detlef Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 ...was effing awesome! Seriously, if you get a chance, you should see these guys. I think there's a number of reasons why this show was better than your typical "old guys still at it" sort of thing. The main reason is that it's not like their schtick was ever about youth and energy, so it's not like some 60 year old guy trying to still be a young rock god (which can be a little sad). These guys have always been a jazz group masquerading as a pop/rock act anyway, so there's not going to be the drop-off. They've been practicing being old the whole time. Secondly, Fagan's voice was always a little weird and, again , not particularly powerful. It's not like he was ever belting it out like Robert Plant or something. So, while a guy like Plant has had to reinvent himself, Fagan can just do what he's always done. Not taking anything away from what Plant is doing now, but if you're hoping for something that resembles the concert footage you've seen from early 70s Zeppelin, well, you're going to be disappointed. On the other hand, my guess is that last night's show resembled what you might have seen from these guys 35 years ago. Just a couple of talented geeks getting off. At any rate, the band was tight as hell and the drummer, in particular, was amazing. The back-up ladies may very well have stolen the show and the energy was massive. It was a great wall of sound, with 13 people on stage. My wife didn't like the fact that the sound was a bit too big to really hear the vocals well enough, but I sort of dug the fact that it was distinctly live as opposed to as clean as the studio stuff is. You know, cool in its own way. If I had any quarrel, it was with the horn solos. When they just played their parts, they were great. When they soloed, however, it just seemed sort of forced and random. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Next Generation Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I've seen Steely Dan many times and have never been disappointed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 To start off, I Love their albums. Saw them about 6 or 7 years ago. Live was really boring. The sound was horrible and they played more 'new' stuff that I didn't recognize. I'm not saying the music was bad, just boring. Could have got it from a local band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 To start off, I Love their albums. Saw them about 6 or 7 years ago. Live was really boring. The sound was horrible and they played more 'new' stuff that I didn't recognize. I'm not saying the music was bad, just boring. Could have got it from a local band. Last night they played 2.5 hours and played maybe 3 new songs that I didn't recognize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 One of my favorite bands. I am SO jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 (edited) Long-time fan. Saw them twice. First time technically wasn't billed as Steely Dan, it was part of what was called the "NY Rock n Soul Review" - they were fantastic. Like hearing the albums except with enough improv to make it distinctly live. And yeah the backing vocals were really the most "over-achieving" ones onstage. Second time was disappointing (about 6-7 yrs ago). Fagan sounded like crap, frankly, and they were generally quite underwhelming. That said, my standards for them are high which probably played into it some, and I'd go see them again - though I'd love if they could get guys like Mike McDonald, Tom Scott and Larry Carlton to come along for the ride. Edited August 6, 2011 by BeeR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 (edited) caught them 15 years ago at Starplex in Dallas (outdoor) Edited August 6, 2011 by Scooby's Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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