So glad I was there for this performance, catching the Brothers at their zenith, in their prime, at the UC Santa Barbara campus lagoon on a truly sweltering summer day in 1980 (NOT 1982). I remember thinking I couldn't believe John Mcfee wore those tight black satin pants for the entire performance. All of us SoCal locals were in T-shirts, Op shorts, or less. Ha! Just wish Tiran had still been with the band. This concert was filmed for a then state of the art Laserdisc, much like the Kenny Loggins "Alive" show across town at the SB County Bowl from the previous summer of 1979, which I was also lucky enough see.

One of the few white singers who truly sounds black and that is a huge compliment. Beautiful song. ❤

Michael McDonald is one of the very few musicians who stands the test of time. What a great voice...one of the best I've ever heard, so soulful. RIP Cornelius Bumpus!!

I don't think anyone realized what a true talent Michael Macdonald really is. Good Lord, that voice.

McDonalds secret was that his falsetto voice was indistinguishable from his full voice and also learned to slip in and out without it being detectable meaning he had an effective huge range. He put it to brilliant use as we see here.

Michael just gives powerhouse vocals on this. POWERHOUSE. The lyrics are complex and he just goes on and on with hardly a break. It's amazing.

My favorite Doobie Brothers song!

Michael McDonald’s singing here is up there with the finest I’ve ever heard. He’s Sam Cooke level. Just so brilliant.

Still sounds fresh after 40 years!

Ahhhhhh..... the beautiful voice of Mr. Michael McDonald... it just doesn't get any better... he defined a certain period of time in many of our lives, and for that I will always be grateful... soulful, deep and simply beautiful... I absolutely LOVE this song... what happened to REAL music?

OMG! I really love this song! Michael McDonald's vocals are the bomb!

2020 --- anyone still listening? Amazing. Takes me back to a wonderful time in lifeb no one plays it live like this ! 😊

Great Sax player on Real Love the late great Mr. Cornelius Bumpus he was a great musician.He also played with Steely Dan

Thank God I was born in 1959 and had great taste in music. The 79's and 80 had it all. Not like today's pablum

"and we've both lived long enough to know that we'd trade it all right now for just one minute of Real Love"....my god love those lyrics

Can't get enough of that voice!!!!

True talent: when the artist's song live sounds the same as the record. Michael McDonald is a true talent. The harmonies, his voice & the music are on point!!! Classic music.

Mr. Willie Weeks on that punchy Fender precision bass awesome !

What a genius. McDonald is a genius. In my whole life as a performer and a musician I feel this is one of the most beautifullly crafted songs, lyrically, I have ever heard. I guess I just needed to get that out.

On this day in 1980 {August 31st} "Real Love" by the Doobie Brothers entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #40; and on October 19th, 1980 it peaked at #5 {for 2 weeks} and spent 16 weeks on the Top 100... In reached #2 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart and #10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart... The California-based group had twenty-seven Top 100 records; five made the Top 10 with two reaching #1, "Black Water" for 1 week on March 8th, 1975 and "What a Fool Believes" for 1 week in April 8th, 1979... They just missed having seven Top 10 records when both "Listen to the Music" and "Take Me in Your Arms" peaked at #11... I've said this in earlier posts, but without the Doobie Brothers, the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame is a joke!!!

I’m a performing musician, Original music and the cover gigs as well. Approaching steely Dan songs and ANYTHING michael does, Very very tricky to pull off even to a proximity of his raw ability. Talent like that is BORN. You can’t attain it otherwise and I’m considered an accomplished singer. I always thank folks for compliments on my voice etc, but in the back of my mind I’m on a chariot riding in my Caesar’s parade while michael Macdonald voice is whispering soulfully in my ear……”glory is fleeting dude, I however am eternal”.

I absolutely love Michael McDonald’s vocals.

Michael's lyrics are perfect. Real love takes time.

I love how soulful Michael's voice is. PERFECT for this type of band/music. Great memories from my high school days in the early 80's.

That harmony is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggghhhhhhhhtttttttt thank God for real music. These are love songs for ADULTS! songs that tell the TRUTH about relationships with all the joys, hurts, longings , lies, and regrets.

2020 No autotune live or otherwise None needed with true artists/musicians as opposed to the Crap we have today

It's amazing to me how spot on his vocals were live and outdoors. Like a lot of 70's and 80's bands, they were better than we thought they were or understood or appreciated at the time. It was a glorious time to be a music fan or a sports fan.

The best blue-eyed soul singer on the planet.

Love this song & performance! So tight it's hard to believe it's live! But it is! That's just how incredibly talented this band is!

Who doesn't want "Real Love" after listening to this smooth song?! I've always loved, loved, loved Michael McDonald and where he started; The Doobie Brothers and his sing with Kenny Loggins. Love it!

My God what a great version of the song. Very close to the studio version. Perfection.

What an absolutely AWESOME song. The Doobies will never, nor could ever be replaced, true REAL music......................

Love him or hate him, Michael Mcdonald spearheaded the Doobie Brothers’ transition into the more relevant disco/soul type of sound that was exploding in the late 70s, he helped keep the band relevant and even gave them one of their biggest and greatest hits of all time, he did an amazing thing for the band, and I think he truly cared and will always care deeply about that band

Absolutely incredible live performance good god

If picking Johnston over McDonald makes one a Doobie Bros. purist, count me out. M.M. was pure gold as far as I'm concerned. He was with them back in the early 80s when I saw them live. Awesome. This song has long been a fave.

Michael Mcdonald has a unique voice all his own. I can't get enough of it. It's great that he is in with the Doobie Brothers. They're a legend in 2023.

Listen to this song years ago and still think this is so beautiful. Thank you all.

dude was on another level, that smooth soulful voice and persona.

Thank you for sharing this. Amazing group. I wish I could find a woman who enjoys these great songs.

Michael McDonald is so awesome singing this song. The Doobie Brothers are awesome, also. Stay safe.

Pride of St. Louis. Michael is just one of those once in a generation talents. So proud to be from the same city. I can listen to his music for the rest of my life. ☺️

Dude playing backup keyboards with a tenor sax on his lap, then lays down a killer tenor solo while Michael & the band are groovin'. Good stuff.

Lengend ......Your Mama must have been the proudest WOMAN on EARTH !!!!♥️✝️♥️☮️💪🏳🦋✝️✝️✝️

I could listen to Michael sing this song everyday I love it just that much after all of this time I'm still loving to hear him sing. Love me some michael

This was best generation musicians in all Music History....the Seventies...why? because Music was made with Feeling...Inner Power....Energy in the air....the world should have a change !!! Many groups and singers were saying behind songs and music a massage to the world....Better world will come !!!

Layered Stuff. Before computer. So very cool. Cant believe this is live. Thank you for showing. ❤️

BE PROUD that we were part of a great time when music and people were real . born in the 1960's

And this, kids, is what LIVE.... REAL music sounds like.....

Have been listening to Michael for many moons now and still follow him. Difficult at times with him in the US but really try, thanks YT!❤

What a fantastic singer! Even live he's totally dead on! Gorgeous

Love this era of the band. Although John Hartman and Tiran Porter were gone, if they had continued like this, I wouldn't have minded. Got to love hearing Willie Weeks here...

I love this man for so many reasons,he's an amazing singer full of heart & soul,a great composer,and a Christian! His voice is instantly recognizable,just love him! ♥ "I'd trade it all right now for just one minute of real love"♥♥♥

When you're in a band, and you have THIS vocalist song-writer.

Their more rock-oriented stuff (China Grove, etc) isn't bad, but I definitely prefer the McDonald-era stuff like this, What a Fool Believes and It Keeps You Running. McDonald has one of my favorite voices ever.

Even though the McDonald era Doobies were almost over here, they still created beautiful music which endures to this day. They would be gone by 1983, to reform with Tom in '87 and more success. For me, this was the best Doobies music, it's a shame that Johnston missed their huge success, his voice is iconic to the Doobies too.

Awesome harmony from all the guys. If there's one thing I love; it is harmonizing. And these guys are fantastic on this number. Couldn't ask for anyrhing more, behind the exquisite lead vocal of Michael McDonald - Holy Sh*t!

Holy crap this is tight. Michael’s vocals too… enough said. This video is a gem.

This man could seriously sing ! --------------------WolfSky9 LA/USA

One of the most beautiful voices in music.. EVER!....

The Doobie Bros, one hit after the next, we all get higher and higher. Love their music.

Great performance!! The Doobies are one of the most underrated bands of all time - rhythm & blues, hard rock (Without You), ballads (South City Midnight Lady) - they can just flat out do it all!

The gentleman playing the sax scored a 10!

What an amazing singer, Michael just belts it out like it's nothing, this is not an easy song to sing and it requires a huge range, absolutely amazing! His voice is a freakin powerhouse!!

Amazing how tight they were here. Many other bands disappoint in concert with unusual vocal pitch changes, skimping on guitar or keyboard parts, pre-recording their harmonies, etc. Not the Doobie's though. They do it all live making it sound almost exactly like it does on the record and that's a good thing in my book.

fantastic video from a fantastic era of music. McDonald does not receive the recognition he deserves from his Doobie Brothers era

I've heard Michael perform this many times solo, but I like the Doobies arrangement of this song best, with the guitar in front like that.

One of greatest bands ever saw their final tour here in Inglewood California so dam good thx Doobie Bros😍♥️

What a Great live performance by the Dobbies 🎉🎉🎉👍🏾

Brilliant song. Impeccably performed. Took me 40 listenings to.b e able to sing along. The phrasing on Macdona's singing beats even Frank Sinatra..

fabulous! His duet with Nicolette Larson though is one of my all time favorites, but tears always ensue. Let Me Go, Love

Michael Mcdonald has never had a bad year... This Guy is the Bomb !!! No other man like him ..His voice...Makes you melt.. His voice is so raspy, sexy, dreamy Just got to Love him to Death... I know I do, He's my Man....

Um, what? How can a live performance be this spotless

Such a clear/smooth voice on this vid. Better than ever!! Hit it Michael!

That voice is so beautiful, he was always cool, low key and sexy…lol I’m 72 and still have a crush on him..especially when he says baby😊

At this point with the Doobie Brothers, Mike is doing all the heavy lifting. Writing the songs and all the parts for the rest of the band. He actually said that’s why he went solo. He was practicing doing the work of a solo act anyway.

real music, real emotion , real feelings ,real love

His voice just soars. What a talent.

What I would give to have been at this concert!

... I love this live version, 🥰and this whole concert is outstanding. 👍🏼 .... also, I love you Andy. ♥️👩‍❤️‍👨♥️✝️

Such a unique unprecedented experience to see AND hear Michael perform and evolve through the decades (thanks to KZfaq). He has written my absolute favorite songs....I think of all the music I've heard since 1962 as a kid, I am sure that What a Fool Believes is my favorite song. [Michael, if you ever read these comments, I want to say that EVERY time you speak of your father, a HUGE SMILE lights up your face.]

i promise i would've died if i went to their concert and heard this song. i love this album!

Thank you for the music memories created with my Father. For a brief moment I was that little girl in his truck. I sure do miss my Dad...

Cant believe I just now found this song. My new Fav!

No flailing, gyrating, half-naked bodies. Just a restrained, talent filled performance. Amazing lead vocals and harmonies with perfect pitch, and no need for autotune....Man, I miss that!

0:28 That look when the rhythm guitarist knows he’s got a badass bass player

Michael McDonald's voice is perhaps the best in 50 years. How beautiful.

Incomparable Michael McDonald!

This is such a tight band. Live even better than in the studio. Let’s remember Keith Knudsen, drummer and the glue that kept the band together. Great drummer and vocalist. Very rare.

I agree, I love the Dobbie Brothers even if they were a little before my time. I remember my older brother sining their songs, then as I got old enough to listen to the radio I became a fan back in the 80's. I love them so much, they are one of my favorite of all times, and man that Michael McDonald, he is just the best at what he does. He is on my top 3 list of my favorite male singers.

bands like this do not need protection from the sun.

Michael is the best and so are the Doobie brothers.

Absolutely golden...wow

I've got real love in my life for the past 37 years.....and I would almost trade it for real music like this once again. The industry is stuck on no talent and stupid I think.

RIP Cornelious Bumpus!!! You were a magic at that time!

One of their best , Smooth......,

Love this guy's music I really do

can't go wrong with the soulful michael mcdonald and some real love...i am the same girl, but ever changing too...and the world marches on, with or without me...peace and love....jilly~

What a shame that nobody hit the dislike button! Now we have no one about whom to say .... " (fill in a number) people have never known real love."

Saw them 1982 in Bangkok, great show, love songs, what we need again.

Cornelius Bumpus, so versatile and talented.