Doobie Brothers Rocker, 76, Gives Fans Exclusive Glimpse Backstage on Tour
The iconic 70s rock band The Doobie Brothers are currently on tour — and founding guitarist Patrick Simmons gave fans an exclusive glimpse backstage at their latest stop, the Co-Op Live in Manchester, England.
The band played the venue on July 15, and that day, they took to their Instagram stories to share a video of Simmons, 76, walking around backstage before posing with a drawn version of himself featured on a poster for this particular show on the band's current tour, titled the 'Walk the Road' tour.
In the video, Simmons — who plays guitar and banjo, as well as providing vocals, for the group — can be seen smiling and making silly faces as he poses for what appears to be some photos. He even took his round glasses off for some shots to better match his drawn counterpart, who features on the poster without spectacles like Simmons sometimes wears.
The Doobie Brothers are currently on tour in Europe, traversing the United Kingdom and Ireland for another week before bringing the tour back home stateside for August and most of September. Their next gig will take place in Birmingham, England at the PB Pulse Live Arena on July 17 and their last scheduled date on their website is at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Canada on September 18.
The band was formed in San Jose, California in 1970 with an original lineup of Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, John Hartman, and Dave Shogren. In 1975, Michael McDonald joined the group to sub in for Johnston while he was dealing with health issues — but McDonald, 73, ended up being a key component who would stick with the band until 1982.
He returned to the band in 2019 and is playing on the tour alongside Simmons, Johnston, 76, and John McFee. The band released their latest album, Walk the Road, early last month.
Doobie Brothers Rocker, 76, Gives Fans Exclusive Glimpse Backstage on Tour first appeared on Parade on Jul 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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