The Doobie Brothers at The State Theater.

Last night at the beautiful State Theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey, The Doobie Brothers exemplified why they are now Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. Tight all evening, the performance was magnified with the excellent saxophonist, Marc Russo and the expert piano and singing of Michael McDonald.

This is the forth time that I have seen The Doobie Brothers in concert; twice with McDonald and twice without him. With McDonald in the line up, the band is able to perform staples that the Doobies are known for: "You Belong To Me", "It Keeps You Running", "Minute by Minute", "What a Fool Believes" and "Takin' It to the Streets". With Tom Johnson (a great musician out), Pat Simmons, Michael McDonald and John McFee continued the the band's legacy, and it is a great one! Adding John Cowan on Bass, Marc Russo on sax, Ed Toth on drums and Bronx boy, Marc Quinone, the band never sounded better than last night!

Opening with "Take Me in Your Arms", the song was a perfect opening song... it is a lite, fun song that shows off their talent. One of the strongest songs of the night was the evenings forth, "Rockin' Down the Highway". All three guitarists were in perfect sync as they belted out the worlds to this noteworthy song.

The Doobie Brothers are a difficult band to pin down in that they fluctuate from Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues as well as Jazz and at times, Soul. Under reddish, orange, purples and cool whites, the bands light system seemed to capture the genre of the songs all evening long. In the evening's sixth song, "You Belong to Me", the lights were a more somber cool white with red/ orange hugh to give a soulful feel the the number; as did "South City Midnight Lady".

The band has many ways to approach their songs, they can slow it down or belt it out. With their vast array of songs, The Doobie Brothers can hit you in every direction. Much like CCR, it is the songwriting that separates it from many of "the also rans" in Rock & Roll. With deft musicians, the band revs up the final third of the concert with songs like "Real Love", "Minute by Minute", "Without You", "Jesus Is Just Alright" ( a phenomenal lead in), "What a Fool Believes", "Long Train Runnin'", "China Grove" rounds out the pre encore concert.

The encore was suppossed to start with "Black Water" but Pat Simmons had technical difficulties, he went to the band and told them that McDonald was up with Marc Russo to belt out "Takin' It to the Streets" first. The band then went onto play "Listen to the Music", a fan favorite and then they returned to "Black Water" before ending with a Steely Dan cover, "Pretzel Logic" (this song was not received that well and had many of the audience heading for the exits).

As I watch many of the great old bands perform, (Three Dog Night and Natalie Merchant last week, John fogerty and Joan Jett/ Bryan Adams last month), I am amazed at the energy that many of these musicians have. While many walk slowly, you can at times see the visable challenges that they have, but they can all still deliver really well. After all, the music is in their blood and it is what many of them have been doing for 50 plus years.

As I watch these concerts I realize that it maybe the last time that I see a particular performer. I think about the many great years that they entertained all of us. It is evident just how talented the R&R musicians are; where they came from and the level of talent that they have. It is still and always has been a great sight to see.

State Theater, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Marc Russo, Tom Johnson, Pat Simmons, John McFee, Three Dog Night, Bryan Adams, John Fogerty, Joan Jett, Madison Square Garden, Boy George, Hermans Hermitts, Billy Joel, Madonna, Aerosmith, www.swmnimbus.org, Mann About Town, Rock & Roll Man, The New World Stages.