“I consider myself very lucky to be able to have had the life that I’ve had, and to work with the kind of people I have and make the great friends that I have. It’s been incredible and it’s still going, so I consider myself a very, very fortunate man.”
Joe Williams has been a member of Toto for two different eras of the legendary rock band: from 1986 to 1988, and from 2010 until now. Alongside founding (and current) members Steve Lukather and David Paich, Williams is hitting the road for another set of sold-out shows for even more of their generations of fans across the States to enjoy the band’s acclaimed catalog live. Since their start in the late 1970s, Toto has been drawing on funk, soul, pop, and rock influences to craft original tunes that entertain the masses and, as we now know, spend many decades maintaining a widespread, inspiring legacy that has been aided by exponential success on radio, in media, through peers, and beyond.
Williams, as a frontman and vocalist, and much like his fellow Toto bandmates, has had a hand in a slew of other musical projects and phenoms outside of “Africa” and “Pamela,” including Star Wars and Disney’s The Lion King. You have to have a lot of artistic prowess and quite the determined mind to take that on, and it is clear that Williams has both in spades. He showcases his groove, melody, and rock-ready voice on stage, but he has a humble attitude and a keen ear that is akin to his father’s (acclaimed composer John Williams). We were thrilled to catch up with him and chat about everything from his own beloved projects to Paula Abdul to Toto’s summer tour schedule.
Joe Williams / Photo by Simen Roberg
We have been in Toto’s corner for so long now, Joe, and it is such a thrill to have another summer tour underway. How excited are you just to be back on the road this summer with Christopher Cross and Men at Work? That’s a pretty stacked lineup.
It’s gonna be fantastic. I can’t wait to get back out there. I love being on the road anyway, but this is gonna be super fun. It’ll be the first time we’ve [toured] with Men at Work. Colin [Hay] has a good relationship with Luke; they are in Ringo Starr’s band together. He’s a great guy, and, I mean, it’s just gonna be a night of mega hits.
‘Mega hits’ is the best way to put it!
Yeah, and it’s good. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. The tour so far this year with Christopher Cross has been fantastic. He’s great and so easy to work with. He is such a sweetheart of a guy. He’s got a great band, great crew. We’re really looking forward to it. […] It’s a lot easier and a lot more fun when everybody’s getting along, too, and this particular group of guys this time out is just fantastic. Everybody is loving playing with each other, and there are some amazing musicians here with no real friction between anybody, which makes things a lot easier. I think that’ll come across on stage, too – I really do.
Having been on the road more times than we can count, performing all over the world in all different cities, rooms indoor and out, of shapes and sizes, do you have a favorite sort of style of venue or place to play in?
Well, I like them all, you know? I have a great time no matter what. The outdoor shows are fun weather permitting. It’s maybe just a little bit more difficult for singers because you’re going from city to city and climate to climate, so you are at the beck and call of what’s happening with the climate outside stuff, but it’s a lot of fun, especially on the warm, balmy nights. Those are great for singing. It’s also fun to see the size crowds you can get on the outside as opposed to the inside. Still, I like it all.
Makes sense to me, and it’s all a good time because the songs are a good time. I’m glad that even on the not-so-pretty weather nights, you and the band and all the people on the road are in a really great place, because it makes me even more excited for this tour as a fan, and not just as a journalist. Plus, after talking to Luke a few times over the years, I know that one of the reasons Toto succeeds is the camaraderie and the joy. Luke himself is also just a character!
We can’t wait to get out there. It’s just great musicianship, hands down, and that’s true of all three bands. Working with Luke has been fantastic, too. We have known him for over 50 years. He hasn’t changed a bit [Laughs]. His sense of humor and the ease in which he talks and allows himself to just be himself on stage and off stage is fantastic. He’s a great dude and a great friend.
Recently, you guys were on tour in New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and quite a few other international places. Do you notice that different audiences around the world react differently to different songs? I love asking bands about that, because sometimes non-hits are hits to certain audiences, but you never know until you’re noticing and experiencing that love for a song in person and in real time!
We’re very fortunate to have a deep pocket when it comes to songs. The diehard fans, obviously, pretty much know whatever we’re gonna play. There’s the hits, of course, but there’s a wealth of songs from over the years off all the albums, and that allows us to pick and choose what we wanna do aside from the hits. It’s fun to see people react and see which ones are maybe known a little bit less, but are still enjoyed by the audience. We seem to always feel very appreciated with whatever we’re playing. We really look forward to it, from city to city, area to area, region to region, or country to country. Yeah, it varies a little bit, but in the end, it’s all the same, especially when you go to something like “Africa” and everybody is completely on board. It’s really a lot of fun. When we do “Africa,” it’s amazing. It’s just amazing of a life that that song has had! We’ve had people come up to us – younger folks – and say, “I didn’t know you guys played that Weezer song!” [Laughs]. Most people are trying to come and see sort of the original, where it came from, that kind of thing, but it’s fun, and it’s still my favorite thing to do in the show by far.
It is just a classic. The song itself has its own legacy at this point!
Exactly. It’s huge. It’s had such an amazing life. Some people really only know that tune, and then when they are at the show, they come to discover that there’s a handful they also know! They go, “Oh, wow! That was them, too? I forgot about that!”
I can’t imagine having to make a setlist for a Toto concert. I couldn’t do it!
It’s not easy, but I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with Luke on our sets and pick the songs and figure out the pacing for all the singers and players and everything. It’s a lot. It’s actually a fun job, though, especially when you’re talking about a band that has so many songs over so many albums. The obvious thing is that we start with all the songs that absolutely have to be played, like “Africa, “Hold the Line,” “I’ll Be Over You,” and some other songs that people would be disappointed if we didn’t play. We have that, but then we have this whole other package of songs that we pick from that are maybe less known. We always have room to be able to pick a couple of what we consider to be deep cuts, too – of course the diehard fans usually know those, but it’s fun to pick those deeper cuts […]. In this set, we’ve got a song that the band has not done live for the last couple years. Last year we did “A Thousand Years” from The Seventh One album that had never been attempted live. It was great! We’ve got one like that for this year, too.
Photo by Michele Brody
There’s so much for fans to then discover from there. I love the album Fahrenheit, and I love to drop the fun fact that Paula Abdul was one of the dancers in the “Till the End” single music video. Toto has a lot of lore, if you will.
That’s true. That was actually a lot of fun. That was my first video and the first album I did with the band in 1986. She was amazing. We originally hired her to do two things: help us find some people to be in the video, and also choreograph the whole thing. When we went through a sort of casting process looking for the person who I was supposed to play opposite of, we just couldn’t find anybody better. She just had a great vibe about her and is a sweetheart of a person. We just said, “Hey, you know what? Why don’t you just do it?” And she was like, “Yeah, no problem!” She went on to have an amazing career.
Going a little bit past Toto, I know you have an outstanding career under your own belt, Joe, composing for film and doing session work. Your personal career ranges from The Lion King to Star Wars to doing backup for Luke on his solo albums. In your opinion, what is something that you have done, whether it be with Toto or otherwise, that you truly feel is the heart and soul of who you are as an artist, musician, and talent in this industry?
Well, the years that I worked as a television and film composer were huge for several reasons. First of all, I got married during that period of time and had my two kids, and the wonderful thing about that work was that I could do it at home. I got to work in my studio at home and be there for the kids while they were growing up, which was huge, as opposed to being on the road the whole time. I found myself having the strength and ability to do some work that I’ve never really done before, too. I was pretty good at it and I really learned how to be a producer and also a recording engineer. I did all of those things. I worked with some amazing people and on some great shows. I got to know how that world sort of works, and learned the difference between writing an underscore as opposed to writing songs, so it was just a great period of education for me, too. That time also allowed me to get closer with my dad, because I was constantly asking his advice about things, so that was a really important 15 years for me.
FOR TICKETS TO SEE TOTO ON TOUR AT PNC BANK ARTS CENTER ON JULY 25, CLICK HERE!
