The decision to attend this show didn't come easily--ticket prices for "big name" acts are outrageous, the band sucked on a PBS show I saw a few years back, and I'm wary of crowds filled with aging baby boomers who haven't listned to any new music since 1980. But the Taft Theatre is a good venue, it was fairly close to my birthday, some friends of Mrs. Drjohnrock and myself were keen on this outing, I didn't have to work the next day, and the Aja album was being played in it's entirety (the second night featured the less impressive The Royal Scam), so I decided to take the plunge.

Opening the show was the Sam Yahel Trio. I can't fairly judge jazz organist Yahel and band due to late arrivals milling around and chattering away during their set. What I could hear sounded interesting--some blues and avant garde influences were obvious. Hope I can see them headline sometime.

SD's set opened with a jazz instrumental by the rather larger backing band (2nd guitarist, 2nd keyboard player, trumpeter, trombonist, 2 sax players, bassist and drummer), following which Fagan, Becker and three female backing vocalists took the stage and delved right into the Aja album, playing it in its original running order, before moving on to other songs.

Any fears I had of a repeat of the PBS disaster quickly dissipated. The two principals and band were in good spirits, and it was reflected in the playing. Songs that seemed a little stiff on record were more vibrant live. And even overplayed-on-the-radio tunes like "Hey Nineteen" (featuring a humorous spoken part by Becker in the middle) and "Babylon Sisters" seemed fresh. There were a lot of nice touches that prevented the songs from being note-for-note recreations of their studio versions, whether small (horns replacing the original synth lines in "Peg", Dan Beard's piano flourishes throughout "I Got The News") or large (greatly rearranged "Show Biz Kids", "Black Friday" given a Booker T and the MGs type groove). Becker's guitar playing was much sharper and more focused than his sleepy PBS performance, and Fagan played keyboards and melodica with a lot of spirit.

The only worrying parts of the show were (1) Fagan's voice, and (2) 2nd guitarist Jon Herrington. Donald was clearing struggling to reach the high notes, and was noticeably raspy a time or two. But he put forth a lot of effort, and was spelled by Becker on "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" and the gals on "Dirty Work" and a cover of The Supremes "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" (the latter of which was mostly a vehicle for Becker to introduce the backing group). Hope he can rest his voice after this tour. As for Herrington, he played some good parts but would be more at home in a hack hard rock band, to which he'll hopefully soon depart.

Was it worth it? Yes, but no way could I take the financial whacking with any regularity. Would I see them again? Probably, but I need to save up first.

The Set List:

1. jazz instrumental (unconfirmed: a cover of Oliver Nelson's "Teenie's Blues")
Aja album:
2. Black Cow
3. Aja
4. Deacon Blues
5. Peg
6. Home At Last
7. I Got The News
8. Josie
Rest of set:
9. Time Out Of Mind
10. Bodhisattva
11. Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More
12. Babylon Sisters
13. Hey Nineteen
14. Black Friday
15. Show Biz Kids
16. Dirty Work
17. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart
18. Don't Take Me Alive
19. My Old School
20. Kid Charlemagne

ENCORE:

21. Reelin' In The Years
Fagan, Becker and backing singers leave the stage, and the band closes with
22. jazz instrumental (don't know the title)

Time: 2 hours, 14 minutes

Oops, meant to put this in Other Reviews. Sorry about that. Mods, please move this.

Cor, sounds fantastic - and looks it by the setlist. At first I thought the Royal Scam night would have been better, (not a giant fan of Aja myself) but they did do Kid Charlemagne so that's all right.

Don't get me wrong, I like The Royal Scam. I just think Aja is more consistent. I was pleased that they played Don't Take Me Alive and Kid Charlemagne, which, imho, are the two best tracks on The Royal Scam.

Earlier this year, Steely Dan played some shows where audience members could vote on which songs would be played after they purchased tickets. Becker has said in recent interviews that Kid Charlemagne was one of the top vote getters, which he wouldn't have guessed. But maybe it shouldn't be that surprising--it's a really good song.

Gosh, what surprises me is that Becker underrated it so - it's got everything I could wish for in Dan song, at least.

I agree Aja is more consistent, the highs on Royal Scam are very very high, but some of it is a bit...meh.

Great review, Dr. John, thanks for posting it. I would like to say, that if the PBS special you mentioned was called "In The Spotlight,"... it's my favorite live Steely Dan recording, ever. And I have at least a dozen live shows by them, (including their 'official' live album, 'Alive In America'). Strange about tastes, eh?

Sounds like a great night and a great setlist.

Shame no Cousin Dupree. My clear favourite of the most recent stuff.

One of the 2 acts I have not seen but would love to, along with Jonathan Richman.

OK now I appreciate this,or at least some part of my brain does,BUT,another part is screaming "a thoughtful appriciative Steely Dan revue on the Fall forum ! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHH"
Truely we are at the end of time..........

You should be proud: Liking The Fall is not like being in the Khmer Rouge, y'know :)

I wonder what reception a positive review of The Fall would get on a Steely Dan forum?

Funnily enough the Fall's and SD's lyrical stances are very similar - influenced by beat, poetry concrete sniping at mainstream culture. Musically they're on different planets, but I love them both.

Exactly my thoughts as well. Probably one reason why I felt immediately drawn towards both. Steely Dan is most likely the only act of whom I was extremely fond without any interruption during the last 36 years.

As for those recent complete album shows: Unfortunately I have never experienced them onstage. However I have heard recordings from this July in Boston where they performed the full Royal Scam, Aja and Gaucho albums among others and I was very pleasantly surprised. Seems to me like they get along onstage far better now than in the 90s.

The closing instrumental must have been Gato Barbieri's theme from Last Tango In Paris.

As much as I liked Everything Must Go I preferred both Don's and Walt's latest solo albums. Therefore I'm not sure what kind of record I would wish for next. Doesn't matter anyway because it doesn't look like there will be something new in the forseeable future. :(

Aja's solidly and stylistically consistent alright but The Royal Scam is my favourite. But to be honest, Dan albums can only be measured by their proximity to flawlessness. Kid Charlemagne is possibly the one I'd foist on Dan sceptics first.

hi and thanks for the review

this guitarist isnt the one on a lot fo the youtube stuff? i dont know who he is but i always think he is very good

i can see why they would get a rock guitarist in though: stuff like bodishatva and a lot of the other songs now that i think of it have quite a heavy rock element to the solos in them?

would love to hear countdown in its entirety

there was a thread here on your second favourite band. i couldnt think of anybody other than steely dan that i can listen to at more or less any time and always enjoy it

RT is spot on in his comments on where steely dan and the fall stand realtive to the mainstream. it dosent surpirse me that fall fans like steely dan

any recommendations for which live 'album' is best?

I'm not extremely fond of the official "Alive in America", but I guess you mean bootlegs anyway.

A very fine 1974 gig: http://qualityboots.blogspot.com/2008/05/s...974-pre-fm.html

A recent show with the same set list as the one Drjohnrock attended: http://the-roadhouse-viander.blogspot.com/...polis-2009.html

Quite a lot of mixed bootlegs incl. studio outtakes: http://recessed-filter.blogspot.com/search?q=steely+dan (not sure how many links are still intact)

If you're into FLACs torrent sites are obviously best. However Steely Dan aren't allowed on Dime and Tapecity anymore for several years. This leaves The Trader's Den (not Dan) with many recordings (even DVDs), especially from this year.

cant get that blogspot link to work (to the latest gig, minneapolis)

which of the things do you follow on the page?

have the 1974 gig

the other site looks great

These kind of links are really annoying. After several clicks I finally managed to find the way to the actual download files:
http://protector.to/out/4455970/9c2eb7d9a8...a09ffc0eae.html

I hope it works.

[QUOTE]

it works

great, and thanks a lot for that

spent yesterday evening listening to all dan stuff

(and STILL cant quite get that solo from bodishattva...i always think when i can get that note perfect my guitar playing will have begun in earnest...some guys on you tube play it slowed down and i have studied itthrough them..but i STILL cant quite nail it..very frustrating..same with charlegmane

really warming to stuff like hey nineteen, babylon sisters which i had never liked before (grew up tripping out to the earlier stuff...loved the bombs being dropped like the end of the solo in boston rag 4.25 and on just gets So incendiary..very intense and great starter for tens for hallucinagenics if you hit them at the right angle

Californication DVD Boxset
Fawlty Towers DVD Boxset
The Closer DVD Boxset