As Toto gear up for their upcoming Dogs Of Oz tour, guitarist Steve Lukather has been on promotional duty, speaking with newspapers and TV shows around the globe, and it seems things are going well.
During an interview with The Times, Lukather is asked about the band's increasing popularity with a younger audience (in July 2024, Toto songs were played more than three million times a day, with 52 per cent of those streams attributed to listeners aged 34 or younger – fans who weren't alive when the classic Africa was first a hit).
"It’s mind-blowing – is this really happening?” Lukather responds. "We’ve got an audience that never knew about us before. They just go, ‘I like that song,’ without having preconceived ideas about what it is. Today they have a billion choices, and they choose us."
With much of the new success due to the continued popularity of Africa – which has now been streamed more than two billion times on Spotify – it seems that the usual complaints about compensation from the streaming giant might not apply to Toto.
"I made an incredible deal with Spotify when it was two weeks old," says Lukather, who co-manages the band. "But it’s not about the money, though everybody needs money. I’ve got four kids and two ex-wives, and the taxman takes 50 per cent. I’ll leave it at that."
Speaking with Australian TV show The Project to promote Toto's upcoming dates down under, Lukather is asked to explain Africa's longevity.
"Ask anyone who's ever written a hit song and they'll tell you – if you knew how to do it, you'd do it every time" says Lukather. "Some, you're sure are going to be hits, and they're not. In the case of Africa, I was like 'No way! Are you kidding me? Listen to these lyrics!' We laugh about it now."
Lukather is also asked about the art installation in the Namibian desert, which is playing Africa on a continuous loop, apparently for eternity.
"We're trying to get a representative of ASCAP or PRS [US and UK rights organisations] to go down there and count the times," jokes Lukather. "So we can get paid."
The European leg of Toto's Dogs Of Oz tour kicks off at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on February 1, with Australian and New Zealand dates following in April. US dates are scheduled for July and August. Full dates below.
Toto: Dogs Of Oz Tour 2025
Feb 01: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Feb 02: Birmingham BP Pulse LIVE, UK
Feb 04: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Feb 05: London Wembley Arena, UK
Feb 07: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Feb 08: Arnhem GelreDome, Netherlands
Feb 10: Esch Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
Feb 11: Lille Zénith, France
Feb 12: Paris Zénithm, France
Feb 14: Lyon-Décines LDLC Arena, France
Feb 15: Geneva Geneva Arena, Switzerland
Feb 16: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Feb 18: Stuttgart Porsche Arena, Germany
Feb 19: Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Germany
Feb 21: Horsens Forum Horsens, Denmark
Feb 22: Copenhage Royal Arena, Denmark
Feb 25: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
Feb 26: Gothenburg Scandinavium, Sweden
Feb 28: Helsinki Espoo Metro Arena, Finland
Mar 02: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
Apr 16: Melbourne John Cain Arena, Australia
Apr 18: Byron Bay Bluesfest, Australia
Apr 19: Sydney ICC Theatre, Australia
Apr 23: Auckland Spark Arena, New Zealand
Apr 24: Wellington TSB Arena, New Zealand
Apr 26: Christchurch Wolfbrook Arena, New Zealand
Jul 18: West Palm Beach iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, FL
Jul 19: Tampa MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, FL
Jul 21: Birmingham Coca-Cola Amphitheater, AL
Jul 22: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA
Jul 24: Burgettstown The Pavilion at Star Lake, PA
Jul 25: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Jul 26: Boston Leader Bank Pavilion, MA
Jul 28: Gilford BankNH Pavilion, NH
Jul 30: Bridgeport Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, CT
Aug 01: Atlantic City Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, NJ
Aug 03: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Aug 05: St. Louis Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 06: Noblesville Ruoff Music Center, IN
Aug 08: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 09: Tinley Park Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, IL
Aug 11: Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI
Aug 13: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Aug 14: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Aug 15: Nashville Ascend Amphitheater, TN
Aug 17: Oklahoma City The Zoo Amphitheatre, OK
Aug 18: Irving The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, TX
Aug 21: Phoenix Arizona Financial Theatre, AZ
Aug 23: Las Vegas Fontainebleau, NV
Aug 24: Inglewood Kia Forum, CA
Aug 25: Concord Toyota Pavilion at Concord, CA
Aug 27: Salt Lake City Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, UT
Aug 29: Puyallup Washington State Fair, WA
Aug 30: Ridgefield Cascades Amphitheater, WA
