Selamat Tinggal TOTO..

Kenangan aku dengan band ni tak lama. Bermula bila aku selalu ikut member aku pergi praktis dengan band dia untuk masuk kontrak main dekat Pub. Drummer band tu selalu minta nak main lagu band ni. Aku ingat antara kata-kata dia "band ni mantap dari segala sudut. Semua genre dia main. macam band Pub yang buat album".

Antara album yang direkemen ialah "Tambu". Jadi bila aku ada duit, aku cuba untuk cari cd band ni. Jumpa la pulak dan terus aku sambar. 1st impression aku "wow,!". memang band yang mantap. Sound yang sedap. Ada pulak ciri-ciri gitar hero tapi tak keterlaluan. Groove bass & drum yang "melekat"..huhu

Aku kemudian cuba mencari dvd "live" band ni pasal aku memang yakin kalau band-band otai luar negara ni kalau "live" dia lagi menarik dari album (contoh: Pink Floyd Pulse, Led Zeppelin The Song Remain The Same). Kebetulan jumpa dekat Subang SS15 dan kesimpulannya, memang "world". TOTO 25th Anniversary "Live in Amsterdam" memang betul-betul membuatkan aku mula mencari versi audio pula..

Tapi pagi ni bila aku buka blog Deaf, takde perkataan yang mampu aku luahkan. Apa yang aku baca macam seolah-olah mimpi. Kebetulan aku baru khatam untuk kali ke 3 filem "Almost Famous - Untitled (director's cut). Seolah-olah apa yang aku baru tengok tentang pergolakan dan perpecahan dalam band "stillwater" tu dah jadi kat TOTO.

Apa nak buat. Keputusan sudahpun di buat. Lukather telah pun umumkan secara rasmi dalam site beliau. Berkuburlah lagi band yang telah menyerikan arena rock dunia dan syukur aku tergolong antara yang bertuah dapat tengok dorang perform secara "live" masa tour dorang kat Cyberjaya dulu (walaupun tanpa 2 original line-up). So...Farewell TOTO..

p/s:artikel dibawah diambil dari blog deaf yang dipercayai diambil dari website lukather.net.

Steve Lukather - The end of Toto

In several interviews and blogs Lukather made some (little) allusions to the end of Toto. The die heart fans got the message, BUT a lot of people didn’t got the clue and wouldn’t believe that Toto is over before they read it loud and clear from Steve Lukather himself. Here's Luke's announcement about the end of the Toto era.

Steve Lukather: "I would like to make a formal annoucement as I have been barraged by e-mails and speculations on various websites.

The fact is yes I have left Toto. There is no more Toto. I told the guys before the last leg of our tour.
We had some differences in how business was being done. The other fact is that I have been the only guy who was at the first rehearsal till the last gig a month or so ago. When Jeff died part of us all died with him. We pursued it and had some great times. Simon was a champ replacing Jeff at a most difficult time. Bobby was out of the band for 16 years and then came back and you know the other singer stories. Other than Bobby, Joe was the only guy that really fit with us cause he was a high school buddy as well. No offence to Bobby at all.

When Dave retired that was REAL hard for me cause we started the band together. Hell its 35 years if you count High School where the core all met. When Mike fell ill and had to leave that was it for me. If there isnt a Paich or at least one Porcaro how can we even call it Toto? It was bittersweet cause I finally got to tour with my dear friend and musical legend Leland Sklar whom I have known since I was 19 years old. We had some laughs and great times.
Honestly I have just had enough. This is NOT a break. It is over. I really cant go out and play Hold the Line with a straight face anymore. I was 19 when we cut the record. I am 50 now.

I have only the deepest respect for the guys that have been in and out of this band over the years. We had a great run and I owe an awful lot to the experience and the success we had. We hung in there hard despite being the most hated band in the world by most so called "rock critics". We took the punches and kept going. Our old label President Donnie Ienner ruined us in the USA by not releasing our records and not letting us out of our contract for over 10 YEARS! And that really set us back. Why? You have to ask the man himself cause we never knew why. He just didnt like our music or us personally I guess. We will never know.

The USA turned there backs on us and it was very hard for me to keep smiling thru it all. It just sort of festered inside me and I was hurting myself in the process and eventually I had to be honest with myself and I was not happy at all. The guys in the current line-up could not be more different individuals and the only real thing we had in common was music. This was NOT the high school band of brothers that we started in the 70's. We had a magic thing and the same sense of humour and the same views on life. Somehow that was lost. Its not the new guys fault. It is what it is.

I just cant do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own. As the only original member that had NEVER ever left or missed even ONE gig or recording I figured I might as well do it myself now while I can still get out and do it and have a new record that just came out and a new band that is unreal and a tour booked that will take me thru the end of summer 2009 and beyond. The title of my record says it all. Ever Changing Times.

Today I confered with my soul brother and founding member David Paich on this matter. He wrote me back and he said "We are FREE"! I laughed out loud. I dont think he thought this was Toto anymore either. There are no bad feeling from me to the other guys at all. I wish them only the very very best and all the good things in life and I am sure we will run into each other here or there and it will be hugs and all, hope so anyway. So, there you have it. I hope you will come out to one of my shows and thank you for 31 years of friendship."

stevelukather.net, June 5th 2008

Toto Live @ Cyberjaya Pt 2..

Tiap2 konsert mesti ader part medley kan? Toto punyer part medley tak perform full band. Dorang cuma hantar Greg Phillinganes untuk perform lagu2 dorang. Memang sebelum tu Steve Lukather ada janji akan main semua lagu2 top dorang. Tapi aku memang tak bajet dorang cuma perform guna keyboard je..huhu. Antara lagu yang dorang cover ialah Georgy Porgy, Child’s anthem, 99, Lion, I’ll be over you (frust betul aku pasal dorang tak perform lagu ni full band).

Lepas je habis part medley tu, semua ahli band masuk. Dorang nyanyi intro satu lagu ala2 ballad sket..nyanyi lak ramai2. aku memula memang tak dapat nak cam, pastu terus excited pasal dorang perform “Rosanna”. Terus aku buat video guna Cybershots aku..huhu. memang gempak la dorang. Pastu show dorang bersambung dengan lagu Pamela, Gift of Faith, Hold The Line, I Supply The Love dan banyak lagi lagu (aku lupa tajuk..huhu)

Masa lagu Hydra, dorang buat long arrangemnet. Kasi can kat Simon Philips bantai drum dia..huhu. memang mamat tu tua kutuk tak sedar diri. Tepat giler timing dia rolling drum dia. Memang tak der miss la..

Habis solo drum, dorang perform 2 lagu lagi sebelum semua orang hilang. Crowd dah jerit “encore”..aku tau tu semua taktik je.. Kemudian dorang semua masuk & Simon Philip ketuk drum untuk intro lagu berjantu dorang. Ape lagi..”Africa” la..

Penonton tak kira bangsa berjoget & menyanyi sama2 dorang. Cuma yang tak ngam, bukan David Paitch yang bawak lagu tu. Tapi Greg Phillinganes sampai kantoi2 main. Lukather jeling semacam je..hehehe. Ending lagu tu pun sempoi. Memula Bobby Kimball keluar, kemudian Tony Spinner, kemudian Leland Sklar, pastu Lukather, Greg Phillinganes & last skali, Simon.. Lukather sempat menjerit “Thanks for tonight, see you in Japan”..huhu..Jauh tu..

Show habis pukul 11.20 pm. Memang terasa syok sangat dapat tengok band pujaan perform depan mata. Tapi kesimpulan yang aku dapat, dorang tak buat konsert malam tu. Dorang Cuma jamming je. Ye la... maybe dengan line-up yang x cukup, dorang malas nak bersungguh-sungguh sangat. Tapi itu pun dah cukup gempak. Ape lagi kalau dorang henjut full-blast. Sound jangan cerita la. Dah nama orang putih, sound macam depan muka je keluar. Benda ni aku rasa orang Malaysia kena kaji. Sound artis Malaysia tak macam sound dorang2 ni la..

Antara artis2 yang aku perasan sebelum, semasa & sesudah konsert, Yazid Search & his family, Faizal Tahir (tak habis2 dengan Queen dia), Dada (percussionist n Sessionist), Mustafa Kamal (??) pelakon tu..Joey BPR (kalau tak silap la). Ni je yang aku perasan. Maybe ader lagi cuma aku tak nampak @ jumpa.

Toto meninggalkan Malaysia dengan seribu satu pengalaman yang best (pada aku la, orang lain aku tak tau). Tak rugi aku beli tiket RM 150.00. Walaupun mahal, tapi memang puas sangat. Cuma lagi puas kalau dorang dapat main I’ll be Over You, I Won’t Hold You Back, While My Guitar Gently Wheeps..huhu. Giler lah..

p/s: Kepada Deaf.. Sori la kalau ulasan aku ni tak memenuhi kriteria ko. Aku kena menuntut dengan ko ni cara2 nak buat ulasan konsert yang dahsyat macam ko selalu buat tu..huhuhu

p/s1: Untuk tengok gambar2 sekitar konsert klik sini.

p/s2: Untuk klip Rosanna & Africa, klik tajuk lagu.

Toto Live @ Cyberjaya Pt 1..

Petang 15 hb aku dapat miscall dari satu no. aneh. Aku return call. Rupanya amoi dari Axces Ticket nak maklumkan kat aku yang Toto punya konsert kena delay pasal kargo barang2 dorang baru sampai dari Bandung petang tu. Dah hilang sikit keterujaan aku. Tapi memikirkan yang nak datang ni Toto, semangat tu datang balik..huhuuh

Petang 16 hb, aku keluar rumah pukul 5.30 pm. Bawak kereta dengan tenang melalui hiway KESAS, potong ikut Puchong terus menuju Cyberjaya. Sampai sana dalam pukul 6.30 pm. Sempat lepak dengan member aku yang kerja kat EDS Cyberjaya cerita pasal politik pasca PRU 12..hahaha.

Pukul 8.30 pm, aku dah terpacak dekat lokasi konsert. Orang baru nak ramai. Maklumlah, hujan baru berhenti di Cyberjaya. Parking kereta agak becak dengan tanah merah. ada guest band dari Kuala Lumpur, cover unplugged lagu2 EWF, Toto & 2-3 band yang aku dah lupa. Sempat sambar t-shirt konsert untuk Tour 2008 ni. Agak frust pasal tulisan kat belakang untuk venue di Malaysia ni Stadium Negara. Apsal dorang tukar lokasi, teman pun tak boleh nak jawab..

Toto muncul pukul 9.20 pm, lewat 20 minit. Tapi tak kesah. Dorang band yang memang dah ada nama yang gah (satu dunia kenal tu). Aku pernah tunggu dekat 1 jam lebih untuk tengok konsert band tempatan (cerita lain). Kira kalau lewat bawah ½ jam tu, memang boleh dimaafkan sangat2 la..

Walaupun aku ni memamng minat dengan dorang, tapi aku ni bukan la dalam kategori kipas-susah-mati. Kira banyak lagu2 dorang yang aku tak tau @ tak der. Jadi tajuk openning song dorang memang aku tak tau. Tapi memang groove giler la..dah nama Toto kan? Lagu ketiga dorang baru dorang main lagu dalam album “Falling in Between”. Tak silap King Of The World. Kemudian Steve Lukather membebel @ buat lawak. Mamat tu memang bagus la. Pandai dia handle crowd (dah nama otai kan?). Kemudian terus masuk lagu “Falling In Between”...

TOTO datang Malaysia..yeay!

Tarikh di atas aku dapat dari website rasmi TOTO..http://toto99.com. TOTO nak turun Malaysia? Arghh.. memang tak boleh nak dilepaskan. Antara band pujaan ni..adus.. Akhirnya dapat jugak aku tengok steve lukather, bobby kimball, simon phillips, david paich, mike porcaro n greg phillinganes secara live. Apa lagi orang kampung? Pakat2 kumpul duit oi.. Toto..I'll be over you...hahhaa

All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes
Rosanna, Rosanna
I never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me, Rosanna

All I wanna do in the middle of the evening is hold you tight
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know you were looking for more than I could ever be

Not quite a year since she went away, Rosanna yeah
Now she's gone and I have to say
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna yeah

I can see your face still shining through the window on the other side
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know that a girl like you could make me feel so sad, Rosanna

All I wanna tell you is now you'll never ever have to compromise
Rosanna, Rosanna
I never thought that losing you could ever hurt so bad

Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna yeah