At the personal invitation of Quincy Jones and legendary Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs to perform at the famed Swiss festival, Toto couldn’t resist the opportunity, resulting in Toto: Live At Montreux 1991. Steve Lukather: “From the perspective of the members of Toto, the Montreux Jazz Festival is amongst the most revered events staged in the world. Our association, as a band, and individuals, is something we are deeply proud of. So much fun, and so much history has graced the ground in and around the lake.”
On September 16, 2016, Eagle Rock Entertainment presented this very special concert film from Toto’s storied history. Toto: Live At Montreux 1991 — the last tour with Jeff and Mike Porcaro, alongside original members Steve Lukather and David Paich — is available on DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and Digital Video.
In 1991, Toto was in the midst of a run of headline dates and European summer festivals, while finishing their new album Kingdom Of Desire. It was a time of rebirth for the band, and the Montreux stage proved the perfect opportunity to test drive the new songs. Fans could feel the electricity in the air as Lukather, Paich, and the late brothers Jeff and Mike Porcaro took the stage.
“Yes! Time to take a trip in the ol’ Toto Hot Tub Time Machine! Back to 1991, yes ‘91! Where pure live music was performed on hallowed ground under the paternal wings of Quincy Jones and Claude Nobs,” states keyboardist David Paich. “When I first listened back, the thought omnipresent in my mind was simply, ‘That’s that raw, sizzling energy we had in high school!’ Here we are – four valley dudes from Los Angeles with some assorted musical friends, bringing it once again.”
Sadly, this was Jeff Porcaro’s final tour with the band, before his passing in 1992. Lukather, who personally mixed Live At Montreux 1991 with legendary engineer Niko Bolas, expresses the real emotions that this concert channels, and how poignant it was to the band’s history:
“The most important thing is you can see and hear the love we have for each other and watching this in 2016 with Niko…well bittersweet is a term that has been so overused but in this case…there were tears and a lot of laughter as the memories of this night and this final tour with Jeff were captured. You guys get to see a version of the band that will never and COULD never be again!”
