Toto’s Tour of Nostalgia Makes Charlotte Stop

I mean this with all due respect: If not for Weezer’s widely popular cover of the Toto song “Africa” back in 2018, I’m not so sure Toto would be touring large outdoor amphitheaters this summer. But for better or worse — and I’m leaning better — that’s where we are today.

The yacht-rock outfit sailed into PNC Music Pavilion on Thursday alongside Men at Work and Christopher Cross. It’s far from the only nostalgia tour to roll through Charlotte this year (even Cypress Hill’s show in Ballantyne earlier in the week could arguably be categorized the same way), and Thursday’s show brought out generations of fans, even if a hefty portion appeared to be attending just to hear a few songs.

As a Gen Xer, it’s Men at Work that resonated the most with me. My older brother had the 1981 album Business as Usual when I was growing up so a number of songs were familiar — “Overkill,” “Who Can It Be Now?” “Down Under” and “Be Good Johnny” among them.

Singer and guitarist Colin Hay has helped the band’s appeal through all these years with his remarkable stage presence and vocal range.

Hay remains a great storyteller outside of song, as well, having shared a funny tale on Thursday about smoking a particularly strong strain of weed while writing “Down by the Sea.” As the sole original member of Men at Work, he has always been the band’s driving force.

Toto also put on an outstanding performance. Singer/guitarist Steve Lukather, who was recently in town performing alongside Hay as part of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, and Toto singer Joseph Williams appeared to love every moment they were on stage as they performed more than a dozen songs.

Sure, the hits captured the most attention, between which came periodic lulls and a lack of familiarity. Knowing they’d have to wait through roughly a dozen songs between “Rosanna” and “Hold the Line” was likely part of the reason there was a trickle of fans leaving the venue throughout the set.

If you could stick it out, “Africa” created one helluva singalong. But how many people were in attendance that didn’t know the song because of Weezer or clips on TikTok? For what it’s worth, congrats to Toto for riding the nostalgia wave and perhaps picking up new fans along the way. Their tour will continue through the end of August.

Christopher Cross and Men at Work have been alternating opening spots each night, and in Charlotte it was Cross who came first with a 45-minute set. While he can’t quite hit all the high notes that he used to — the 74-year-old has a trio of backup singers to help out — he wisely built his set to sprinkle in hits and lead to the finale of “Ride Like the Wind.”

Toto setlist
Child’s Anthem
Carmen
Rosanna
99
Mindfields
Pamela
I Won’t Hold You Back
Angel Don’t Cry
Georgy Porgy
White Sister
I’ll Be Over You
Stop Loving You
I’ll Supply the Love
Hold the Line
Africa

Men at Work setlist
No Restrictions
Can’t Take This Town
Down By the Sea
Overkill
It’s a Mistake
Who Can It Be Now?
Down Under
Be Good Johnny

Christopher Cross setlist
All Right
Never Be the Same
I Really Don’t Know Anymore
Sailing
Think of Laura
Arthur’s Theme
The Light Is On
No Time for Talk
Ride Like the Wind

Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.