In February of 2006 Toto embarked on their massive Falling In Between world tour which took them all over Europe, Japan, the United States, and many other remote parts of the globe. The tour finally came to an end in August of 2007 after playing more than 120 shows. I was fortunate enough to have seen Toto for the first time when they stopped by the Loudoun Summer Music Fest, in Ashburn, Virginia during the first leg of that tour, and it was amazing. But as great as that show was, experiencing this new DVD was even better.

Falling In Between Live was filmed in front of a wildly enthusiastic sellout crowd at Le Zenith in Paris, France on March 26th, 2007 during the second leg of Toto's Falling In Between world tour. Just as David Hasselhoff is still huge in Germany, Toto is still huge in France - and the rest of Europe and Asia for that matter. For reasons that still escape me, Toto's popularity has declined drastically in the U.S. ever since their Grammy Award winning Toto IV album dominated the charts in the early 80s.

Critics often refer to Toto's music as too slick and overly polished. So stick with your punk albums if you can't appreciate "polished" music. That critique also doesn't hold as much water when these guys hit the concert stage. As this video will attest, Toto's music really comes alive with a much heavier and looser vibe when they play it live.

Toto went through several key personnel changes during the 80s and 90s, most notably firing founding lead singer Bobby Kimball in 1984, after the Toto IV tour, and then losing founding drummer Jeff Porcaro in 1992, when he died suddenly of an allergic reaction to a pesticide he was using in his garden. He was only 38. The band soldiered on, touring regularly, releasing a new album every few years, taking in and spitting out three new lead vocalists, and eventually inviting Bobby Kimball back after a 16-year hiatus to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary.

After not paying a whole lot of attention to the band during those years, my interest was rekindled again in 1999 with the release of their excellent Mindfields and Livefields albums. 2003's awesome 25th Anniversary: Live In Amsterdam concert DVD only added fuel to the fire and made me a full-fledged Toto fan once again. That DVD received one of my most favorable reviews ever, but I am here to testify that Falling In Between Live is even better.

The DVD begins with some brief backstage footage as the band is only minutes from taking the stage. As the African-themed intro music fills the arena, the band members take their positions behind a large curtain that is draped around the front of the stage. I love this method of opening a concert, as it creates a dramatic affect when the curtain is suddenly dropped, the light show kicks into gear, and the music starts. It looked especially cool here.