Doobie Brothers on 2025 tour, fan reaction to new songs: 'The response has been killer'
The Doobie Brothers are headed back on the road.
The band will launch its Walk This Road tour of North America on Aug. 4, celebrating a reunion for the ages.
The tour comes on the heels of the June release of their "Walk This Road" album, a reunion for the legendary lineup of Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, John McFee and Michael McDonald. It's the first-ever studio album featuring all four principals – and the first in 40 years featuring McDonald, who returned to record with the band.
The album, which has received rave reviews from critics, features throwback moments and cameos from the likes of Mavis Staples (on the fiery title track) and Mick Fleetwood. It "has something for everyone — honky-tonk, driving country, flirty Southern pop, moody folk and melodic rock," critics at the Associated Press wrote.
"Walk This Road" was recorded in the winter of 2024 with producer John Shanks and showcases the band members' songwriting process. All three of the songwriting members of the band worked individually with Shanks, bringing their own vibes to the trusted producer and then leaving it to him to meld everything into a cohesive work.
The Doobies are in the midst of a whirlwind year, having recently returned from a July tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland and notching a spot in the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 12. The group is already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"It's a big deal both times," Johnston told The Detroit Free Press, part of the Paste BN Network. "The people you grew up listening to, the people that affected your music, kind of gave you direction that you latched onto, they’re all in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."
"It's really gratifying to be brought in," he added. "At the same time, it's a little humbling, or maybe a lot humbling."
As for the European leg of the tour, Johnson said the group had "a good time."
"The crowds were extremely responsive. We've been in Europe a lot of times, but you never know when you leave the country, pushing a new album. It’s kind of amazing how people are responding to this – the response has been killer," he continued. "I couldn't hope for a better outcome."
That said, he and the other Doobies are excited to return to the U.S., saying specifically of their Detroit show: "We end up there about once a year … We've been playing Pine Knob since, like, 1973 – I mean back in the days when (the) crab shack was still in business, and the Hilton out there, both of which are long gone."
Along with all the classic hits, Johnston said the Doobies are including four songs from the new album on the current tour.
"That's something we never do," he said. "Having people respond the way they are tells me that they know what they’re listening to, that they've heard it. That's huge. That's a big deal."