

Toto have already retired once, as Lukather called a halt in 2008 after long-time bassist Mike Porcaro was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. A representative for Toto has now confirmed the break, adding that further details will be announced in 2020.

“I can’t predict the future,” Lukather admitted, leaving the door open for more Toto projects at some point. “I’m not saying I’m never gonna play this music again. That would be stupid to say; that would be a lie.”

While the future appears hazy at best, Lukather was clear about one thing: "I can tell you that this version [of Toto] is dead Oct. 20.”



Read More: Steve Lukather Says Toto Are 'Calling It a Day' | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ste...YAKu7I&utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
 

gguerra

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I did not even know they were still together as a band.

What's the last time they released anything? or were they touring?
 

E-Z

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OLD THE LINE is a good number that I still like and probably the radio friendly hits ROSANNA & AFRICA are ok from album 4 but personally I could never really get into them.

Bands putting out 45 rpm singles with girl's names as the title always seem to sell back in the 1970s & 1980s and got in the singles charts.

I read something a few years ago about when TOTO had a new singer and the dude didn't know who Jimi Hendrix was?. Anyway Toto had just finished a live concert dvd and apparently Steve was so annoyed about the new singer not knowing who Hendrix was so had the singer edited out of the concert footage in response!.
 
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Malc

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They've been constantly battling the critics for decades now but their excellent 2015 album defied the odds and certainly turned the pendulum back in their favour. With Joe (son of Star Wars) Williams back out front on vocals (his second stint with the band) they've been receiving amazing reviews for their performances around the globe for the past few years - and justifiably so. Sadly, it seems that the litigation came about as a falling out with certain members of the Porcaro family - Jeff's widow I seem to recall - and it got pretty horrendous. There's only so much s**t one can take being thrown at you...
 

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