Have you been to a show where Simon performed? Then please send us your concert review to mail@simon-phillips.com
DOVES OF FIRE
BB KING'S BLUES BLUB, LOS ANGELES, USA, 9 MARCH 2002
A packed house at B.B. King's was treated to a show of a lifetime. I have been fortunate enough to
see every show that Luke, Simon, Melvin and Jeff have done as Doves of Fire and it is amazing to see
how tight they have gotten since their first performance in January of 2001. Not only are they the most
incredible musicians, they have such a bond and have so much fun on stage that it carries out to the
audience and creates an amazing experience for everyone. Toto fans have been familiar with this for
25 years, but now Luke and Simon have given us all another "gift" that you MUST see. This was the
place to be on March 9th and everyone knew it. I spotted in the audience Mike Porcaro, Edgar Winter,
Fee Waybill and Marc Bonilla to name a few. The unbelievable 1 hour 45 minute set included the
following: 1) BIRDS OF FIRE, 2) TAURIAN MATADOR, 3) MILES BEYOND, 4) CROSSWIND, 5)
SPACE BOOGIE, 6) SONG FOR JEFF (VERY MOVING AS ALWAYS), 7) CELESTIAL
TERRESTRIAL, 8) STRATOS, 9) PARTY IN SIMON'S PANTS, ENCORE 10) LED BOOTS. Just an
incredible show!! I had the opportunity to talk with Luke, Simon, Melvin and Jeff before and after the
show and it was easy to sense the bond that they have created in the past year. I asked about future
liveshows for "Doves", but with Toto firing up for another busy and great year, as well as the many
other projects that they all have lined up, it might be awhile. At least we all have the "live" Doves of
Fire CD to look forward to later this year! Keep your eyes open for any future performances. You don't
want to miss out on this!! See you at the shows!!
Bob Dinsmore
On 9 March 2002 I turned 50! and as luck would have it I saw on the TOTO web page that Doves of
Fire featuring Simon & Steve Lukather were playing a show at BB Kings Blues Club in LA. My wife
and I flew down from Seattle and settled in to the club at 6.30pm (to get good seats) but unfortunatly
the ' Doves ' didn't come on till after 10.00pm, a long wait! But I have to say all our effort and expence
was worth it! To hear a live version of "Space Boogie", "Party in Simons Pants" and "Spectrum" (Billy
Cobham tune) was somthing I will always remember. Jeff Babko played keyboards and what a live
wire that guy is! The bass player was playing a 7 string bass, which is about as difficult as it gets but
he was absolutly amazing and quite a singer as well. Luke played with a lot of itensity and as a group
they were having more fun on stage thanI've ever seen. And Simon was just on fire, talk about musical
gymnastics!!........a lot of the tunes were in odd time (one was in 21/8) and he made it look so easy
its mind boggling!! Anyway it was a fabulous evening and I hope a live CD is released so the rest of
the World can enjoy what we did that evening
Steve Trow
San Luis Obispo, USA, 22 May 2001
Hi!
I was at your clinic in San Luis Obispo presented by the Drum Circuit.
Just wanted to say how truly inspiring it was. Thank you for your
comments, candidness, and consideration, I had a great time. Been
listening to you for years and it was interesting to hear your thoughts
about being a professional musician and how you stay focused and
motivated. It is obvious that you enjoy challenges and are always
looking for new things to try. If I came away with nothing else, I at
least feel like I have an idea of the kind of consciousness one needs to
be successful at something like you. Thanks once again and the best of
everything to you.
Roger Wrobel
San Jose, USA, 21 May 2001
I just saw your clinic at Lemmon Percussion last night and I thought you
were brilliant!! I will keep my eyes and ears open and hearing for when
you will be coming around next. Thank you so much for sharing your music
and ideas with me and the rest of the group!
Marc Hughes
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 28 January 2001
This was the first concert in the Vantage Point tour, the day after the band touched down on European soil,
but the playing showed no signs of jetlag! There was an incredible energy on display, for almost three
hours! These guys gave it their all, yet managed to convey a sense of fun, and certainly enjoyment
throughout.
Many of the audience went to see Simon, naturally, and they had a unique opportunity to see him play
jazz. Great also that everyone was so close (and the kit so small!!) that you could really see how he was
playing. Using a ride cymbal on each side, you saw true ambidexterity in all it's glory.
The set included many tracks from Vantage point (New Blooded, Vantage Point, Bewilderment,
Dreamscape, Spirits of Trane), plus Freddie Hubbard material like "One of a Kind", through a Tony
Williams track released on Bluenotes Records. Tony Williams has been a big influence on this band,
and throughout Simon Phillips' career; I think he'd have been proud of this! "Spirits of Trane" (also
Hubbard) closed proceedings in some style. Simon's solo at the end of that brought the house down.
Fast, ferocious stuff, but never wavering too much from jazz roots, and never anything but perfectly
controlled, and musical. Nice to see his drums shaking again, which they didn't do since '89, when the
introduction of a rack anchored them firm! Good job, because The Who tour then must have been hard on
those Tamas!
I saw Simon's clinic in Southend-on-Sea recently, and he switched off the PA at one point to demonstrate
the tuning; the kit sounded wonderful. On this tour, he uses a "Mini-U.S.S Phillips", with only one, small kick,
and four toms. I believe he also used the Gladiator snare, and a selection of Constantinople Zildjian rides
and hi-hat. Again, it just gives a different musical voice, but the technique is equally distinctive, of course!
Simon is the consummate professional; this was evident from the other musicians' reaction to him. Much
of the set included improvisation, but all were happy to complement the others' playing without ever
intruding. And Simon watched Dave Carpenter's solo so closely, maybe a change of direction is on the
cards (is it true he played bass on a track by The Corrs, as the sleeve notes credit him with?)!
"One of a Kind" opens with a piano solo from Jeff Babko. Whilst it was progressing, Walt indicated to
Simon that he needed a drink. The maestro signalled clearly to the technicians that a round of beers
would go down very nicely, thank you! Unfortunately, Jeff was so engrossed in his playing he hadn't seen
this. So, when the hall erupted in laughter, he jumped up, asking "What the @#$% is going on?!". This was
one of several lighter moments in the evening, and these guys clearly enjoy playing together. Whether
the audience went on spec just to see jazz, or went as drummers to be educated, noone left disappointed.
To see five excellent musicians grooving like this is a special treat. To see one of the world's finest
leading a band like this, and having so much fun is inspiring!
The band: Walt Fowler, trumpet, flugel horn; Brandon Fields, tenor, soprano; Dave Carpenter, bass; Jeff
Babko, piano; Simon Phillips, drums.
Mark Hardwick
Stockholm, SWEDEN, 05 February 2001
Hi Everybody!
Me and my buddy, Kent, went last night to Fasching to check out Si, Jeff,
Walt, Brandon and Dave.
The guys were in a good spirit and the atmosphere was very relaxed yet the
audience were very excited. The performance was non other then "World Super
Class", we had the oppurtunity to sit one metre in front of the drumkit and
just a few more metres from the other guys in the band. It´s hard to grasp
the full amount of their talent.
As a little bonus treat, Dave Carpenter played solo ABBA´s number one hit:
"Dancing Queen", that was special:)
Greetings!
Christopher
Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS, 29 January 2001
Hi, I'm Paul from Holland and I was at the first session of The Vantage
Point Tour in Europe, in Holland that is.
It was the first time I saw a member of Toto, and I was very excited to go
to this concert.
It was even better than I could ever expect, Simon drummed like I never
heard before, so fast and so many different styles within jazz.
The other musicians were also very good, there was Dave Carpenter on the
acoustic bass, I think he played so intense he must have had bleeding
fingers at the end.
Then there was Jeff Babko on the piano; he danced across the keys while his
whole body was participating in the improvisations he performed.
There were also 2 other guys playing trumpet, bluehorn, altsax and tenorsax
and they made the music even smoother.
Off course Simon was the one most people came for and naturally, he was in
the spotlights a good part of the playing time.
The audience was continuously looking at eachother saying: why can't I
follow him while I hear these drumnotes; I hear something but how is he
doing it?
Well, I really enjoyed this performance, it's something new in the world of
jazz, I think, and it's gonna be a succesful tour, no doubt about that.
Paul Sloep
GRAZ, AUSTRIA, 11 FEBRUARY 1998
Yes, yes, yes! It was a fantastic performance! Simon and the boys -
especially Andy Timmons did a powerful gig. I cannot believe that Simon
was tired (see the interview part 2). He did a great solo with all kind
of his unbelievable artistic drumstyle. Hopefully we see Simon next time
again!
Sam Schlagenhaufen, Graz, Austria
RUBIGEN, SWITZERLAND, 6 FEBRUARY 1998
After the Symbiosis-concert a year before Simon's Band returned to
Rubigen (a small village in Switzerland) because Simon loves this very
special place they played in. The special event this night was Simon's
birthday. Right after his unbelievable solo the crew presented a huge
birthday cake to Simon, the band came back on stage for a birthday jam.
They played "Tequila", Simon took the rhythm. I guess nobody had ever
before seen Jeff Babko play Trombone (not even Simon...) It was
fantastic, as the concert anyway. It's unbelievable that Simon is
playing even better anytime I see him, and that with 41 years.
The show in Zurich the day before was also fantastic (of course), but
only 300 fans attended the concert. And Jerry Watts was really ill, he
played the bass sitting on a chair.
This tour has once again been a very satisfying time for me and my
friends and I hope to see Simon the next time with Toto.
Felix Waldispühl, Zürich, Switzerland
OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY, 17 JANUARY 1998 /
KÖLN, GERMANY, 18 JANUARY 1998
I've been to both the concerts in Oberhausen (17/Jan/98) and Cologne
(18/Jan/98) and have to say that, although they played the same set
twice, it totally rocked. The second time was even better. They played
for about 2 1/2 hours, 14 songs plus a 15-minute drum solo by the master
of drums. Every song from the "Another Lifetime" and some of the
"Symbiosis" highlights were featured in this breathtaking performance.
Non-stop. OK, in Cologne they took a 10-minute break, because Simon
kicked right through his right-foot bass, but otherwise... Jeff Babko
performed actively and fantastically, as did Andy Timmons and Jerry
Watson Jr. Wendell Brooks topped the performance with emotion-filled,
chilling sax-lines, it was wonderful. I even thought of going a third
time...
Markus Riegler
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY, 12 JANUARY 1998 /
LUDWIGSBURG, GERMANY, 14 JANUARY 1998
One year ago, when I first saw this band, I was blown away by the perfect interplay and the
energy of their performance. Now they've even surpassed themselves. They performed a great
mixture of new and older songs that spellbound the audience for more than two hours. The
synchronisity between Andy Timmons and Wendell Brooks was simply incredible. Of course Simon
demonstrated his unique abilities in a fabulous drum solo, but every musician was
given several solos for showcasing their musical talent. And yet this band is a unity that
completely harmonizes. The songs come across in a very dynamic way. The band doesn't cling to
each and every note from the albums, they take the freedom to improvise and stretch out. There
are so many highlights that it's hard to name any particular songs. "Kumi Na Moja" is
certainly one of them. "Indian Summer", the last song of the regular set, made the enthusiastic
audience freak out. The shows ended in "full speed" with the fast and rocking
"You Restless Angel". A fantastic band, great tunes, cool grooves - I can only
recommend to go out see them play.
Petra Regemann
TOKYO, JAPAN, 26 OCTOBER 1997 /
NAGOYA, JAPAN, 28 OCTOBER 1997
Two weeks have passed since I saw their concerts and the excitement they
gave to me still remains!!!
In both shows, they played full 9 tunes (!) from Simon's latest "Another
Life Time" album, several from "Symbiosis" and "Force Majeure". The gig
lasted for more than 2 hours and completely took my breath away. When
gifted musicians make never ending efforts on working on their music, a
miracle takes place.
I love to see those guys really love and enjoy their music. I was
deeply touched with the chemical going on with amazing grooves and perfect
harmony among the guys. Especially, in the song "Out of Blue", I could
see the strong ties among those 5 guys as if they are one big creature.
Also I thrilled to the tunes with "strange time signature" like "Biplane to Bermuda",
"Indian Summer", "Kumi Na Moja" etc. Needless to say, Simon's solo perfectly knocked me out,
blew my head off that I couldn't even applaud for a long after when the solo was done.
His arms and legs are incredibly independent as if they were controlled by
four different brains under Simon's perfect command.
At the last part of the show in Tokyo, after an encore, can you guess what
happened? Simon introduced a special guest Mr. Paul Gilbert (The guitarist
of Mr. Big) and they played "El Becko", one of Simon's masterpieces in his
Jeff Beck era. What a surprise!! How lucky I am!! Thank you very much,
Simon and all the guys in the band, for letting me have the great moments.
People in Europe are very lucky too because the band is going to tour
over Europe again soon after new year's holiday. I would like to see them
again. So Simon, please return to Japan again soon. I can't wait!!!
I also would like to thank Petra & Mark for running such a great page.
Yasuko Jasmine Ohi
NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL, THE NETHERLANDS, 13 JULY 1997
This concert opened the third day of the famous Jazz festival. It was
the first time Simon had appeared at The Hague since 1980, then
accompanying Stanley Clark. What a return! A packed auditorium saw a
rousing version of Force Majeure open proceedings, followed by several
tracks from the Symbiosis album. This is a truly gifted group of
musicians who work very well together, and clearly enjoyed the grooves
they were getting into. There were moments of inspired interplay between
Andy Timmons and Wendell Brooks. And of course Simon was the driving
force in the rhythm section, encouraging Bass player (name to follow),
playing only his sixth show with the band, "...literally he had one
rehearsal with us, then he was on the plane.", Simon explained. You
wouldn't have guessed.
Highlights included Indian Summer, played to its full potential in 15/8
(check out "Party in Simon's Pants" by Los Lobotomys and "Dave's gone
Skiing" by Toto for more of Simon's crazy time signatures...) and an
incredible solo from the maestro himself. This combined snare rudiments
(I'm still trying to emulate his rolls using four strokes on each hand
from the time I saw him in Manchester), double bass drumming and
incredible four-way independance.
This concert was very well received by an audience consisting of many
Jazzers not just there to see Symbiosis. They were treated to an
explosive all-round performance lead by a musical genious. My only
complaint is that the organisers only allowed them a one-hour slot. I
wish they could have seen him play "Protocol". At the Zildjian day in
London 4 years ago my colleague, himself an accomplished drummer,
announced "...I always set myself goals musically, but I may as well
start from scratch because that just blew them all away."
Mark Hardwick
VERVIER, BELGIUM, 9 JULY 1997
It's a great plesure to see big musicians.
A big performance.
Simon, do you remember the painting of Jeff??????
Andy you 're wonderful, terrific guitarist.
Thank you for this crazy night.
Juan, Belgium
LONDON, ENGLAND, 18 FEBRUARY 1997
Wow, the gig was totally amazing. I couldn't believe it. Andy Timmons
simply blew me away. He's a guitar god. I knew he is good but I didn't know
he is that good!!!
The whole band was totally brilliant too! The improvising, playing,
everything was perfect!!!
Amazing, I want to go again! I also meet Andy, and he is such a cool dude!
Melodic and progressive music forever!
Herman Shred
LIDKÖPING, SWEDEN, 8 FEBRUARY 1997
will just say one word... AMAZING!!
I was on the symbiosis-gig in Lidköping, Sweden. It was the greatest
day in my life. It was my birthday as well. I'm a drummer myself and I
was totaly amazed by the masterdrummer Simon Phillips. After the gig I
got a chance to speak with the band. I particulary remember me talking
to the guitar-hero Andy Timmons. I got the autographs of all the
members. As I said, the happiest day in my life.
Mikael Dimgård
HAMBURG, GERMANY, 31 JANUARY 1997
On my program is Simon Phillips and band playing SYMBIOSIS at the Fabrik /
Hamburg / Germany. 2.5 hours program.
The band:
On Drums: the glory sticking Mr. Simon Phillips
On Guitar: Andy Timmons (Dallas)
On bass: Jimmy Earl (Washington D.C.)
On Keyboards: Jeff Babko (L.A.)
On Horns: Wendell Brooks (Houston)
The feeling between Andy Timmons and Wendell Brooks was incredible. The band
played older material (Protocol and Force Majeure) as well as from the present
album SYMBIOSIS. The audience at the Fabrik already went crazy after only
some minutes. There was a magic feeling in the air. The people were blown away.
The band had to give several encores. When I say it was a terrific evening
this would be an understatement. I saw a fantastic, amazing gig. Thank you to
the band and to Simon.
Volker Stüben, Germany
KARLSRUHE, GERMANY, 26 JANUARY 1997
Hey, this concert was the best one I've ever seen. Simon and the other
guys were so cool and they played f...ing great. I liked it very much to
hear/see Simon live at this place. His solo, their songs....very
professional; Very cool; Absolutely tight; That's how I like good music.
So I hope you enjoyed it like I did! See you next on Simon's gigs.
Sebastian Grimm, Saarbrücken
STUTTGART, GERMANY, 20 JANUARY 1997
In the packed former Longhorn club, Simon and his band gave
a fantastic show. They played for more than two hours an energetic
set of songs from "Symbiosis" and from the Protocol
album "Force Majeure". It was only the third concert
of the tour and yet the band sounded as if they were already playing
together for years. The concert was not a drumming show accompanied
by some other instruments but a real band thing with great musicians.
They played a mixture of Jazz/Rock/Fusion that not only appeals
to musicians but also to music lovers in general. Of course there
also was a brilliant drum solo from Simon that showed his versatility.
It was a fabulous concert that ended with two encores that had
been demanded by the enthusiastic crowd.
Petra Regemann, Germany
