Hold the good vibes: Toto stages magical 2025 Manila concert

And I speak for all of us when I say it was worth it.

The concert started shortly after 8 p.m. and ended shortly after 10 p.m. Us members of Generation X make a joke out of needing an earlier bedtime or taking longer to recover from partying all night, but this schedule/timing was so Gen X-friendly that everyone left still in high spirits.

Journey singer Arnel Pineda is a special guest 

We had energy to grab a post-concert dinner or, in this writer’s case, enjoy the guest pass we received from JB Music Philippines. We went backstage, assisted by a member of Toto’s team, and excitedly waited with vinyl covers and other paraphernalia for the band to sign.

Steve Lukather (guitar/vocals) and Joseph Williams (vocals) 

Greg Phillinganes (keyboards/vocals) and Shannon Forrest (drums) took time out to meet us and chat with us, spending about 10 to 15 minutes until they were ushered out to be taken to their hotel. Forrest said their flight out was at 4 a.m., which meant they had about four hours (more or less) to rest.

It didn’t matter that Toto played songs from albums as far back as 1978. Hits like Hold the Line, Georgy Porgy and I Won’t Hold You Back have stood the test of time.

John Pierce (bass) 

The crowd came to life with Rosanna which they played almost immediately. People teared up and sang along to I’ll Be Over You. Towards the end of the concert, the orchestral I’ll Supply the Love helped pull the audience’s energy back up.

We ended the concert on our feet, holding our mobile phones up, torches lit up, singing and dancing along to the band. Arnel Pineda’s appearance to sing the closing song Africa was the perfect cherry atop the concert cake.

Shannon Forrest (drums) 

It was the sweet ending we needed so we would all leave satisfied.

Here is the complete Toto setlist: Child’s Anthem, Carmen, Rosanna, 99, Mindfields, I Will Remember, Pamela, Greg Phillinganes spot, I Won’t Hold You Back, Angel Don’t Cry, Georgy Porgy, Dennis Atlas Spot, White Sister, I’ll Be Over You, Stop Loving You, Shannon Forrest spot, Don’t Chain My Heart, I’ll Supply the Love, Hold the Line and Africa.

Greg Phillinganes (keyboards/vocals) and Joseph 

The band — composed of Steve Lukather (guitar/vocals), Joseph Williams (vocals), Greg Phillinganes (keyboards/vocals), Shannon Forrest (drums), John Pierce (bass), Warren Ham (horns/percussion/vocals) and Dennis Atlas (keyboards/vocals) — is a powerhouse. As individual musicians, they took the audience’s breath away with their solos in the songs and spots in the program.

Atlas is, in fact, a 27-year-old who performs like he has been in the band since 1978. His addition attests to the timelessness of the band’s appeal, their music coveted by today’s young music fans, especially in vinyl (HEY JUNE! bassist Coey Ballesteros was with this writer backstage to have two vinyl covers signed. There was another fan who said he was 22 years old, who also had vinyl covers signed.).

It’s not that “vintage” is back or that it’s cool. In the era of AI in music and digital enhancements to vocals, instrumentation and other aspects of recording, mixing and mastering, bands like Toto who came out with hit after hit without these digital tools are proof that quality music — regardless of how it is made — will stand the test of time and capture generations.

“I want to give you something special” — the band sings on 99, a track from their album Hydra, released in 1979.

And they did: they gave Filipino music fans the high we needed, with a concert that stays true to the quality of performances Toto is known for.

We reconnected with our past (our childhood), and saw that Toto will be there long into the future. Long live music!