Arnel Pineda joins Toto in sold-out Manila show

Arnel Pineda joins Toto in sold-out Manila show | Daily Tribune

Legendary band Toto reunited with Filipino fans in a sold-out show held 4 May at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The band’s highly anticipated comeback in the Philippines was full of electrifying performances. The crowd jammed when the show opened with “Hold the Line” and “Rosanna.”

“It’s a huge honor to come down and play with you tonight. You guys are singing so well,” founding member Steve Lukather said.

Toto, led by Lukather and frontman Joseph Williams, serenaded the audience in a night of timeless wonders, backed by one-of-a-kind instrumental skills that will leave anyone in awe.

In a special surprise, Journey frontman Arnel Pineda joined the band on stage to perform “Africa.”

“Africa,” the 10th and final track on the studio album Toto IV (1982), has been certified “Diamond” for sales of 10 million copies by the RIAA in the United States. Current cumulative sales now exceed 10.5 million. It has now been streamed two billion times on Spotify.

“Hold the Line” has been certified triple platinum for sales of three million copies. In comparison, “Rosanna” hit the double platinum milestone with two million copies, while “Hold the Line” reached the milestone of a billion streams.

Toto’s other hits include “I’ll Be Over You,” “99,” “I Won’t Hold You Back,” “Lea,” “Georgy Porgy,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” among others.

Cumulative Toto album sales now exceed 50 million copies, while the band’s repertoire is played more than three million times daily on Spotify alone by an audience that continues to get younger by the month. Over 50 percent of the band’s streams are from those 34 years or younger. Total streams now exceed four billion on Spotify and six billion across all platforms.

Joining Lukather (guitar/vocals) and Williams (vocals) are Greg Phillinganes (keyboards/vocals), Shannon Forrest (drums), John Pierce (bass), Warren Ham (horns/percussion/vocals) and Dennis Atlas (keyboards/vocals).

Toto will start their US tour in July.