One of the few live representations of the Doobie Brothers currently on video, and probably the only one readily available, Live At Wolf Trap is a gift to fans of the early albums of this long-running boogie rock band. Featuring a reunited Doobies band sans Michael McDonald, the music is heavily rooted in the band’s ‘70s prime, the period where Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons ran the show before the blue-eyed soul metamorphosis.
That time period is ignored here, making this a 23-song boogie rock romp with hints of country, folk, Southern rock, and good old hard rock, with a few jams and stabs at virtuosity. Although never considered instrumentalists in the league of, say, the Allman Brothers, the Doobies were able to pull off complex harmonies and guitar patterns, and they prove both a skill and flair for playing and jamming that enhances many of the songs.
10 of the 11 tracks from Best Of The Doobies are present, with the final five songs a virtual best of in its own right. The middle of the concert will not appeal to casual listeners but is a treasure trove to longtime fans, who also may appreciate the handful of songs here taken from the band’s latter day reunion discs. Granted, classic rock radio has played “Rockin’ Down The Highway,” “Black Water,” and “Listen To The Music” to death, and the band looks a bit bored in playing these hoary chestnuts, but they still sound great.
Album tracks like “Snake Man,” “Another Park, Another Sunday,” “Rainy Day Crossroad Blues,” “Clear As The Driven Snow,” and “Spirit” add depth to the proceedings, while an extended introduction to “Takin’ It To The Streets” (one of two songs from the McDonald era) and the always energetic “Jesus Is Just Alright” are easy highlights. Early single “Nobody” and the instrumental “Steamer Lane Breakdown” are appealing, and latter-day songs like “Dangerous” and “Five Corners” fit in nicely with the rest of the stuff here.
Only a couple of the songs fail to excite, such as “Don’t Start Me Talkin’” and a subdued take on “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me),” but the closing rock of “China Grove” and “Without You” make up for it. Simmons is a calming presence throughout, his long hair and beatific smile befitting of an old hippie, while Johnston is a muscular, driving force who tries mightily – sometimes too hard – to get the crowd singing, dancing and cheering (the camera work does the same thing at times, favoring a jump-cut editing style that does not fit this type of music at all). A sax section and keyboard rounds out the music, but never does it sound cluttered or too busy.
Fact is, fans of those early Doobies records will enjoy pretty much all of this, and casual fans who love those radio hits may find more to the band than they previously thought existed. Live At Wolf Trap is worth the effort.