Live at Spark Arena
24 April 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Toto: A Polished Machine Playing to a Sparse Congregation.
Seventeen years ago, I brought Toto to New Zealand for the very first time. Back then, they were a different beast same name, same hits, but a different lineup, a different decade, and a far more electric crowd. Fast forward to 2025, and I’m watching them again, this time from the stands of an oversized stadium in Auckland that feels more like a test lab than a rock concert.
But one thing remains unchanged: Toto don’t walk on stage; they arrive tight, polished, and already warmed up like a Formula 1 engine before the green light.
The band takes the stage as a well-oiled seven-piece, kicking things off with the type of precision that only comes from decades of doing this night after night. And it’s no accident. I remember from that first tour in 2008 that Toto demands a full hour of lockout time before the show each member warming up in their dressing rooms like athletes before the big game. So when they hit the stage, it’s not a warm-up it’s already mid-set intensity. From the first chord, Toto sounds like they’ve already been gigging for hours. No sluggish openers, no sonic cobwebs just a band of seasoned pros, hitting the mark with laser precision.
But intensity alone doesn’t fill empty space. The stadium setup, clearly reconfigured to mask a modest turnout, had fans sitting evenly spaced in rows on the floor like obedient lab rats. A far cry from the sweaty, swaying crowd one expects at a rock show, especially from a band that once ruled the charts and, for a while, soundtracked a generation.
Then comes “Rosanna” song three and like Pavlov's bell, it works. Bodies stir. A ripple of movement. At least half the crowd is finally on its feet, if only temporarily. It's a fleeting victory. By the next track, they’re seated again, leaning into the music with a meditative stillness which felt more like a musical mass than a rock concert. The audience listens intently, respectfully, but moves little. Are they reverent, or just... bored?
Midway through the show, "Pamela" rolls out with all its smooth, saccharine charm but can only coax six people to their feet. Six. I counted. The rest seem content to sit and observe, as if they’re watching a museum installation rather than living, breathing rock musicians.
“Georgy Porgy” finally hits the sweet spot, with the crowd once again briefly jolted alive. But by then, the pattern was clear: this wasn’t going to be a night of rapture it was a respectful tribute, polished and professional, but emotionally distant.
From the nosebleeds, the sound is serviceable at best mono-muddled and skewed, with the right ear hogging the mix while the left gets ghosted like an ex-lover on tour. For a band that’s always prided itself on sonic perfection, it felt like someone had unplugged half the magic, especially in the nose bleed seats.
Still, Toto are pros. There’s no denying their musicianship, and the harmonies are air-tight. But this show felt like witnessing greatness through a pane of glass technically impressive, but too controlled, too mannered. In 2025, Toto is a band that still has the chops, but maybe not the firestarter crowd they deserve. Or maybe it’s just hard to light a fire when your audience already looks like they’ve paid for eternal rest.
Toto set list
- Child's Anthem
- Carmen
- Rosanna
- 99
- Mindfields
- I Will Remember
- Pamela
- I Won't Hold You Back
- Angel Don't Cry
- Georgy Porgy
- White Sister
- I'll Be Over You
- Stop Loving You
- Don't Chain My Heart
- I'll Supply the Love
- Hold the Line
- Africa
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO at Paul Was There -