Doobie Brothers & Michael McDonald Expand 50th Anniversary Tour with 11 New Shows

In the works for some time and delayed because of the pandemic, the Doobie Brothers‘ 50th anniversary tour has been a triumph. With Michael McDonald in the mix to make the shows that much more memorable, the tour is a victory lap for the recently inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band — and now, the outing has been extended a bit.

The Doobies added 11 new dates to the schedule this week, with the tour’s next leg now starting back up on June 2 and wrapping on Oct. 12. More on the new shows, per JamBase:

The first of the new dates will take place at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham, Alabama on September 2. Other September dates added to the excursion are stops in Bridgeport, Connecticut (September 11); Chicago (September 14); Welch, Minnesota (September 16); Portland, Oregon (September 24); Mountain View, California (September 27); Wheatland, California (September 29) and San Diego (September 30).

Visit the official Doobie Brothers website for the full, updated tour schedule.

And coming up in May, an official memoir from Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons will tell the story of the Doobies as only they could.

Long Train Runnin’, the untold true story of The Doobie Brothers, is available for pre-order now. Plus, check out new merch to go along with the book! Shop at the link below. #LongTrainRunninhttps://t.co/spCjeJvS3F pic.twitter.com/9KfwrzIcFl

— The Doobie Brothers (@TheDoobieBros) November 5, 2021

Officially penned by Johnston and Simmons alongside writer Chris Epting, here’s the synopsis of Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers:

Only a very few rock bands have had the longevity, success, and drama of The Doobie Brothers. Born out of late 1960s NorCal, and led by Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston, they stood alongside their contemporaries The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and many others as an iconic American rock band. The train was rolling along, hits were flowing like wine, and arenas were packed with fans who wanted to see them live…then Tom Johnston, the band’s front man and lead guitarist, became ill and had to leave.

The Doobies’ train came to a screeching halt. All of a sudden the band started contemplating the end of the road only seven years into their career, just as things were taking off. But Pat Simmons made sure they were far from the end and began the process of keeping the band together through most of the next decade.

A soul-steeped backup singer for Steely Dan named Michael McDonald took a shot at singing some of the Doobies’ songs on tour, and all of a sudden a new chapter in the Doobie Brothers’ story began. The band expanded their sound and had even more hits with their new front addition. Tom recovered from his health issues, but the band had moved on. When it came time for a reunion concert in the ’80s, Tom got the call and was back in the mix. Led once again by Pat and Tom, The Doobie Brothers have been touring ever since and maintain a massive fan base the world over.

Never before have Pat and Tom shared their story, in their own words. In Long Train Runnin’ they’ll change that.