The Doobie Brothers Recruit Michael McDonald For 50th Anniversary Tour

The featuring Michael McDonald will celebrate their 50th anniversary with an extensive 2020 tour. A lineup that includes McDonald, Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee will hit 30 cities in North America between June 9 and October 10.

On Monday night, The Doobie Brothers followed full performances of early albums Toulose Street and The Captain & Me by welcoming Michael McDonald to the stage during their encore at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. McDonald, who hasn’t toured with The Doobie Brothers in nearly 25 years, joined the band for “Takin’ It To The Streets.” The song was a fitting choice as it served as the title track of The Doobie Brothers’ first album after McDonald was added to the lineup in 1975. Michael was part of The Doobie Brothers from 1975 – 1982 and also was aboard for stints in 1987, 1992 and 1995 – 1996. Simmons followed “Takin’ It To The Streets” by announcing the band would reunite with McDonald to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

“We’re truly excited about our 50th Anniversary Tour, as it’s a celebration of the band’s entire history. We’ll be performing songs from our full catalog, as well as new music,” said Johnston, who along with Simmons are the two co-founding members left in The Doobie Brothers. The tour begins in the Southeast with shows in West Palm Beach on June 9, Tampa on June 10, Alpharetta (Georgia) on June 14, Nashville on June 17, Charlotte on June 19 and Raleigh on June 20. Next up for The Doobies are stops in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Washington, California and Arizona. The Doobie Brothers end the tour in Texas with performances in Irving on October 9 and Houston on October 10.

Tickets go on sale Friday, December 6 at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.com.