PRPhotos.com

Ahead of the kickoff this weekend of their delayed 50th anniversary tour with Michael McDonald, the Doobie Brothers dropped a nearly minute-long clip of the band rehearsing “Neal’s Fandango” from 1975’s Stampede. The Doobies launch their 2021 dates on Sunday night (August 22nd) in Des Moines, Iowa at the Iowa State Fair. The current leg wraps on October 29th in Allentown, Pennsylvania at the PPL Center.

As of now, the band — with McDonald — has an 18-date shed tour on the books for the spring of 2022.

For the upcoming Doobie Brothers trek, Michael McDonald is looking forward to becoming part of the group in significant way — as opposed to the one-off cameos he’s done with the band over the decades: “The thought of getting back out on the road and playing with the band. . . Every chance I have had to do that, y’know, we’ve played together here and there over the years, it’s always reintroduced me to how much it means to me to get onstage with those guys, y’know? So, for me, to have that extended period, where we’ll be out there a while and I’ll be able to really hone my contribution to the band back into something meaningful — and not just, kind of, be the guy that fell from the ceiling onto the stage, y’know (laughs)? I’m looking forward to it.”