Toto • Christopher Cross • The Romantics • August 21, 2026 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
On August 21, 2026, fans of all ages gathered at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City for a night full of songs that have been around for decades from Toto, Christopher Cross, and The Romantics! Luckily, the summer storms that could have brewed and threatened the events of the night kept their distance so all could proceed as normal!
The Romantics
The Romantics kicked off the evening, and I unfortunately missed the beginning of their set, but I immediately noticed that they brought a fun energy to the stage! Lead singer Wally Palmar was incredibly spirited throughout the performance, and it was clear that the band was having a great time up there along with him. The current lineup also included longtime guitarist George Canler, along with Bruce Witkin, Joey Malone, and drummer Mike Rizzi.
One of the highlights of their set was their newer song, “Real Good Thing,” which was a fun addition to the classics. The crowd was thrilled to get an exclusive listen to the unreleased song! Not only did they get to hear something different, but they also had the option to purchase physical copies of the new tune that weren’t available anywhere else!
They worked their way through songs like “Bop,” “Stone Pony,” and “Talking in Your Sleep,” and it was fun watching more and more people get up and sing along as the set went on. “Bop” was especially fun with the drummer Mike Rizzi taking over lead vocals, while Palmar continued to bring his spirited expressions and some vocals from the front of the stage.
“Stone Pony” had the band really rocking out, but the crowd definitely came alive for, “Talking in Your Sleep.” There were lots of people singing along, and by the time they got to, “What I Like About You,” the amphitheater erupted into quite the party! That song was a really fun way for The Romantics to end their set!
Christopher Cross
Next up was Christopher Cross, and there were clearly a lot of people excited to see him take the stage! His set had a completely different feel from The Romantics, and it was really enjoyable to watch him work through so many songs that have been part of people’s lives for decades.
Christopher greeted the crowd and said that if anyone owned “that green album,” referring to his self-titled record, they’d know quite a few songs that night. He kicked off his time on stage with “All Right,” followed by “Never Be the Same,” and “I Really Don’t Know Anymore.” The diehard Christopher Cross fans made themselves known as they sang every word to those songs. It was fun to see multi-generational families sharing their love of his music!
One of the fun details I noticed right off the bat was a group of backup singers, who wore beautiful purple sparkly dresses throughout the performance and added some fun glam to the otherwise more mellow set.
Before “Dreamers,” a portion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech played over the speakers. It was a really meaningful way to introduce the song, and the audience responded with cheers and applause. I really enjoyed “Dreamers.” It spoke to the hopefulness that a dreamer carries despite trials they face. It was very sweet!
Of course, “Sailing” was one of the biggest moments of his set. It is one of those songs that feels so epic because it has become such a recognizable part of music history. Hearing Christopher Cross perform it live was really special, and he sounded just as good as the original track, which is impressive after over 45 years. There were several people who seemed to be having an almost spiritual experience during the song, with their hands in the air and eyes closed. I love how music like that can move people!
He continued with songs like “Think of Laura,” “I Know You Well,” and “The Light Is On.” During “I Know You Well,” backup singer Bella showed off some seriously impressive range from a standard register to whistle tones! It was one of those moments where you could hear the crowd react as soon as she hit those high notes!
Cross also performed “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” which he dedicated to his late friend and co-writer Burt Bacharach. It was another really meaningful moment in the set and a reminder of just how many incredible songs have come from Cross’ career.
Before “Ride Like the Wind,” Christopher joked with the audience, “Now’s your time to be Michael McDonald; he couldn’t make it tonight.” It was a funny moment that had the crowd laughing before the song and sing-along got underway.
He ended his set with an acoustic reprise of “Sailing,” which made the song feel even more intimate after hearing the full-band version earlier in the set. Before leaving the stage, Cross told the audience, “You all be good to each other. I love you very much.” He seemed genuinely touched by the applause that followed, and it was a really sweet way to end his set.
Toto
In between sets, classic songs that most anyone would know played, which always seems to create a special atmosphere as everyone joins in to sing along! I also noticed that a person in front of me had swapped shirts for a third time in anticipation for Toto’s performance- she had donned a different shirt in support of each band, which I thought was really creative!
Soon, multicolored lights illuminated the stage as Toto took the stage! The crowd was clearly ready for the headliners, and Toto wasted no time getting into some of their biggest songs. After opening with “Goodbye Elenore,” they played “Rosanna” as the second song of the night. I heard several people around me excitedly say, “Already?!” when they realized what was coming, which was a pretty good indication of just how excited everyone was to hear it!
Before long, the band greeted the crowd with, “Hello Salt Lake! It’s so good to be back. We love Salt Lake!” It was fun hearing how excited they were to be back in Utah and how much they loved performing there! They expressed their gratitude for the supportive fans who have shown up time after time!
The band was made up of original members Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams, joined by John Pierce, Warren Ham, Keith Carlock, Dennis Atlas, and Rai Thistlethwayte.
During “Hydra,” the band really got to show off their musicality, and it was then that I realized that Steve Lukather sure can shred on the guitar! I was so impressed! Similarly, was one of the things I enjoyed most about Toto’s set – getting to see how talented every member of the band was. There were several points throughout the show where individual musicians were given the opportunity to showcase their skills, and each one absolutely delivered! I really enjoyed was how much the band talked about and showed appreciation for each other.
They repeatedly shared how talented their bandmates were, and the individual solos throughout the show made it very clear why they were so proud of the musicians they had onstage with them. I was equally in awe of their abilities and loved getting to hear about all of the projects each member had been a part of from Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band to session musicians for the likes of Tom Petty and every cool gig you could think of in between!
The band kept the mood light between songs, too – on top of being masterful musicians, they are funny guys! Before “Georgy Porgy,” they encouraged the audience to get funky, dance a little bit, and “shake your booty.” It was definitely one of the particularly fun moments of the night, with plenty of people getting up and dancing!
One of the more touching moments came before “Endless.” The band explained that they hadn’t been able to perform the song for years because its original singer had passed away, so Dennis Atlas stepped in to sing it. Atlas, who joined Toto as a keyboardist in 2024, absolutely rocked it! It was really cool to see him take the lead on the song and give the audience the opportunity to hear it live again. His voice was timeless and one that could easily transport you back in time to the 80s
Before, “Pamela,” Joseph Williams shared that the song was about an ex-girlfriend of his and jokingly lamented about having to sing about her for decades after their breakup. He encouraged the audience to join him in his “therapy,” as he sang, “Pamela,” which got a laugh from the crowd. It was another fun little interaction that made the show feel anything but scripted and like the band was just having a good time hanging out with everyone.
“I’ll Be Over You” brought things down a little bit. The band introduced it as being “for young lovers of all ages” and encouraged people to pull their special someone close. They quickly and humorously added that if you don’t know the person, you probably shouldn’t do that because, “you’ll go to jail.” Like I said, funny guys!
As the show moved toward the end, “Hold the Line” was another huge crowd favorite. It was one of those songs where pretty much everyone seemed to know exactly what was coming, and the energy picked right back up. People were passionate in their participation for that one!
To close out the night, Toto brought Christopher Cross and The Romantics back onto the stage for “Africa.” It was such a fun way to end the show to have all three artists together for one final performance. The audience was obviously thrilled to hear one of Toto’s biggest hits, and having all of the artists onstage together made it feel like a true finale rather than just the end of another set. It was so cool to see so many iconic groups on stage together! And musicality to an already complex, unique song was made even more special by having the whole night’s roster participating!
This show was a really fun reminder of how music can stick with people for decades. I think that’s one of my favorite things about concerts featuring artists who have been performing for so long. You get to look around and see people singing along to songs they may have grown up with, while other people are discovering those songs in a completely different generation.
Between The Romantics bringing the energy, Christopher Cross’ beautiful and nostalgic set, and Toto showing off the incredible musicianship that has kept their music around for so many years, it was a wonderful night of live music! There were plenty of moments to sing along to, plenty of moments to laugh, and even more moments where I found myself appreciating just how talented the musicians onstage were.
It was a great night of music at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater, and getting to see three artists with such long careers share one stage was definitely a cool experience!