By David Menconi
Staff writer
DURHAM -- You know those commercials that dramatize what it would be like if roadies ran airlines, or delivery drivers ran schools? Folks, I'm here to tell you: If Steely Dan ran the world, it would be one precise, well-ordered and on-time place.
Tuesday night, Steely Dan opened its "Rent Party" tour at the Durham Performing Arts Center, drawing a high-dollar soldout house. Shockingly, Steely Dan frontman Donald Fagen did make one obvious mistake.
"Let's try something from 1975, '76," he said as he rolled into "Aja" -- a song that came out in 1977, actually. But this was opening night, after all, so there was bound to be at least one glitch.
The main event commenced at the stroke of 8:30, as Fagen and Walter Becker entered the stage following seven minutes of instrumental vamping by their eight-piece backup band. Fagen, Becker and three backup singers made it 13-strong onstage, and they blared impressively through a 117-minute, 20-song set.
Steely Dan's arcane paranoia and sense of strangled possibility were very much a product of the 1970s. And yet that aesthetic still translates today. Despite three-plus decades of saturation-level exposure, the group's body of work has held up surprisingly well.
Of course, it helps that Fagen and Becker refuse to let their songs calcify into the familiar versions you've heard on the radio so many times. They took plenty of liberties with their catalog Tuesday night, most notably on a radically changed-up "Reelin' in the Years" that was almost unrecognizable. Even so, "Reelin'" remained as tight as every other song in the Steely Dan canon.
Becker seemed content to stay mostly in the background, playing stinging guitar and only approaching the microphone a couple of times. The one song he sang, "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More," served as a reminder why he doesn't sing more often. But he's still a hell of a guitarist.
His partner Fagen moved between keyboard and melodica, evoking the jaded bemusement that remains Steely Dan's signature. It seems odd to say that someone who has been performing in public for 40 years is coming into his own, and yet it's sort of true for Fagen. At 61, he no longer has an old man's voice trapped in a young man's body -- he is well and truly the grizzled, decadent hepcat he could only imply way back when. It makes a song like "Hey Nineteen" a lot more convincing.
Tuesday's show only laid one egg, with "Godwhacker," which just happened to be the song of most recent vintage (from 2003's "Everything Must Go" album). Everything else was pretty much on the one, from the steady rolling groove of "Time Out of Mind" to the playful angst of "Bad Sneakers."
Other highlights included a lovely "Here at the Western World," the snarling menace of "Josie" and a raucous show-closing "My Old School" with the house lights up. It was fully satisfying, and yet some of their most notable songs went missing: "Do It Again," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "Bodhisattva," "FM" and "Any Major Dude Will Tell You."
Guess that means they need to come back.
Comments
Opening Night Blues?
Fri, 06/12/2009 - 01:01 — dmacI wasn't much impressed by the FOH SR... First gig in the US, maybe new production crew... Took until the third song before things smoothed out, not such great tone, too much volume, uneven mix, missed a bunch of solo bits... Probably not too familiar with the Dan's oeuvre...Thought I could have done better with a PM-2000 and stacks on stage, blown ears and all... Kind of a shame that SMAART analysis, digital boards, and fancy line arrays can't sound any better than that... Admittedly, it would suck to have to mix FOH from the back, under the balcony...As for the lack of fire... the Dan told everybody already... it's the Rent Party Tour, dude... Their investment folks gave them the bad news while they were on the other side of the pond, Et Voila! On The Road Again! Walter looked like he was having fun, at least, even if he always dodged his lighting mark... and Carlock gets the gold star for both chops and stamina... Horn section was excellent (and should be with their collective pedigree), but badly mixed... The wiggle light programmer had a couple of cute cues ("Shaking It" over the backup singers during Babylon Sisters), but didn't seem to have Mr. Fagen's set list... when in doubt, go for the magenta back light... I loved listening to Walter's prolix and hyperbolic intro of his partner in crime...The opening trio wasn't bad, but I couldn't understand the name of the band, as the box pushers were apparently running the board at the time... The Hammond operator wasn't Lonnie Smith, or Lyle Mays, but he had some nice licks, and they did some imaginative (although meandering) covers and at least one original.But even less than stellar Steely Dan is better than most of what passes for music these days, the curmudgeon muttered...As for Rikki, I'd bet good money that her song won't make the Interweb Request night... Just as well, since Skunk can't be dragged away from his DOD consulting gig...Style points to the drunk aging frat boys down front reliving their salad days "dancing" at Crazy Zack's...May the batteries never wear out in the rig from Yokohama!
Stereo from above
Thu, 06/11/2009 - 13:04 — samuelreidMusic heaven sent. That is what Donald and Walter have given us the public to enjoy.
Tuesday night was the seventh time I have attended a Steely Dan concert. On a scale of one-to-ten I would give it an eight. The horns were crisp. The songs still great. Carlock mashed. Donald sounds great. Please come back and do another North Carolina show!
From my vantige point-the very back row, it was difficult to hear keyboards (which play such a prominent role in may songs like "Hey Nineteen"). Loved Walter engaging the audience in "Nineteen". Many in our section sang the last lines triumphantly.
Steely Dan should incoprperate audience interaction into their shows-the fans KNOW the lyrics(did ya hear "My Old School")?
The re-arrangement of "Reelin in the years" was strange- (I am a BIG fan of the re-arrangement from the "Alive Again" CD). Kudos to the band for trying a new arrangement.
My favorites from Tuesday's show-"Black Cow", "My Rival", "Nineteen", and "Time Out of Mind"-I tip my hat to the horn section on "Time" they were AWESOME!
I wish they would add "FM" back to the set list-to hear Freedy Washington play the bass rif can MAKE an evening.
"Deacon Blues" would have been another great addition-with the horn rifs it contains(can you tell I liked the horns)(we miss Cornealous). Watching from heaven he would have smiled at Tuesday nights show...
Hi-Fi
Thu, 06/11/2009 - 09:30 — leighaI agree with Donald Fagan's comments that DPAC is truly a Hi-Fi experience. I saw Steely Dan many years ago at an outdoor venue and I will tell you this band requires a soundstage the quality of DPAC to be appreciated. I thought the show was simply unbelievable, fantastic. It did not hurt that I had front row seats in the Grand Tier, surely the best seats in DPAC. I think these guys have made some of the most incredible, complicated and burned-in-my-mind forever music; I was amazed how the lyrics came back to me for songs I had not heard in a while (Parker's Band). I hope they come back and keep doing what they are doing. I love them! I was sad Bodhavista (sp?) was not played......and that they did not come back for a 2nd encore on opening night.......but overall, it was well worth my $$!!!
Play list
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 13:26 — traceyroosDoes anyone have the entire play list from last night's show at DPAC?
set list
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 13:50 — dmenconi (author)intro vamp
Reelin' in the Years
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Bad Sneakers
Black Friday
Aja
My Rival
Hey 19
Parker's Band
Babylon Sisters
Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More
Here at the Western World
Home At Last
Love Is Like? (sung by backup singers only)
Peg
Josie
Kid Charlemagne
ENCORE
Black Cow
My Old School
Steely Dan Concert Review
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 12:12 — tdc3600I have been a huge Steely Dan fan since the beginning in 1972, and I am still amazed at the musicianship that is required to do justice to those very complex songs. At the concert last night, Freddy Washington on bass was exceptional, but Keith Carlock's live performance on drums was the best I have seen/heard in a very long time. In my opinion, Carlock's drumwork at the conclusion of "Aja" exceeded the legendary Steve Gadd's performance on the LP, and it helped to ease the pain of Jon Herrington's failed attempt to duplicate Denny Diaz's guitar solo's in the same song. Herrington did come through later with fine guitar solos on "Peg" & "Kid Charlemagne". Overall, the concert easily exceeded my expectations. It could only have been better if Donald & Walter had returned to the stage for another twenty songs joined by Elliot Randall, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Dean Parks, Denny Diaz, Wayne Shorter, Chuck Rainey, & Michael Omartian.
Underwhelming
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 12:04 — frankkonhausBeing on time is about the only thing the Steely Dan show had going for it. I don't think in 40 years of seeing live music I have ever seen a band with less chemistry--no eye contact, not much excitement, lackluster solos, and not a very tight groove on some incredibly great material. They clearly looked like no one was having any fun. Granted this was the first date on the tour-maybe they all met two weeks ago-but all the more reason to not be phoning in your part. Fagan voice is shot or the team of Roger Nichols/Gary Katz were truly geniuses in the studio. Without the backup singers he wouldn't have made it through the set. Walter Becker was the one ray of sunshine for me. Every time I got close to bemoanng the $125 for my seat he would play something or say something and engage me again. The show was a great dissapointment but I am glad I got to see them none the less.
Concert
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 08:40 — DanFan9Very thoughtful review. I agree with you about Godwhacker. That tune never worked for me.
Aja the album was released
Wed, 06/10/2009 - 08:23 — ctillAja the album was released in 1977 (September, I think). But Aja the song had been kicking around for a while, in development. It came together from different songs that were woven together.