Doobie Brothers "Rockin' Down The Highway: The Wildlife Concert"

It's a Doobie delight as members of the veteran goup's different eras convene for Rockin' Down the Highway, a 20-song concert recorded in '96 mainly in New York. The show features all three of the band's principal singer-writers: guitarist Tom Johnston, who fronted the early, hard-rocking hits like "Listen to the Music," "China Grove," and "Long Train Running" (all performed here, of course, to rapturous audience response); keyboardist Michael McDonald, who replaced Johnston in the mid-'70s and whose superb voice and blue-eyed soul influence resulted in perhaps their finest single hit, "What a Fool Believes" (included here as part of a segment recorded in Nashville); and guitarist Patrick Simmons, who provided a more folkie-acoustic influence (à la "Black Water") and spanned both the Johnston and McDonald eras. The Doobie Brothers' harmony singing is spot-on, the playing is righteous, the band rocks, there's plenty of interview material between songs (and a music-only option for those who prefer to get right to the point)... and to top it off, some of the proceeds of which go the Wildlife Conservation Society.