The Doobie Brothers have been around in various permutations since 1970, but this tour is a bit special because Michael McDonald is joining founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons this go around. Over the course of the evening, all three members took turns doing vocals as they curated their long back catalog. Riverbend was packed on what turned out to be a terrific evening weather-wise.

The Doobies came out swinging with the one-two combo of the Motown raveup “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” and the swampy funk of “Here to Love You”.

The raucous crowd stood and clapped as the band settled into their groove.

Throughout the night, videos of the younger band played behind them as they careened through various musical styles – the countryish “Cannonball,” the rocking “Sweet Maxine” (faster and tougher than expected), the Sam-and-Dave mojo of “Eyes of Silver,” the Cajun vibe of “World Gone Crazy." This is a tight, tight band and they’ve honed their act to razor sharpness over five decades.

It was great to see Michael McDonald back with them, playing keys and singing leads on select songs. That iconic voice has weathered like bluff granite and is still unmistakable. I’m a huge fan of his voice and it’s the soundtrack for my summer (SiriusXM Yacht Rock station bumper: “If you changed your wi-fi network name to Michael McDownloads, you’re having a yacht rock summer”). On record, “You Belong to Me” is smoky and soulful, with ample space for McDonald’s voice to linger. Live, it was overlayed with an opening sax solo, and the song was roughed up to incorporate the rest of the band. “It Keeps You Running “was funkier and had more swagger than the recorded version, which was a bit jarring. But, “Minute by Minute” was terrific and gelled well. Still great, but I would have liked to hear the songs breathe a bit more and let his iconic voice shine a bit more.

The Doobies closed out the main set a strong run: a go-to-church “Jesus is Just Alright with Me” (replete with giant projected stained-glass windows), “What a Fool Believes,” an epic “Long Train’ Runnin’” that highlighted the entire band and the FM radio staple “China Grove.”

For the encore, they dove into the folksy classic, “Black Water;” noticing the full moon above, they sang, “Ohio moon, won’t you keep on shining on me” as acoustic guitar and fiddle laced the air. The concert closed out with a soulful version of “Takin’ It to the Streets” (where McDonald’s voice matched perfectly with the band) and a rousing “Listen to the Music.”

Opener Steve Winwood has been in the biz since he broke out at fifteen with The Spencer Davis Group. Winwood can still rip through that group’s “I’m a Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” like a teen, but it’s a joy to see him revisit eclectic material from Blind Faith, Traffic, and his long solo career (Traffic’s “Forty Thousand Headmen” was a cool, left-field choice). Last night he joined a band appointed with sax, flute, congas, drums, piano, organ, and his daughter Lily as backup singer.

At 76, Winwood is a master musician and whether it was playing the urgent cascading piano trill opening of “Glad” or singing and playing guitar against the fingerpicking melancholy of “Can’t Find My Way Home”, he was in total control of the pulse of the set. It seemed like everyone in the band was a crack musician-trading off instruments (piano, organ, guitar, mandolin as needed). The highlight of the hour-long set was “Dear Mr. Fantasy”. The band stretched the Traffic classic out into a long jam, allowing Winwood to rip off several scorching electric guitar solos. I always think of him as a keyboard player (easy to do when you spend time in a band with Dave Mason), but Winwood is a damned fine guitar player as well. The guy can do it all.

It would have been nice to hear more of his latter-day solo career material, but with a short opening set, “Roll with It,” “Higher Love,” and “Back in the High Life Again” were all he could squeeze in. A stellar, satisfying set, nonetheless, and a great setup for The Doobies.