Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Doobie Brothers are revving up their engines for what promises to be one of the most anticipated tours of 2025, kicking off August 4th at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan with special guests The Coral Reefer Band. The legendary quartet—Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, John McFee, and the triumphantly returned Michael McDonald—will be showcasing material from their forthcoming album “Walk This Road,” their first studio effort with the core four in over four decades.
From his Hawaiian home overlooking breathtaking landscapes, Simmons reflects on the band’s unique creative process with genuine enthusiasm. “This record has been all of us working together and we didn’t play on every song together, but we did contribute to most of the songs one way or another either vocally or instrumentally. Probably Mike more than myself. Mike played a lot of keyboards on the whole record for both Tom and I,” he explains. The 10-track collection, produced by John Shanks and set for June 6th release on Rhino Records, represents something deeply personal for Simmons—a return to the collaborative magic that first drew him to Tom Johnston’s power trio all those years ago in San Jose.
The timing of this reunion carries profound meaning for the band members, fresh off their induction into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. For Simmons, the honor brings characteristic humility mixed with genuine pride: “That was pretty thrilling. I think we got inducted with one of the guys who had like nine number one records. I have one. So I don’t know if we ever would have gotten inducted individually. Maybe Mike might have been inducted. Mike’s written a lot of songs for himself and with other people. But I think the sheer number of songs that we’ve written, the three of us, I’ve written a lot of songs, not all certainly not all hits, but I’ve written songs that I really feel proud of.” The recognition celebrates decades of songwriting that began when a roommate suggested they call themselves “the Doobie Brothers” because “you guys smoke so much weed.”
What makes this latest chapter particularly meaningful is how naturally the creative chemistry has rekindled. “There still is a commonality there that I think resonates a little more with this record,” Simmons notes, describing a process that felt both familiar and revelatory. The album features standout tracks including the Mavis Staples collaboration “Walk This Road” and Simmons’ own “Angels & Mercy,” which he describes with deep satisfaction: “I think everybody felt so satisfied by what we were able to contribute. It just cemented the whole vibe and the feel amongst us in terms of how fulfilling it was to do this record.” For a musician who still collects stamps and treasures cultural discovery, the collaborative process represents the same joy of exploration he’s always cherished.
The pure artistry of creation remains Simmons’ driving force, and his passion for the recording process illuminates throughout our conversation. “I love recording. I love the freedom and the fulfillment that brings. You get an idea in your head, you hear it, you imagine it, and from that point, you’re just so hungry to see what it’s gonna sound like. And then hearing it in the end, we just go, oh, shit. That’s so much better than I imagined it would have sounded.” This enthusiasm reflects a musician who began his journey influenced by Doc Watson, Jorma Kaukonen, and the folk blues tradition, bringing that fingerpicking style to a band that was initially Tom’s blues-rock power trio with drummer John Hartman.
When it comes to touring, Simmons maintains the perspective of someone who genuinely loves both the journey and the destination. His philosophy about performing classic hits reveals deep respect for the audience experience: “People, the audiences, they don’t hear these songs every night. They hear them one night, maybe only one time ever. They’ve never been to a concert and they’re never coming back. So you want that experience to be the best that you could possibly provide them.” This dedication stems from someone who approaches touring like the stamp collector he’s always been—fascinated by “people, places, and events” and driven by cultural curiosity that makes him “a horrible collector” whose wife worries about “what she’s gonna do with all my stuff when I die.”
For the upcoming tour, audiences can expect a carefully curated blend that honors both past and present. “We’ve recorded songs that we feel really good about and they translate really well so far,” Simmons reveals, describing recent performances where new material was “well accepted.” The band’s approach reflects their understanding of concert dynamics: “We have a dynamic in the way we set the songs up in the flow of the tunes to sort of reach that pinnacle. By the end of your show, we want to leave them wanting more.” It’s a philosophy born from decades of refinement, dating back to those early days when they became the house band at a little club in the Santa Cruz mountains after their very first gig went “crazy” with audience response.
Tickets for the Pine Knob show are available at Ticketmaster.
