TULALIP — After four decades of touring and thousands of concerts, the Doobie Brothers on Friday night still delivered soaring harmonies, lightning fast guitar riffs and rocking, sometimes psychedelic, blues.
The iconic ’70s band delivered a powerful s
et Friday to open the Tulalip Summer Concerts 2011 series at the Tulalip Amphitheatre.
A near-capacity crowd clapped along to classic rock favorites including “Take Me in Your Arms,” “Jesus is Just Alright,” “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” and “Taking It to the Streets.”
As if to welcome the band, the skies cleared as the Doobie Brothers took the stage and treated the San Francisco band to a gorgeous sunset.
“We’re going to play a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll, are you ready for that?” Tom Johnston asked the crowd.
Despite cool temperatures, concert goers at the outdoor venue were delighted by the practiced and perfected rhythms the band produced.
Johnston, along with Pat Simmons and John McPhee, led the way, each song sounding crisp and fresh.
The band included songs from “World Gone Crazy,” their first studio album in a decade.
One of the tracks is a new version of “Nobody,” a cut originally recorded for their 1971 self-titled debut album.
The crowd rose to their feet for the album’s title track, a rocking tune about New Orleans.
This is the sixth season of concerts at Tulalip. The 2,500-seat concert venue opened in 2005. Acts have included B.B. King, Gordon Lightfoot, The Beach Boys and Julio Iglesias.
“It’s been working well,” state Rep. John McCoy said while waiting for the concert to start Friday.
The Doobie Brothers were the first of seven acts booked so far this year.
This year’s concert line-up includes Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx, along with local rock ‘n’ rollers Spike & The Impalers.
Later this summer legendary Motown soul-singer Smokey Robinson takes the stage, plus Pat Benetar, George Thorogood and country star Kenney Rogers.
Friday’s concert began with a tribal presentation. Then Tom Johnston’s daughter, Lara, opened with a rousing set.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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