The Doobie Brothers bring 50 years of hits to Canadian Tire Centre

From one big anniversary show to another last night we joined The Doobie Brothers as their 50th Anniversary Tour paid a visit to Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

Nostalgia ran high at the Canadian Tire Centre last night and for nearly 3 hours thousands of fans joined The Doobie Brothers, this time with Michael McDonald in the lineup (McDonald was not part of the lineup that visited Wesley Clover Parks with Shania Twain in 2015), to celebrate half a century or, as Patrick Simmons said, the next 50 years of hits.

The band took to the stage at 7:30pm sharp and jumped right into the show with “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)” much to the crowds delight. Naturally for a band that’s been touring since 1970 you can expect an older fan base and they were definitely present last night but there was also a decent percentage of kids my age (ok I’m embellishing my age just a bit but you get my point).  After that it was another 25 songs of Doobie magic, frequently showcasing Michael McDonald’s silky smooth voice, many of which were among the 16 Billboard Top 100 singles the band has amassed over the last 50 years.

I love going to these shows and watching artists that have been making music as long as I’ve been alive on this earth and hearing them knock the songs out of the park as if they were recorded yesterday. From Alabama a few months ago to Blue Rodeo just this past weekend and then last night The Doobie Brothers…will artists that are starting out today have that kind of staying power 50 years from now? I truly hope that my kids can enjoy timeless artists like these when they become adults.

The show closed out with a quintuple song encore starting with “Black Water” and closing out with a Steely Dan cover “Pretzel Logic” for the 26th song of the night.

If you want to catch the Doobie Brothers on their the start of the next 50 years tour (aka their 50th Anniversary Tour) they’re making their way across Canada and still have stops in St. Catherines, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Kelowna before this leg wraps up in Abbotsford on October 28. Visit thedoobiebrothers.com for tickets and information.

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