Toto and Journey Took Us Back in the Best Way With a Wednesday Show in Dallas

In a sea of Journey shirts, the Wednesday night crowd at American Airlines Center watched Toto while waiting impatiently for the headliner. But the opening band just ripped. Toto wasted no time with banter during their set and just hammered on song after song, including ’80s staples “Africa” and “Rosanna.”

Steve Lukather’s vocals shredded on the deadly “Hold the Line,” and the band moved into a heartfelt Beatles cover, “With a Little Help From My Friends,” before closing out the show with their two biggest hits – which had the crowd swaying, dancing and singing along. At the end of their set, Toto gave their brief intros for the bandmates while saying their goodbyes and thank yous with a wholesome bow before they left the stage.

As soon as the lights dimmed, the whispers among the audience turned into yelling and whistles. It seemed as if the seats were charged with electricity, causing every member in the crowd to jump to their feet in excitement at the same time. Nobody was sitting back down anytime soon – it was not a good day to be short. 

Journey got their karaoke-favorite tune “Don’t Stop Believin'” out of the way immediately. The guys still have it. Arnel Pineda dominated the stage with his presence: throwing the mic out into the crowd, jumping, dancing, interacting with every bandmate across the stage without losing a single beat. The dude was flash.

There also wasn’t much banter from Journey – besides the occasional “Thanks, Dallas!” “You guys ready?!” or the classic “How are we all doing out there?!” Lights flashing, guitars ripping, keys thrashing, Journey put one one of their best shows to date.

Once they played “Wheel in the Sky” and the perfect “Separate Ways [Worlds Apart]” it was clear they were close to their big finale. Giant funnels were at the front of the stage, a gang of people all clad in black started throwing shirts to the ground audience. We’re not just talking about a few dozen shirts, either: For the last three songs you would just see black rolled-up shirts being thrown nonstop.

The moment Jonathan Cain struck that first unmistakable chord on piano for “Anyway You Want It,” those funnels erupted in an explosion of fog, confetti and streamers that engulfed the arena. Seeing everybody chant the lyrics to that last tune while confetti was slowly fluttering its way to the floor was a sight to behold. What a wild Wednesday night.