Michael McDonald’s return to The Doobie Brothers has been put on pause before it ever really got going.
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After the COVID-19 pandemic forced The Doobie Brothers to postpone their 50th anniversary tour back in 2020, the band finally kicked things off in Iowa on August 22. What’s more, the 50th anniversary tour would see Michael McDonald reunite with the band making it the first time in 25 years he joined them on stage.
Just days after the tour kicked off, McDonald is stepping aside. Not out of feelings of animosity, but because he’s “recuperating and isolating” after falling ill.
The Doobie Brothers were set to perform at the Minnesota State Fair on Tuesday, but had to do so without McDonald. According to the Star Tribune, the fair announced McDonald’s absence just hours before the band was set to take the stage.
Patrick Simmons told the outlet that McDonald was not feeling well and is currently away from the band. "He's recuperating and isolating. We hope to have him back in a week or so," he said. Simmons added that McDonald “had his vaccine,” but The Doobies made the decision to perform without him because “the show must go on.”
Singer Tom Johnston said the entire band and all their crew members have been vaccinated. “If you weren't singing, you had to have a mask on. Everybody in the crew has to have a mask on," he said.
"Having had [COVID] once myself, it makes you think about it. It depends on where you're playing. Various areas of the country go up and down as far as the intensity and shall I say 'risk' there is, for lack of a better word."
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