Michael McDonald at The Carolina Theatre — Durham, NC — 6/09/2015

This concert review originally appeared on Degenrefy.com

Michael McDonald [★★★★★] kicked off his summer tour last week and made a stop at The Carolina Theatre for an intimate evening in Durham. Backed by a strong five-man band and a female back-up singer, the former Doobie Brother frontman revived the sounds of 70s and 80s radio that made him the powerhouse that he is.

McDonald eased into the evening with a light introduction and a simple request. “If you know the words, sing along.” They kicked off the festivities with “Ya Mo Be There” which was a duet originally done with James Ingram. Keeping with the 80s theme, they rolled into the uplifting and upbeat “Sweet Freedom” before finishing a mini set with The Doobie Brothers hit “It Keeps You Runnin’.”

Appreciative of everyone in the building, McDonald took the time to thank not only the audience for coming out, but his crew and their hard work as well. Showing his sense of humor, while introducing the members of his band, he credited Drea Rhenee’ his female backup singer with “taking the edge off the middle-aged ugliness” onstage.

Known for his massive success with The Doobie Brothers and an unbelievable solo career, McDonald sprinkled in some covers for good measure. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” originally done by Smokey Robinson but was made popular by Marvin Gaye was the first to rear its head. There was also a gorgeous rendition of “You Don’t Know Me,” by Eddy Arnold and dedicated to “the late, great Ray Charles.” This massive version featured Mark Douthit on saxophone, Pat Coil on keyboards, and brought on a standing ovation.

McDonald’s powerful voice blew the audience away as he executed hit after hit. Songs like “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” “Minute By Minute,” and “This Is It” show his massive vocal and dynamic range but were eclipsed by the crowd favorite “What A Fool Believes.” This set closer had harmonies and high notes abound which brought the dancing and singing audience out of their seats and into the aisles.

The highlight evening was the entire encore performance. It began with bassist Tommy Sims singing a slinky rendition of the Eric Clapton hit “Change the World,” which the he co-wrote. They followed up with a sensational Stevie Wonder mini medley of “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” and “Superstition” featuring Sims on vocals again. And for the finale, they brought the house down with “Takin’ It To The Streets” which featured McDonald and Drea Rhenee’ trading vocal duties.

McDonald’s passion and emotion shone through the night as he brought new soul to song after song. The band was surgically precise and engulfed the stage with sonic bliss and heavenly harmonies. Over the past four decades, McDonald ’s soulful style has proved to be both timeless and ever-evolving amassing him several Grammy awards and a catalog of memorable songs.