I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the iconic Steely Dan in concert this past Saturday night for their 2009 Rent Party tour. They played in a relatively intimate venue, The Ballroom at The Borgata, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which was quite a change from the first Steely Dan show I saw, in 1994 at Fiddler's Green Outdoor Amphitheater in Colorado.
And while it was clear that 15 years had passed, the show, nonetheless, was excellent. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were backed up by a team of incredible performers, notably John Herington on guitar, Keith Carlock on drums, and Freddie Washington on bass.
The show opened with a smooth instrumental that warmed up the crowd.
Steely Dan's setlist apparently varies for each show. The night I saw them, they played the entire Aja album, plus other favorites such as "Black Friday," "Hey Nineteen," and "My Old School."
The concert lasted about 90 minutes, and the time flew by. It was apparent that the exertion of performing was a bit much for Donald Fagen, as he seemed a bit short of breath at times and like he was protecting his voice. But this wasn't a problem for the crowd, who gave the band several standing ovations.
It wasn't long before concert goers had abandoned their seats and were dancing in the aisles. Although they didn't play all my favorites — I was hoping to hear "Bodhisattva" and "Rikki Don't Lose that Number," — there were enough sprinkled in there that I felt like I got my money's worth.
All in all, it was a terrific show, and if you're a Steely Dan fan, well worth seeing. You can get concert dates and other information at Steely Dan's official website.
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Article comments
1 - Chris
They did not Play all of Aja.....no Decon Blues