'Listen to the music': The Doobie Brothers play the Louisville Palace

The legendary Doobie Brothers are out on their 50th Anniversary Tour and made a stop Saturday at the Louisville Palace Theater, 625 S. Fourth St.

The band is known for five decades of hit songs including “Listen to the Music,” “Jesus is Just Alright,” “China Grove,” “Black Water,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “What A Fool Believes,” “Long Train Runnin'” and “The Doctor.” In 2020 it was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Louisville was previously treated to a preview of the Dobbie's 50th Anniversary Tour when the band played the 2022 Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival at The Highland Festival Grounds. At the time, founding member Tom Johnston told The Courier Journal the concert was part of the group's 50th Anniversary Tour, although it's technically been 52 years since the Northern California-based rockers started playing together.

"Well we got a bit of a late start due to the pandemic," Johnston said. "But better late than never and it's great to be out on the road doing what we love. When we're looking out at the audience and you are singing back the lyrics to our music, it's fantastic. We love that response to what we are doing."

In May 2023 Johnston underwent back surgery and has not been able to rejoin the anniversary tour. But as they say, "the show must go on" and that was certainly the case at the Palace Theater over the weekend. Band members Pat Simmons, Michael McDonald, John McFee, Marc Russo, Ed Toth, Marc Quiñones and John Cowan who is a graduate of Louisville's Eastern High School, have continued the tour while performing their greatest hits and more in celebration of the band’s 50-year legacy.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The Doobie Brothers at the Louisville Palace for 50th Anniversary tour