June & July 2013 Posts

Date: Thurs, August 01, 2013, 10:35:21 ET
Posted by: Bikemann17, nj

Pretty sure I heard ad for some restore the shore concert in Jersey that had Steely dan on the bill. Missed part of the commercial didn't hear a date. Anybody know???

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 21:18:27 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Philly

snippets of "Fur Elise" have achieved almost meme status on SD tours, often appearing during intro to Josie, but -- others may have better memories -- other songs as well

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 17:38:44 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

RU Serious - You forgot to copy and paste this quote that I offered up from the band leader:

"The premise of this recording is to free Becker and Fagen's music from the earthly confines, in some cases, of harmonic structure and allow the quartet to create the magic that great improvisors birth".
- Mark Masters

So you didn't like the song. Big deal.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 16:56:59 ET
Posted by: Interesting, Find

Here's one I missed:

On April 1, 2013 the comedy album "Tom and Don" was released. It's a compilation of improv interviews between Tom Schiller and Donald Fagen, some of which were online at the old donaldfagen.com site before it was redirected to Don's Facebook page.

Here's a link to where you can sample and purchase MP3's of the material. The Jest files have some very small snippets of music; Fagen demos I presume.

http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Don-Tapes-Vol-Explicit/dp/B00C5TX2VS/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375303292&sr=301-1

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 16:40:01 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, on the quick

SF Dan Fan.

Sorry about that! Really need to get the Danfest page updated. Hope to ASAP, today or tomorrow.

This year is a little different.

Steely Dan's official Facebook Page has an Events section...people are using that most effectively for organizing meetups, Danfests, etc. That seems to be the best way to reach the broadest number of attendees and potential new fans. Outreach to new fans to carry the torch is something that grabs me as an important, unspoken purpose of the Danfests.

On top of that, there are some Danfest/Danfan email lists that have continued to remain active through the past 13 (or more) years even when there isn't a tour. These are also serving for Danfest communication.

Active email lists are for:

* New York --Sign up at http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc_dandom.com
* New England -- Sign up at http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/newengland_dandom.com
* Boston -- Sign up at http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/boston_dandom.com
* Philadelphia -- http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/philly_dandom.com
* Atlantic City -- http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/ac_dandom.com
* Chicago -- http://dandom.com/mailman/listinfo/chicago_dandom.com

There are maybe 4-5 dozen more that aren't active, but can be reactivated if there is interest.

The last time we had an active list for the Bay Area--and we have maybe 40 people on it--people were kinda weirdly hostile, resistant and disorganized. The email addresses are there--and if there's a good Danfest idea and people are positive, I can re-activate the BayArea at dandom dot com list.

Email me privately at hoops at dandom dot com if you have more questions.

Jim

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 16:01:48 ET
Posted by: Mitch, Boulder, CO

If they don't play King of the World at the next two Highland Park shows then I'm pretty sure it's off the setlist for good. What a shame. I was really looking forward to hearing my favorite Steely Dan song played live.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 15:34:28 ET
Posted by: Another Scurvy, Brother

YGT II? That's a mistake right?

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 13:55:52 ET
Posted by: SF Dan Fan, America's Cup

I've read some posts that reference attendance to some Danfests for this tour but the DanFest page seems to be from back in 2011. Is there a newer page that lists the current one's for this tour or are these being arranged ad hoc by folks out in the field?
Thanks.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 13:47:33 ET
Posted by: DAN FAN, CHICAGO

Interesting comments by Maxijay re: Walter's role in FW.

I have seen SD about 7-8 times the first being in the early 90's went they went back on tour, I believe at Poplar Creek Music Center in Suburban Chicago.

Walter did more at the recent show in Milwaukee than he had in the past times I have seen the band. Would like more info on what he did or did not do in FW. Thought he was SOLID in Milwaukee and noodled well on the Sadowowksi (sp) guitar.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 12:14:16 ET
Posted by: Earthbound,

Oops...YGT, not Deux

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 11:35:12 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Yes, you are correct. A cover can't be great unless it sounds just like the original. Who do these artists think they are using a different arrangement? The musically-challenged can't recognize the tune if the tempo is changed!

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 11:23:19 ET
Posted by: R U Serious?, in the hole, on fire

Hey kids ... now here's something to open up your ears.

I think even The Two would enjoy listening to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ-xAdS5EWg


Hutch,

Holy fucking shit is that great. Thanks for the link.


Great? Might be some decent smoove jazz but that link sounds nothing like Fire in the Hole. Even that Brain Strainer would tell you that!

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 10:41:02 ET
Posted by: Maxiejay, Fort Wayne, Indiana

1. Keith Carlock is the the son that Buddy Rich never had. Had great seats to watch his footwork last night in FW. Had the good fortune to see Buddy in his prime and KC channels the rock solid, in the pocket, propulsion the Buddy's big bands displayed in their heydays.

2. Interesting that the Brats were seemingly featured less than in previous tours. Could be totally off base here, but don't think so. Same for JH.

3. Other than the obvious answer of "a Donald Fagen tour" I wonder what it would be like to have a SD tour without Walter? Seems to add little if anything to the flow of the show....probably get pilloried for even suggesting this....

4. The band is so tight, so on target, just enjoying the musicianship is worth the price of admission.

5. Fort Wayne audience was amazing. Have seen the boys and the Dukes in Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indy, and now Fort Wayne, and FW (sold out crowd) response and appreciation rivaled if not exceeded all the "bigger" audiences.

6. Aja was the highlight for me...loved the interaction and interplay...great, great night in Fort Wayne

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 10:36:05 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

I apologize for the last post. I got the setlist off of setlist.fm and I guess it's wrong. It appears they dropped Green Earrings for Black Cow and Deacon Blues for Babylon Sisters.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 10:29:44 ET
Posted by: Earthbound , Laughalot

It's officiall, log another great one in da books!
The Dan delivered before a packed house at
the Embassy Theatre in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Not sure why the recent post said no hey19,
coz Walter was long-winded and hilarious.

Blueport
YGT-II
Aja
Hey 19
Show Biz Kids
Black Friday
Black Cow
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Monkey In Your Soul
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
Babylon Sisters
I Want To(Do Everything For You)
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin' In The Years
+ Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme

Walter's solos were very good, and he was placing those
nuanced rhythm chops in there nicely, each and every time.
Big kudos to Ready Freddie, especially on Black Cow.
Also loved seeing the Brats fade back to dance around
Jim Beard during a solo. Catherine is a badass!
Fucked up not going to LOU this tour, KOTW ain't in my
quiver, and to hear Green Book was out there is really
rough. Maybe something will switch back by Saturday.
Speaking of which, let's rendezvous again for the pre-show
in Indy at The Rathskeller, across the street from Murat .
Sausage & Beer!! See ya there, aloha, Keith

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 10:19:46 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Tim, that is very interesting. That has to be one of the first times, if not the first time, that they haven't played Hey 19 since 1993.

Also, did they introduce the band in another song, or did they introduce them with no music in the background, as was done in the Donald Fagen '06 solo shows and Dukes of September shows if I remember correctly?

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 10:07:02 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St Augustine Beach

Tim, thanks for the info. That's a pretty decent trade, IMO.

I am working on a new computer I'm setting up for a client and using IE (which I virtually never use on my own PC) without security addons. First time I have seen the Twitter box in action. Might be the last time, too.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 09:24:07 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

So Hey Nineteen gets dropped last night and they put in Black Cow. Also, dropped the band intros song and put Babylon Sisters back in. Interesting.

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 01:34:41 ET
Posted by: that's hedley, rock ridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoM-ZC7uNnc

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 01:24:29 ET
Posted by: Cary Grant,

You remind me of a man
What man?
The man with the power
What power?
The Power of Voodoo
Voodoo?
You do.
Who do?
Voodoo
You do.
Do what?
Remind me of a man...

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 01:22:13 ET
Posted by: Cary Grant,

You remind me of a man
What man?
The man with the power
What power?
The Power of Voodoo
Voodoo?
You do.
Who do?
Voodoo
You do.
Do what?
Remind me of a man...

Date: Wed, July 31, 2013, 00:05:10 ET
Posted by: LYDIA, USA

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lover
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she dropped Dr. VOODOO e-mail
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After reading all these,I decided to give
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or by his cell phone
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VODOO

My email is lydia-macus@usa.com just incase you wanna confirm just as sonia drop hers for me to confirm

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 22:07:01 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

"The premise of this recording is to free Becker and Fagen's music from the earthly confines, in some cases, of harmonic structure and allow the quartet to create the magic that great improvisors birth".
- Mark Masters

I see Peter Erskine is on it.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 21:54:44 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

The Dean - Yeah,we have a great jazz show every weekday night on our local NPR station. The host, Peter Solomon, is really on top of things and he played a track from this album tonight. Listening in the car I couldn't wait to get home and try to find it online.
Gotta get this!

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 21:47:50 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Hutch,

Holy fucking shit is that great. Thanks for the link.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 21:27:59 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Hey kids ... now here's something to open up your ears.

I think even The Two would enjoy listening to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ-xAdS5EWg

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 19:57:21 ET
Posted by: Dsnhead and Hophead, Atlanta

This may be premature for us ATL Dannies, but Sept 7 will be here before you know it! I decree for other Atlantans and Southerners on Blue Book to report to Five Seasons Brewpub on Old Milton Parkway pre-show. It just so happens our UGA Dawgs are playing South Carolina that day at 4:30! So what do you say we all meet up at the pub for the game then head over to Verizon!?! I hereby christen said event, "Dawgs, then Dan"! Who is in? Sic 'em, woof woof!

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 17:23:36 ET
Posted by: Carlos, San Francisco

Sure hope they haven't dumped King of the World from the setlist. It hasn't been played for 2 nights now.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 15:32:13 ET
Posted by: SDV, up on the hill

Countdown in its entirety would be amazing, even if the ladies sing Razor Boy. Crossing my fingers that it actually happens.

when's the last time they played a Boston Rag?

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 14:48:10 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

If I had to guess, I'd say Donald was addressing some jackass who had the flash stuck on. Not only is it distracting to the band, but it's also useless - the flash isn't going to help light the well-lit stage. Be discreet, keep the flash off, and no one's the wiser and no harm is done.

I'm conflicted about the prevalence of recording devices at concerts. On the one hand, I love seeing videos on youtube, poor quality and all. On the other, as a concertgoer, I find it kind of stupid and distracting when hundreds of people are experiencing a concert through their phone. I'm pretty sure there's a Louis CK bit about that ... but since I eat the videos up, I guess that makes me a hypocrite?

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 13:40:56 ET
Posted by: ports, Minneapolis

"you might have eased up on a guy who misplaced his 'of the World" and added an 's."

Thanks for understanding, I'm elderly and don't understand these dang mobile phone contraptions. I did make it through he show without a bathroom break...and no I didn't need my Depends.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 12:25:31 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Fur Elise is a Beethoven tune, I think it was the single of his third album. Stayed on top of the billboard charts for a while back then.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 12:13:24 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Regarding the cell phone issue, at first glance, Donald asking security to shut someone down would seem in line with SD's emphasis on quality and not wanting the poor quality recording distributed. However, they clearly have softened their stance in that regard, as they or they allowed someone to post links to YouTube fan recordings of a few of their tunes they did with Steve Winwood on steelydan.com. If Donald did indeed say that, I wonder if the phone being "lit up like a Christmas tree" caused Donald/the band to have sight issues, prompting him to say something like that. Even still, it seems somewhat out of character.

Moving on, who's up for some wild speculation? They have two upcoming Highland Park, IL shows, which aren't themed nights. Could this be when they experiment with playing Countdown to Ecstasy or two albums consecutively unannounced, as was hinted in the interviews with Donald Fagen from a few weeks ago? This is just complete speculation. I have no inside information or anything like that, but it would make sense to do something like that here I think because they have two shows there (could "play it safe" one of the nights and take some chances on the other night), and it's a relatively big market (it's near Chicago, right?). But if I were a betting man, I wouldn't bet on it. Anyone care to discuss?

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 11:32:31 ET
Posted by: Michael, @danfan

"The security guys were really cracking down on photographing. They were on you right away if you tried to video. I heard Don say "Security shut him down" regarding a guy that had his Iphone lit up light a Christmas tree trying to film."

This is petty and stupid. Showgoers paid (a lot) to attend, let 'em take some pictures/video. They're not hurting anyone.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 08:33:25 ET
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KY

Dunk, during Donald's pre-Josie solo on the Fender Rhodes at the Louisville show, I noticed him quoting Fur Elise a couple of times. I assume he's been doing that at other shows as well.

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 07:00:33 ET
Posted by: Relevant, indeed

Thank you!

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 02:29:12 ET
Posted by: Dunk, Denver

Anyone got any info on the claim of "Fur Elise" by Don? Been listed most nights on setlist.fm. Anyone got anything on that?

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 01:49:15 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Theyve finally put the merchandise on their website as of Monday

Date: Tues, July 30, 2013, 00:38:02 ET
Posted by: Douche , Bag Rag

Yeah Ted, you might have eased up on a guy who misplaced his 'of the World" and added an 's.'

I gots to say, I supPORTS the traveling Minnesotan's spirit. I mean, I could figure out what he meant.

One thought on bathroom breaks; they will occur, with greater and greater frequency, as long as booze is sold at the venue and the band plays for its core audience. Unless everything I've heard about prostates is wrong. It might have been easier forty years ago when people were 16-30 and just smoked their brains out.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 23:54:22 ET
Posted by: This, seems relevant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwPcoiWldg

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 22:48:00 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

Steely Dan is the best and most unique band ever. Just saying!!!!

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 22:18:51 ET
Posted by: tommytomato, cols,oh

Anybody getting together anywhere in Indy before the show?

"Green Book" seems to have been dropped...extremely disappointing.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 22:13:32 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Thanks for all the great concert reports. Keep em coming!

Ted, i think he was responding to you because you jumped on Ports for a minor error. Give a fellow SD fan a break, maybe.

RIP JJ Cale.

And Greco, I'm glad you are staying home. Who wants to sit next to a complaining piece of shit?

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 21:49:33 ET
Posted by: danfan, milwaukee

Attended the Sunday night show in Milwaukee. Sold out.
Crowd was a bit subdued. Probably because it was a Sunday night. Many of the local watering holes were closed.

SD came out smoking. Agreed with earlier poster: Walter had more solos and played them great. Not a real rowdy crowd as my earlier experiences at the Riverside. Not sauced enough I guess.

The security guys were really cracking down on photographing. They were on you right away if you tried to video. I heard Don say "Security shut him down" regarding a guy that had his Iphone lit up light a Christmas tree trying to film. They played for about 2 hours maybe a bit more.
enjoyed the 'Green Earrings in particular. Another good show.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 19:09:56 ET
Posted by: Sad, Q

Dangential if you ever ate at Big Nick's across from the Beacon after a show, as I have. They closed yesterday after 51 years.

http://ny.eater.com/archives/2013/07/the_shutter_big_nicks_4.php

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 17:17:17 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

I would think, based on the songs and the reviews posted so far here, that King of the World would get a better reception from the general audience than Green Earrings. Fact is, neither is likely to be all that familiar to most of the people at an SD concert. But to my own ear, KOTW would seem to be the better and more likely crowd pleasing choice.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 17:04:17 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

Thanks HouDanFan...but don't get me in trouble you said crybabies not me. Have fun the show.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 15:31:52 ET
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KY

Finally getting a chance to post my thoughts on Friday night's Louisville Palace show.

First off, the pre-concert Danfest at Bluegrass Brewing Company was a blast. They have a killer bison burger and one of my favorite beers, an amazing bourbon barrel stout. El Sup, it was also great seeing you and your wife again, as always. Soul Monkey, I'm still impressed you recognized me right off the bat! Good seeing you again. Jim Taylor, very nice to meet you! Reading your recap, it sounds like the trip from Baton Rouge was well worth it.

As for the show, it was my girlfriend Melissa's first Steely Dan concert, and despite her essentially not having any knowledge of the band or their music going in, she had a good time and I caught her bobbing her head to the groove quite a bit. The band sounded pretty sharp in my opinion once they got a little warmed up. By about the second half of Your Gold Teeth, they were locked in a stupendously tight groove and I got a little chill up my spine when I realized that. There's a magic in good music you can't explain with words sometimes, you know? Keith's drums were sounding awesomely punchy, clear, and sharp which helped make that beat feel even stronger.

King of the World was a killer addition (loved Jon's funky wah guitar) and I really hope they add it back to the setlist soon. Razor Boy, on the other hand, was a bit weak in my opinion. Having all three of the ladies harmonizing at the same time without a clear lead made it hard to follow the melody in the chorus at times. The girls were also mixed very low, which didn't help matters. I really love that song, so it was a bit of a shame it wasn't a highlight of the show for me.

One of the biggest surprises for me was Walter -- I haven't heard him play guitar this well in ages! The last couple of tours, especially the 2011 one, I started getting impatient whenever Walter took a solo because it seemed like they were getting more and more meandering and unfocused. However, his solos had way more energy and tension and a melodic feel this time around. Very good stuff. Speaking of Walter, I am in the minority in that I actually like his voice and hearing him sing sometimes. He isn't a technically great singer, but his voice has personality, and I like that. He did a good job on Monkey In You Soul, though the abrupt ending was a bit off-putting.

Overall, one of the better shows I've attended. The sound and atmosphere in the Palace are great, the set list was interesting, and the band sounded good. I'm quite happy with that!

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 15:12:22 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Thanks for the UPDATE Ports. Got a kick out of the way you worded your response to the crybabies. Less than 30 days for Austin and then Houston. Can't wait.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 14:56:06 ET
Posted by: Ports, Back in Minneapolis

Well I'm glad my quick midnight post via phone "Kings" typo has given a few so much fun/anger. Anyway, on with my review from last night. I was worried that Don's voice would be harsh after three straight nights but he was in good form...very animated and into all the songs. As I said before I was upset that "KING of the world" was dropped but very happy to get Green "EARRING". Black "FRIDAYS" was very good, although I have heard it many times.
I tried to take notice of Walter with all the talk here recently about how he looks/plays. He sat almost right away, but he played a lot of solos...more than I remember in the past and did fine. Two odd things: when he started up with MONKEYS in my Soul he was well, but much of the crowd seemed confused at why he was singing. Many left for the bathroom, and it did end with a sudden thump. It seems that is how he wants it to end since it ended like this on previous nights.
After tht the band started Bodhisattva Walt walked over to the guitar rack and pulled one out and looked at it for a while and then began to play. About a third of the way through the song a roadie crawled out and plugged in his guitar. Walt just looked at him shrugged and laughed.

I was happy to hear Razor Boy, but with so many people leaving one minute into it for the lobby/bathroom it took a little out of trying to enjoy the Brats version.

Overall great sound and band is tight. Really liked how they let the horn section come down front one at a time for solos. Hope many of you get more variety or new songs on your night...or greatest hits if that is your bag. Whatever you get it will be a great night and Don will be bugging.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 13:28:58 ET
Posted by: hey tim!, wise-ass punk

dude - why don't you just be happy that you are thirty-eight!!!

when you get to be my age you're allowed to be grumpy!

and i guarantee that even you don't want to hear the tired, black friday, either!

AND get off my lawn, you punk!

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 13:13:12 ET
Posted by: uh, oh!, kenny g??

http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/2013/07/mark-masters-ensemble-s-everything-you-did-music-walter-becker-donald-fagen

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 13:12:41 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

I've seen a lot of comments on here about the Setlist. I'm 38 years old and have seen every Tour at least once if not multiple times since 1993. There still is a lot of songs I love that I've never heard live and probably never will but am grateful and thankful they still tour. I went this past Saturday night in Detroit and it was amazing!! That 2 hours seemed like 10 minutes. So anybody bitching, complaining and moaning about the Setlist. Do us all a favor and stay home!!!! How many more Tours do they have left in them at 65?? Not many!!!!

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 13:12:16 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, The House on the Gulf Coast

@ Josey: Yes, thanks. After reading my post it occurred to me that the big drum brands probably make different kits for different purposes just like the guitar makers make guitars for different purposes. You have confirmed that. I also noticed that Keith was using different condenser mics for his overheads on this tour than he used in 2011. On this tour he is using a large diaphragm condenser as opposed to the pencils he was using in 2011....I obviously was not close enough to tell the brand. Maybe in Memphis or Houston, where I will be a lot closer...LOL.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 12:05:56 ET
Posted by: Greco,

Looks like Don & Walt are back to the 'cookie cutter" set list.
What a waste of hard earned $$

As far as Walter Becker singing. No dice. When he hits the stage & starts singing there's a mass exodus to the bathrooms. Lines out the door. lol

Glad I stayed home for this "cookie Cutter" tour. Rarities lmfao

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 11:41:42 ET
Posted by: Ted,

Hey (wise-ass) I'm not the one saying they played "Kings". Douche bag.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 11:28:57 ET
Posted by: Abu, Checkin' out that thigh

"New" cover songs posted on my Steely Dan Covers Facebook page:


Another one from Masanori Sasaji & the L.A. All-Stars, their cover of Green Flower Street. Richard Page (from the 80's group Mr. Mister) is the lead vocalist. Dean Parks is on guitar, including a decent solo. Abe Laboriel is on bass (played on New Frontier), and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums(played on Negative Girl).

Megashine City, from Drew Zingg's album, also with Vinnie C on drums, and Will Lee on bass (Walk Between the Raindrops)

Jack of Speed, covered by Phil Upchurch (guitarist who played with George Benson back in the 70s, among others)

Do It Again, as played by Bill Cunliffe

Gaucho, played by Pepe Milan. Five guitarists (all acoustic I believe) perform a unique version of the title track from SD's 1980 release.

Plus, many more... check them all out on:


https://www.facebook.com/SteelyDanCovers (click "Like" on the page if you do)



Abu

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 10:33:12 ET
Posted by: Michael,

"Tonight all we're going to play is Peg. Hope you enjoy."

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 10:09:30 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

I actually have video of The Dan performing Kings from every single night this tour, but I refuse to post it because Dean has been so rude recently.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 09:19:58 ET
Posted by: Hey, You noticed

Yes, Ted. They've been playing Kings every night on this tour. Some nights that's all they play - Kings 18 times in 18 different styles. I don't know how you missed that.

I mean, it's called the Kings Wild tour after all.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 09:13:14 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Jim - sorry, I left out an important part of what I originally intended to answer: Most of the big drum makers like Yamaha, Gretsch, Sonor, DW, Pearl, etc. - all make a variety of sets for certain style preferences. Yes, Yamaha does make some excellent sounding rock kits, but you can also get a wide variety of shells depending on what your preference is. Some like the birch wood shells, others may prefer maple, and so on. Shell thickness and depth also contribute to sound variety.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 09:07:58 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Jim Taylor - no worries about the spelling!

As for the different drums for different situations, there are plenty of great jazz drummers that use Yamaha and great rock drummers that use Gretsch. I personally love them both, although my only set currently is a Yamaha Recording Custom set. While I've always been partial to Yamaha, there's a lot of drum makers out there making awesome sounding drums!

Carlock is going to sound like Carlock regardless of whatever brand he plays. So much of a drummers sound come from their personality on the kit, the way they tune the drums, etc. Carlock has developed a unique style and sound and he's reached a level to where he can play whatever drum he wants. His tuning method, especially the wide open bass drum sound (no muffling), makes it difficult to tell the difference of what drums he's using. Weckl will always sound like Weckl regardless of what kit he's playing. Same with Vinnie C., Dennis Chambers, etc.

Speaking of Vinnie, he just stirred up a lot of talk recently by switching from Gretsch to Ludwig. He also switched to Paiste from Zildjian, who he had been with since the beginning of his career. He originally endorsed Yamaha for a long time, then Gretsch, now Ludwig. He still sounds like Vinnie, for a lot of reasons, regardless of who's drums he's on.

That's my rambling two cents anyway.

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 08:36:33 ET
Posted by: Ted,

No "Kings"? I had no idea they were playing that song. I know they were doing "King Of The World", but "Kings"? Really?

Date: Mon, July 29, 2013, 00:13:28 ET
Posted by: Ports, In Milwaukee

Great show - Don in good voice, for a third straight night of singing. Same set list as last two,sadly no Kings. More when I get back to Minneapolis tomorrow

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 23:11:33 ET
Posted by: Jim, The House on the Gulf Coast

And Josey, LOL, I just noticed that I spelled your handle incorrectly: Sorry, it was a Steely Dan slip...

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 22:26:23 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor , Gulf Shores

Sorry for the duplicate post...

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 22:24:21 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Gulf Shores

@ Josie: I am not a drummer. I play with different drummers, and it just happens that the last gig I played was with a very good drummer who plays Gretsch. He has 2 sets. I asked him about the difference between Pearls and Yamahas and Gretsch. He plays in a swing band and a big band and prefers the Gretsch drums. He likes their natural sound. Yamahas have a more rock feel. Keith Carlock plays with a traditional grip and I think he has a more of a jazz feel and sensibility. So that is what I meant by "makes more sense." You're a drummer, so you probably know more about it than I do. I'd be interested to hear your opinion. BTW, I have a set of Pearls that I use for rehearsals and to make demos. They are not great, but serve their purpose.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 22:24:00 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Gulf Shores

@ Josie: I am not a drummer. I play with different drummers, and it just happens that the last gig I played was with a very good drummer who plays Gretsch. He has 2 sets. I asked him about the difference between Pearls and Yamahas and Gretsch. He plays in a swing band and a big band and prefers the Gretsch drums. He likes their natural sound. Yamahas have a more rock feel. Keith Carlock plays with a traditional grip and I think he has a more of a jazz feel and sensibility. So that is what I meant by "makes more sense." You're a drummer, so you probably know more about it than I do. I'd be interested to hear your opinion. BTW, I have a set of Pearls that I use for rehearsals and to make demos. They are not great, but serve their purpose.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 18:44:21 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Jim Taylor - as a drummer, I'm curious to know what you mean by "The Grey Swirl Gretsch Brooklyn Series drums look and sound great! I think for what he is doing, they make more sense than the Yamahas"

In what way do they make more sense? Or, in what way does/did Yamahas make less sense.

Just curious.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 14:28:39 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Sharknado in Gulf Shores

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I am just now settled into my summer vacation after a road trip from Baton Rouge to Louisville and back down through Nashville and Birmingham to the house on the Gulf Coast. I woke up this morning to the sight of a waterspout gliding down Mobile Bay...

First, what a pleasure it was to meet El Sup and his Lovely wife, DB (not his BB handle)and his lovely wife, and Soul Monkey. El Sup, your hospitality was first class and I had a great time discussing everything from past SD shows to science fiction and ghost stories and even a little SEC basketball! My limited knowledge of SD was greatly enhanced by you and everyone else's information. My friends Andrea and Rachel joined us up from Nashville and had fun as well... a nice Danfest for sure!

The Louisville Palace is located downtown on 4th street in a very cool Urban Upgrade area with galleries, restaurants and hotels. The streets are tight and very pedestrian friendly. It was easy to get in from the Interstate and park close to the venue.

The Palace itself is a great, old-fashioned art-deco theater with a classic looking front with marquee and period Kiosk/ticket window. It holds 2500, but was very intimate and cozy, without feeling crowded in your seat. The fixtures are spectacular and create a fine setting for a concert

Thoroughly enjoyed the Deep Blue Organ Trio. Chris Foreman gets a great traditional sound. Loved it!

A great set by Steely Dan! Crowd was very appreciative from the get-go. By the time that they played King of the World I was too excited to operate personal electronic devices. When Donald started introducing the song, I got my phone out to try and get a video. It was an epic fail. I got about 10 seconds in and accidently hit the stop button. My sense of the song was that they were doing an Isaac Hayes/Stax kind of groove on the intro complete with wha wha scratching on Rhythm guitar (couldn't tell who was doing that, probably Jon.)The horns carried the riffing vamp at the end, which I thought was totally appropriate with this lineup. Sorry I couldn't get a better clip, and I understand that they dropped it in Detroit. Hope it comes back.

I also want to mention Michael Leonhart. He played his ass off. Great solo on Razor Boy. He doesn't get enough credit in my opinion. Really first class.

One gripe. I noticed that some of the sound problems mentioned here previously had not been fixed. Jon was hard to hear at points on solos, and the Brat's EQ was mixed with no mids, like they had a high pass filter set to roll off everything below 10,000HZ (I exaggerate only slightly). They actually had Walter up in the mix when Jon was doing a solo so that I heard Walter's rhythm more prominently than Jon's solo. Alright, enough of the negative!

Did I notice correctly that Donald played the piano intro to Josie? Jim Beard played it in 2011.

I also noticed that it seemed the girls were playing a lot more percussion throughout the show than they have in the past. It was visually and aurally exciting.

Keith Carlock is just a monster. I have never heard him play better. The Grey Swirl Gretsch Brooklyn Series drums look and sound great! I think for what he is doing, they make more sense than the Yamahas.

I really enjoyed Walter all evening. He played with the "Flying V" for some of the later part of the show, which is always a good sign! Monkey sounded great, and was anything but "half-hearted."

I highly recommend the Louisville Palace and the Bluegrass Brewing Company next time The Dan (or your 2nd favorite artists)are in town. Thanks again El Sup for a great welcome and hospitality for me and my friends!

On to Houston and Memphis! Maybe they'll whip out the entire CTE album....

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 13:48:43 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, reading last years paper

Thanks, Dave. Nice review! Btw, here's the direct link:

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/07/28/entertainment/doc51f53aa310629811666961.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 13:34:52 ET
Posted by: Dave, Detroit

Www.theoaklandpress.com. Then click on entertainment for concert review

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 13:09:22 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

Just adding my two cents, I've always enjoyed Walt's singing on great tunes like "Daddy don't Live in NYC" and the other songs he does.
Was not a fan of "11 Tracks of .." but I love him on "Midnight Cruiser" and the other tunes he's done.
Loved the snippet of "King of the World", would love to see "Any Major Dude...", "Here at the Western World" and "Gaucho" among the other "rarities" that are overdue.
Just saw "Toad the Wet Sprocket" in St Pete last night. They were a nice group from the early 90's. Some nice Pop Tunes and they do a nice show. 2nd time I've seen them. But like 1 or 2 SD shows I've been to..annoying women like to talk at the top of their lungs during the show. After my body language must've made their boyfriends nervous or something they moved to a different part of the theatre. It was one of those standing room only shows.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 13:00:39 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Playa del Rainaway

Hell, yeah. The more I listen, the better it gets.

I really hope they let it back in on the list later on, preferably sooner than later. And that someone has compassion and post the whole bit on Youtube. You know.

The nice bridge that's supposed to come after the hornified synth part would be a treat to hear. Wonder about the arr for that part, more solos, everything they did.

If it will not rotate or come back for good, we can always hope for a lap of honor sometime during the upcoming Beacon run, no?

Does anyone think it's still possible with further additions to the tour dates, or maybe even a CTE album night?
Or is this just wishful thinking?

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 11:26:19 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe

1:37 snippet of KOTW!

Finally, thanks for the link Jazzassin

Personally, I think it sounds awesome!

Hope it has not gone the way of "The Bear"
like back during the 2011 tour.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 10:05:30 ET
Posted by: Beast w/o A Name, Somewhere Close To Mountain Creek

Thank you all industrious fans who capture and post our most coveted moments of our favorite band's gigs.

King of the World 2013 is taken down a whole step to D from the original E. The same key Joe Jackson played it in as a trio performance in 1999. He was also one of the most recognizable audience members at one of the Walking Distance tapings..

To anyone who has tickets to fan request nights or album nights, please Please capture the following tunes: My Rival, Gaucho, King of the World, Razor Boy and any other rarity. You area all hereby charged with this important task !

Interesting that with such well documented evidence of Donald's disdain and reluctance to sing an earlier career hit like Rikki, he would still go out onstage and sing it (1996, 2009-2001). Yet when The Fez was rearranged with added vocals in 2009 after appearing in medley form twice (94/2008), he left the stage completely or translated the lyrics in Spanish (2011). And now again no Donald on Razor Boy. Is it really out of being embarrassed at the lyrical content he so chooses to distance himself from these tunes? As a fan, I am puzzled and disconcerted by this. I DO get that another reason is possibly to provide an onstage vocal break, but Come On Man !

Can I get an Amen?

Having seen as many shows as I have I have to say that any and all Steely Dan shows are special occasions for the likes of us. BUT, I cannot fork out $150.00 or more for a show in which I will only receive 10 or 20 minutes of never before seen or performed tunes. In 2011, I was absolutely compelled to see rarities night. It was awesome. What a set list. I couldn't hope to have that experience topped during the upcoming run at the Beacon. I doubt that 2nd Arrangement, The Bear or Mobile Home will make more appearances this go-round.

I believe that they still have something really great to offer. As a fan of their arrangements, I could see them doing a special one off show in NY or LA in which they would have more of a jazz orchestra accompaniment. I'm talking vibes, strings, even the bass clarinets. Or a one off Steely All Stars show with Mike McD, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, he'll, even Skunk make an appearance.

An album of interesting collaborations ?

Let's keep those ideas coming, People...

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 09:59:09 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, funcademy student

And now for something rather different to keep you warm while impatiently waiting for more of the taste of KOTW that no one ever said they'd bring to me, but which we all hope for anyway.

This is Oz Noy, Will Lee and Kid Carlock stretching out on an almost 14 min. version of Oz's "Schizophrenic" in Tokyo, December 2011.
Not very often a 14 min. funk jam is not at least twice as long as it should be, but so much fun happens during this version that it's perfectly ok with me.
Notice how insanely tight they are, how the breaks and bridges are executed with merciless precision, the beauty of the melodic bridge itself, and last but not least, how KC's "soloing" towards the end is mostly subtle variations over the funky main groove that's never lost out of sight no matter what he puts on top of it. He has a stylistic understanding and modesty that seemingly forbids him to ever let his near-perfect technique get in the way of the main idea of the song.

If all musicians had that broad a musical horizon and degree of modesty combined with the deepest pockets ever like he's got, the world would be a better place with even more fantastic music. Carlock has got to be one of the greatest ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Le40APz4mk

The Oz Noy 2009 album by the same name with Lee, Carlock, Lukather, Weckl and more is also highly recommended for funkheads.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 09:35:15 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, 's cons and rapers might as well die

Count me in on the Walter bandwagon as well. I'd love to hear him sing anything but Obla-di obla-da. Like you said, Dean; he sure has the right attitude for the songs he does. Only thing that matters, really.
And btw, his vocals on C$ are insanely cool.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 09:32:54 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

Just enough of those horns in KOTW to get an idea.

I hope they stick with that song.

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 09:23:17 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Jazzassin, thanks. Sounds great.

Count me in as another who would love to hear Walt do "Daddy...".

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 07:59:36 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, tube baby

1:37 snippet of KOTW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwPcoiWldg

Looking forward a full length version, eventually. Sounds good, but we need more bridges!

Thanks to the uploader anyway!

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 02:45:11 ET
Posted by: Another, Scurvy Brother

I have really enjoyed all the Walter stylings, though Monkey might be my favorite. Did he also handle Everything You Did a few years back?

Date: Sun, July 28, 2013, 01:09:17 ET
Posted by: big band, m'am

this reads like it was translated from japanese at one of those free translation sites:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44979#.UfSmeEaij-U

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 23:45:44 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

The fact that Walter dropped the word Sensimilla and referred to Cuervo Gold as the glowing menace during Hey Nineteen made it all worthwhile!!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 23:20:22 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Of all the past Walter solo on tour the best has got to be Midnight Cruiser. It's perfect for him. He's doesn't have the best voice but as was earlier said has a great attitude. I would love to hear him song Midnight Cruiser or Downtown Canon live in KC sept 3rd

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 22:33:17 ET
Posted by: DocMu,

Hodder sang lead on Midnite Cruiser.

Walter can be heard (co-lead) with Donald and Hodder providing vocals on Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

"and they've just come all the way"

and Chorus

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 22:08:11 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Even as a casual fan, I mourn kotw for black friday.

Not surprised. But not happy about it.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 22:06:33 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

Deacon Blues in place of Babylon Sisters. Yes!!!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 21:54:52 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

"Everything the same so far. Black Friday now in place of King Of The World. Damn!"

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Heading to Milwaukee tomorrow a.m. I really hope they put it back in or bring back Green Book. I've heard plenty of Black Friday. I'll try to update from the show Sunday night.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 21:33:37 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

At the show. Everything the same so far. Black Friday now in place of King Of The World. Damn!!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 19:04:27 ET
Posted by: Hours fan, Houston

I didn't think I'd like Walter singing Gaucho a few years back but it was actually good. I agree though that he should do Slang live. Can't understand why they don't.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 18:03:58 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, Maryland

Dean, completely agree with you on SD cover bands. The vocals are almost always the weakest element, attitude being a big reason why.

Puzzling why they don't use Slang more often as the song for WB to sing. I'd love to hear it and it would also allow Godwhacker to take a few nights off.

JJ Cale, fantastic songwriter and musician, RIP.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 17:41:19 ET
Posted by: SDV, Jon on Jerry

let's hear that joke!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 17:13:48 ET
Posted by: ThoseFreneticLicksInGreenEarrings, Louisville

Louisville Palace is one of my favorite venues. The wolfpack went. Well Gary the Wolf, the Massapequa Kid(! Thanks, Oksana!), Ozarky Bailey & son, me & Jennifer went. Sadly Provincial Reuben was side-lined and Michael the Wolf otherwise obligated. I think Walter's singing has improved and Monkey was welcome. King Of The World coulda swung more (just a tiny bit) but again, welcome. La Tonya Hall and Ms Russell are super. Keith is a Monster (Ozarky's lingo, a good thing)! The brass are all super (hope I can see 'em late in tour too). Donald's voice is healthy. Band a few rough spots up to Babylon but buttery after that. Wish mixing station could be out on the floor. Being on the side of the stage can't be optimum. They coulda put it in the VIP section of the LOGE, because it had some room! Oh yeah, Herington really 'on' and I'm not just saying that because he talked with Gary and me for 20 minutes the night before about guitars, touring, Skunk Baxter, ... and a Jerry Garcia joke! (but man, how cool is that? Especially since Gary is a player, having 10 guitars of his own). I'm gonna buy JH 'Time On My Hands' in a minute here. Jen & I to Indy end of week. Stand up, clap, hoot and holler, ... give it UP people! Maybe too much to ask middle-age guys (i am one) with stodgy and/or corporate images to maintain, but don't be lukewarm. I feel obligated to compensate for you with the hyper-whistle.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 17:04:02 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

I'm leaving for the Detroit show shortly. I laid in bed last night and listened to the Alive In America cd. I have to say that the 1994 Tour was my personal favorite. Solely because of Dennis Chambers on drums. Of course, all of Steely Dan's drummers are great but I personally enjoyed him the best and think he was the best. There's a reason most of the tracks selected on that are with him and only a few from 1993 with Peter Erskine. He just destroys that Pearl Masters Custom canary yellow kit with gold hardware!!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 16:26:30 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

R.I.P. JJ Cale

Sad day

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 16:14:28 ET
Posted by: Mitch, M

Walter also has done Daddy don`t live in that N.Y. City......which nobody here seems to ask for.......Get tight every night........

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 15:53:28 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

I'll vote "Thumbs Up" on Walter's vocals.

If memory serves, he did sing Monkey on the 2000 tour, prompting my wife to turn to me and comment "creepy and disturbing". My conclusion was that he must have hit the nail on the head, and achieved the desired result.

I also loved his Book of Liars from 1994 in Irvine CA.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 15:44:25 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Yet Again Soggy SoBe

Any one else find it odd that we
still don't have any video or
audio of "King Of The World" yet
in this day and age?

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 15:27:34 ET
Posted by: KK, R

For those who complain about talkers at SD concerts, here's some timely advice on how to handle.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/miss-manners-silencing-concert-talkers-requires-deft-touch/2013/07/05/d5288e38-e599-11e2-80eb-3145e2994a55_story.html

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 14:53:58 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

One more quick thought on Walt's vocals. The weak spot of most SD cover bands (or just bands who play SD tunes) for me is the vocals. Some of these guys (usually) have fine voices (maybe better than Don's, actually) but they ruin the songs for me because their vocals lack the attitude. Say what you will about Walt's voice, but he nails the attitude, IMO and I much prefer him to the vocalists in the Dan "tribute" bands.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 14:48:58 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Rabid,

Ha! They shouldn't. Hell, I don't even take myself seriously half the time. And the half I do, I'm almost always wrong.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 14:47:51 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

I can vouch for Casual Fan. He's a true Dan Fan---the real deal.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 14:39:45 ET
Posted by: Rabid Fan,

But then again...you're just a "casual fan", so nobody really takes what you think or say very seriously anyway.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 14:10:56 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Dean, its doubtful I make it over to st augustine on a sunday night. I have tix for the Wednesday show in ORL. One advantage is that they will have had a couple days off just prior. But if plans change I'll be sure to try to get in touch.

re Becker, hey I'm a casual fan. Going to prefer Fagen just because thats my personal taste. Now, having said that, I do like Becker on Slang, and also Book of Liars. But Haitian Divorce ? Blech.

Just my personal taste. And I get it giving DF a song or two off. I also worry about his holding up 2 months into it.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 13:46:43 ET
Posted by: SDV, shoulda been at The Palace

Walt sang harmony on Rikki and Cash-Only Island during the '96 tour, and probably some others. Donald sang harmony on Midnight Cruiser when Walt took the lead. Their duetting on Movies is one of the highlights of their entire touring career.

let's listen for a moment, shall we?

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 13:34:11 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Thanks for the clarification, Nate. I didn't realize there was no guitar solo at all.

Louisville crowds are supposed to be very good, from what I hear.

Even though I have now experienced it on several occasions, I find it hard to believe how incredible the crowds are for music in St Augustine. I'm shocked, really. The main venue (St Augustine Amphitheatre) is decent--sound is fine, not great. But the crowds tend to be, if anything, OVERLY enthusiastic, IMO.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 13:34:05 ET
Posted by: Mt. Belzoni, Portland OR

Another vote here in favor of Walter's singing. I do enjoy it.

He's done a fine job in the past with some of their old songs (Midnite Cruiser, Daddy Don't Live). I've always preferred the WB version of Jack of Speed from the '96 tour to the later recorded and performed DF versions (notwithstanding the car wreck the (underused) WB version's revival apparently became at rarities night last year).

And above all, WB's voice is well suited for the songs he has written for it - it's a shame these aren't featured more. His Book of Liars, Hard Up Case and Down in the Bottom from earlier tours were great. When DF takes a singing break, I'd much rather hear WB than the girls cover an old SD tune - a bit less pretty perhaps, but far more legit to my ears.

Heck, DF & WB aren't John & Paul, Simon & Garfunkel or Crosby & Nash - there aren't big because they harmonize well together. (In fact, I'm hard pressed to recall a time when they did sing together on stage - maybe the Everyone's Gone to the Movies from '94 or '96 where they traded verses?)

I only wish Walter would use the occasion to sing his own best material (Paging Audrey, Lies I Can Believe). I doubt these would be any less palatable to the casual fan than hearing him take on a very deep cut from an old SD LP.

Happy listening!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 13:30:53 ET
Posted by: Nate, Cincinnati

To SS re: KOTW horns replacing synth part: Yes, the ending melodic synth part is replaced by horns (playing the same riff as the album)...hope you get a chance to see it, was definitely a highlight for me!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 13:25:49 ET
Posted by: Nate, Cincinnati

To The Dean re: KOTW: Yes, I realize Jon doesn't exactly replicate the studio solos (last night was my 17th show)...what I meant to say is, there is no guitar solo at all in their new live rendition of KOTW...I did notice in last night's performance that actually Jim Beard plays a solo part during the typical guitar solo section but it was very hard to hear because Jon and Walt are strumming chords the whole time (during that section)...hope this clarifies!

Though the setlist was the same as Dayton, I thought last night's performance was better...better venue, better sound, and much better crowd (IMO)! I hardly saw anyone stand at the Dayton show, even at the end (I know the ushers kept people seated in Dayton but even at the end of the set, very few got on their feet)...last night was much differet - lots of people standing - even saw several people on their feet early on in the show...maybe because it was a friday night (more drinking)?

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 12:41:37 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Come to think of it, when I see them in St Augustine in September, they will be on their third consecutive night. I'm thinking Don's voice might be kind of rough at the end of a three-night run that late in the tour

CF, you coming to St Aug for this one?

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 12:22:14 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

CF, I might reverse your question: Why do some feel so compelled to bash Walter's singing? He isn't a terrible singer, by any means. I actually kind of like his voice and almost prefer it in certain songs. But most importantly, Don needs to take a break from singing a couple times a show (his voice isn't that strong)--and we know there are songs he'd rather not sing. So our choices are hearing fewer songs, hearing the girls take more solo vocals (and people complain about that, too) or having Walt sing a song in his vocal range.

So, because Walt's voice is different than Don's and because he is singing a song we are used to Don singing, it will sound different. Different--not bad. I will never defend (or attack) some based on "popularity". More popular does NOT = better.

You are correct though, Walt doesn't need to sing to be "half the duo" that's for sure. But I look forward to his one song, and wish it were two. I'd love to hear Slang of Ages in concert.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 10:25:46 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Why do people feel so compelled to defend Becker's singing? Let's be honest, he's just not as popular as Fagen is going to be because Fagen sings all the well known hits. Becker's voice is just not as appealing. Doesn't mean he's not half the duo.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 08:52:13 ET
Posted by: Bob,

Whats this about Walter? "unprepared and half hearted Monkey".

Walter is the most professional and accomplished musician. Thanks Walter!

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 07:12:10 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

Posted on Catherine Russell's FB page:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130726/SCENE04/307260153/steely-dan-concert-review-Louisville

Describes Walter's 'Monkey' vocals as "Halfhearted". I'll give you my own thoughts when I see them on 9/12 at Mizner/Boca.

Some good pics.

Date: Sat, July 27, 2013, 04:03:57 ET
Posted by: Go Steely Dan!, Alive In America

Seems there's been many sell-outs so far on this tour. I believe Red Rocks is a complete sell-out: Capacity 9500. This tour is shaping up to be a very successful one for the band which is somewhat ironic considering several fans/experts on this board proclaimed the 2013 tour would be a bust when first announced a few months ago.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 23:31:31 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

A fantastic time was had by the sold out crowd. KotW was GREAT except the synth part was replaced by horns. Everything fell apart during an unprepared Walter during Monkey. Razor Boy, while a personal favorite was a galactic mess. The rest of the show lived up to previous standards. Reelin' got the crowd standing. Kid C saw the uninitiated sit while I told the guy who asked me to sit to "go fuck himself." All in all a great time with some old friends. Same set as Dayton. On to Indy.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 23:26:50 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

A fantastic time was had by the sold out crowd. KotW was GREAT except the synth part was replaced by horns. Everything fell apart during an unprepared Walter during Monkey. Razor Boy, while a personal favorite was a galactic mess. The rest of the show lived up to previous standards. Reelin' got the crowd standing. Kid C saw the uninitiated sit while I told the guy who asked me to sit to "go fuck himself." All in all a great time with some old friends. Same set as Dayton. On to Indy.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 21:04:29 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

@Nate,

You mentioned in KOTW, the horns played the 'repeated melodic section.' Was that the part at the end, where on the album it is a synthesizer doing that part ?

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 20:59:13 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, My horsedom for a king!

Soul Monkey,

Happy King of the world!

Aaaahh, someone please get that King up on youtube or elsewhere one of these days soon!
I want to hear that solo no one learned! Sounds like something I could dig immensely! :D

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 20:58:13 ET
Posted by: Bob,

We need some Louisville updates!?

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 20:40:31 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

About to start. Hell yes.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 20:37:56 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, here

THANK YOU Dean, for that link. I must say, I'm not comfy with some of the phrasing, like, "weird, jazz-influenced radio hits". Weird? OK, and that whole "hated touring" thing. I have to weigh in here. Based on their many interviews, yes, they weren't into the rock and roll touring lifestyle of the 70s. But I get annoyed when people project that into them not liking performing live, or having stagefright. I'll offer this: When I interviewed DF, I commented on how he really seemed to enjoy performing, which flies in the face of the whole stagefright/hate-performing thing. He said that he never -- even back in the old days -- disliked performing... in fact said the only mild discomfort was in the inter-song banter, but once they started playing the songs they both enjoyed it immensely and felt at ease.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 19:51:15 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Thanks, DeaconBlues. Try this for the Tribune interview:

http://www.aberdeennews.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0726-steely-dan-20130725,0,6267295.story

Nate, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "nobody learned the guitar solo" regarding King of the World. SD guitarists almost never try to replicate the exact solo from the album (thank God or whatever). Are you suggesting the solo isn't appropriate to the song, or doesn't reflect the original style? Typically Jon tries to keep the original essence while playing a solo of his own.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 19:29:23 ET
Posted by: s, k

Sorry, I got to the story through news.google.com. Didn't realize it didn't work if entered directly.

As Deacon mentioned, go there and enter the search he suggested.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 18:23:20 ET
Posted by: el sup,

Some of us are here at BBC. I'm the only person here in a Circus Money shirt.

El Sup

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 18:13:40 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Hope this doesn't get myself or anyone else in trouble, so please feel free to delete if it does... but you can circumvent the paywall on that article if you google search for something like "Steely Dan Chicago Tribune Interview" or at least that worked for me...

Anyway, to summarize:

-as far as I could tell, interview quotes solely from Walter Becker

-typical story about SD not touring in 70s... Becker says stuff about being in 20s, working at fast pace, tours break that up, didn't get paid much, record companies kept money from them so they had to keep working, stopped touring and figured out solution to band members who wanted to tour (Skunk Baxter) by "cutting the baby in half"

-Most of article fairly well-informed but one thing that bothered me was that it said Becker released two solo albums but a couple times referred to Donald Fagen as having released "numerous" solo albums

-tells story of meeting at Bard College with typical stuff about love of jazz and literature. No mention of Chevy Chase or Leather Canary/Bad Rock Group/anything like that; goes on to talk about Brill Building and Jay and Americans - nothing too interesting for most of use here

-As I said, fairly well-informed article but not a lot of new or interesting tidbits. However, Becker said something like this about making a solo album (paraphrasing): if writing songs, wants to make records when songs are fresh but if no place to put them, will leave them to be and start writing new songs several years later and the old songs become "orphans." Doesn't want to rush it.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 18:10:17 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Louisville tonight

Anyone at the Danfest in Louisville yet? I am minutes away!

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 17:13:20 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, land of mystery subscriptions

Jim Taylor, just noticed your comment about mysteriously getting the print edition of Rolling Stone in your mail! I, also, started getting it, unrequested, in my mail in late May. Very strange. I have *never* subscribed, ever, but now it arrives in my mailbox... The only reason I cracked this particular edition open, BTW, was because I received that DF rebuttal letter, which referenced the print edition, and I wanted to see exactly what it was about.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 17:07:02 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, grrrr at pay-to-read online media

Hey s, k - TY for link to Chicago Trib article, but alas, it's a pay-to-view item. Could you offer a summary?

Hoops: Interesting analysis on the phantom-Walter aspect when DF was talking to R.S.! Damn good point.

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 16:24:56 ET
Posted by: s, k

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0726-steely-dan-20130725,0,2236208.story

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 15:02:20 ET
Posted by: CJB, Journalism's downward arc

That Rolling Stone with Mr. Bomber on the cover showed up this morning at YVR's last surviving newsstand, so I scanned it.

Andy Greene conducted a good interview (the online text), but the mashed-up version that appears in the RS print edition is embarrassing and dishonest in how it cross-matches quotes from different contexts to create an amped-up 'controversial' version of what DF actually said. If I was DF, I'd be pissed, too.

I haven't bought an issue of RS since the late 80s. The visible contempt RS' editors have for their audience, of which this episode is but one sad example, sure gets in the way of their 'monetizing' their 'product.'

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 13:00:41 ET
Posted by: SDV, up on the hill

I'm trying to find a lawn ticket for the Atlanta show on Sept. 7... seems they're sold out.

can anyone help?

Date: Fri, July 26, 2013, 11:47:38 ET
Posted by: Nate, Cincinnati

King Of the World was great the other night in Dayton but nobody learned the guitar solo! It sounded like Walt and Jon just kinda fumbled around during that section...was kinda bummed but was still nice to hear the song (one of my top 3 faves!)...the horns played the repeated melodic section (not sure what you would call that, sorry!)...can't wait for the Palace tonight!

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 20:21:36 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Would anyone like a black AJA t-shirt from the 2003 tour? The size is large but somehow it's shrunk from washing! But it's in excellent shape. Maybe we can trade for something. Contact me off-list if interested. Thanks.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 19:19:38 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

@Jim in and around Baton Rouge.

Film and YouTube KOTW somehow at that show.

Thanks

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 18:45:00 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

LOL, Moss... I think we are all still a little bit in shock.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 18:43:15 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ Moss: I haven't discussed KOTW thus far, because I have no facts, other than that it was played. Hopefully, after tomorrow night in Louisville, I'll have an informed opinion.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 18:18:33 ET
Posted by: Moss, Lancaster, CA

King of the World has finally materialized on the setlist and yet there is very little discussion about it on this board. Kinda shocking. Sure hope it pops up on YouTube soon. I almost wet my pants when I heard the news.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 18:18:03 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:38:55 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Although, when is the last time they played Everyone's Gone to the Movies?
____________________________________________________________________________

JIm,

EGTTM is one of my top 10. I caught it in July, '96 at Sony E Center in Camden, NJ. Haven't seen it in 10 shows since then.

Barrytown, Barrytown, Barrytown!! - Now that's what I'm hoping for in one of the 4 shows I'll be seeing in September.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 17:58:11 ET
Posted by: Chet, B

Wonder how much more Cindy Mizelle makes with Bruce and stadium gigs vs. SD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72CjWBd0qzg

3:30 mark

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 16:39:00 ET
Posted by: Lone, Gunman

Hoops - gotta say I also had the thought that poor old Donald might not have got in this fix if his wingman had been on station. And could it all have been a conspiracy by shape-shifting media lizards or automatons in mid-price luxury cars ? Interesting . . .

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 16:32:29 ET
Posted by: GE, SLC

This may have been posted before but...If you get a chance to see "20 Feet from Stardom" DO IT.

For those that don't know this was a Sundance Film that showcases and tells the story of the Backup singers to just about everybody from the 60's thru the 80's and sometimes even now obviously.

Several Dan alums including Cindy Mizell are featured but it really focuses on a few of the superstars like Merry Clayton, Darlene Love and Lisa Fischer.

These gals and guys are so talented but just could never break through as stars for many reasons. Here are a few links to the trailers:

http://youtu.be/A2KOV2Veut4

http://youtu.be/BuezUEcigc8

Waiting for August 10th!

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 16:18:18 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Interesting assignment. I am going to change it up a little and first list the songs they have played every time I have seen them. These would be for me the definitive list:

1. Reelin' in the Years
2. Peg
3. Josie
4. Hey Nineteen
5. Black Friday
6. My Old School
7. Bodhisattva
8. Time Out of Mind
9. Home At Last
10. Green Earrings

Kid Charlemagne is conspicuous by its absence, but it was not played when I saw them in Nashville in 1993. Obviously, it is a crowd favorite and a universally recognized “hit.”

They also did not play Aja in its entirety in 1993, nor did they play it at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2007. This was a Jazz Fest show and therefore, short. I would put Aja in.

Babylon Sisters is one of their favs, and I would include it.

The current version of Show Biz Kids bears little resemblance to the record. It evolved from the riff they were playing for Band Intros back in the mid 2000’s, but it is a staple now. It's a hit.

The last time I saw Do it Again was in Nashville, 2011. It’s a hit.

I liked the girl’s version of Dirty Work. Also a hit.

Black Cow comes and goes. The first song on Aja. A hit.

For an 18 song show, which is what they were trying to do in 2011 (but have scaled back to 17 this year) I would include either FM or Pretzel Logic, which both come and go.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 13:24:04 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Although it hasn't been played this year, and I don't think as much in 2011, Do It Again has been played a pretty decent amount. Rikki has been brought up a few times, and most recently Donald said: "Historically, Walter and I aren't that fond of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" for some reason. Not that it's a bad song. I think that it's, quote, "well-written," but I guess because it's so simple that it has more of a listening fatigue."

In the past, I've heard him say that he doesn't like singing it because he can't really remember what it's about (he's said something similar about Doctor Wu as well). Let's not forget that Rikki Don't Lose that Number, slightly rearranged, was a staple of the 1996 tour (as was Do It Again for that matter).

I think they do a good job balancing "hits" with "deep cuts." I put both of those terms in quotes because with Steely Dan, as much as many of us here opine for the so-called deep cuts or rarities, those terms are relative. They never had a lot of hit singles; certain listeners who aren't as big of fans as us might be familiar with the hits, one or two albums possibly, and whatever was played on the local radio stations they grew up with, which probably varies for every individual.

Now I've tried this exercise or variants of it before, and I don't think it's gotten much response. But if you had to create an 17-18 song setlist of SD's biggest hits, what would they be? Here's a draft of it:

The definitives

-Reelin' in the Years (US singles chart: 11)
-Do It Again (US singles chart: 6)
-Rikki Don't Lose that Number (US singles chart: 4)
-Peg (US singles chart: 11)
-Deacon Blues (US singles chart:19)
-Josie (US singles chart: 26)
-FM (US singles chart: 22)
-Hey Nineteen (US singles chart:10)
-Black Friday (US singles chart:37)
-Kid Charlemagne (US singles chart:82 but very popular, well-known song)
-My Old School (US singles chart:63 but very popular, well-known song)
-Bodhisattva (not released as single but very popular, well-known song)

That's 12 songs that I would consider their "biggest hits." That leaves room for 5-6 songs from the following candidates:

- Dirty Work (not released as single but very popular radio song)
- Pretzel Logic (US singles chart: 57; title track status probably helps a little bit with its prominence, but I think certain people here consider this a deep cut)
-Show Biz Kids (US singles chart: 61; beats My Old School in chart position, but does anyone think it's more popular than My Old School or Bodhisattva? Played often in concert, but I feel like people here consider this more of a deep cut)
-Bad Sneakers (US singles chart:103 but fairly well-known song)
-The Fez (US singles chart: 59, so it beats Kid Charlemagne by a lot. Never considered this a hit, and only played as instrumental or at Royal Scam album nights with background vocalists on lead)
-Haitian Divorce (UK singles chart:17; also think it's considered more a deep cut than a hit but worth noting as their only single to reach the UK's top 20)
-Time Out of Mind (US singles chart: 22; do people consider this a hit?)
-Black Cow
-Aja
-Home At Last
-I Got the News (for these 4, none released as singles but Aja well-known album enough for any of these to kind of be considered "hits")
-Babylon Sisters (not released as single but fairly well-known)
-Cousin Dupree (US singles chart:30, but newer song and maybe not as well-liked by crowds even if equally known as other hits)
-IGY (US singles chart:26; very popular and well-known I think, but solo tune hurts its status in this context; any other solo tunes that people consider hits?)
-Don't Take Me Alive
-Everyone's Gone to the Movies (not sure if these two would ever be considered hits but some people mentioned them, so I'm including them just in case. Don't Take Me Alive has a more realistic claim as such in my opinion).

So do you think my definitive list is fair? If not, what would you add/take away? Is my list of candidates missing anything? And which combination of 17-18 songs would be the truest 17-18 greatest hits?

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 13:17:27 ET
Posted by: King o' the World, Chicago

Am stunned we haven't gotten a more detailed description of how KOTW sounded live. Has to be one of the deep cuts I was most hoping would be resurrected and I sure hope it stays in the set list from here on out. For anyone who saw it, what did it sound like (more albumn-like, or significantly re-arranged)?. Also, how was the crowd's response to it? Sadly, I do think that might affect whether it stays or not (along with how much the band likes/dislikes how it sounds on stage).

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 12:22:21 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Fact is, Don does not like singing Riki or Do it Again. So there's your answer. Would you be OK with Walter or the girls taking the vocals in those songs?

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 12:22:12 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

I guess that's it for Greenbook and New Frontier. Congrats to those who were fortunate enough to see those! Oh well...still thinking about getting tix for Boston later.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 12:02:05 ET
Posted by: Fact, Is

I've been to so many SD concerts and heard Rikki and Do It Again so few times, at least swap them out for Peg and Hey Nineteen here and there.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 11:21:18 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

I don't know what percentage of shows sell out. I bought tickets for 3 shows, set-list-sight-unseen, knowing that it was a mortal lock that 10 songs would be played, leaving the tantelizing hope of 7-8 deep cuts. Also, let's face it, Chicago was a much more successful singles band than SD (21 top ten singles for Chicago as opposed to 3 for SD). And most long time SD fans aren't in it for the singles, anyway. I think that they can tour the halls they are touring now for the forseable future and do just fine with the mix of hits v "deep cuts."

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 11:20:08 ET
Posted by: hoops, just a few hundred feet away from the birthplace of, and now scab manufacturing plant, of the Hostess Twinkie

To follow up to Joan's post:

I pretty much agree. First, I still keep flipping through the print edition of Rolling Stone looking for Walter's half of the interview. Whatwitdat? Crazy! Crazy!

But also, I'm curious about the circumstances of the time mixup. If I understood correctly, Donald and Walter said something like they were supposed to be interviewed together, but things got mixed up and they were, of course, interviewed separately.

I think it was Rolling Stone back 13 years ago, in the heady days surrounding the release of 2vN, you know the issue where N'Sync got to be on the cover instead of Our Favorite Duo. I think it was in that interview, or one like it, that the writer/interviewer, or at least one of The Two, talked about a "third person entering the room" when Steely Dan was interviewed, Mr. Steely Dan.

So I could see Donald and Walter being in that mindset when psyching up for the interview. But since they were't in the room together the interplay that would congeal the aura and spirit of Steely Dan wasn't realized. I could see Donald in the mindset of lobbing water balloons around the interviewer's back to Walter, only Walter wasn't there to play catch.

So I gotta ask: Why the time misunderstanding?

Was it just a simple misunderstanding? Or did Donald or Walter have a bad watch? Or was it a misunderstanding in the the spirit of The Chicago Way? Like I implied, Steely Dan is well-known for giving these hilarious interviews with wit that obliquely draws circles around the interviewer. Did somebody plan a "mix-up" to set the stage for a disarming, one-on-one "gotcha" interrogation? (DISCLAIMER: I was just reluctantly hanging out with a pal with a bad Aztec calendar so I'm full of conspiracy theories about when the world will end, why "King of the World" is now being played, and why Steely Dan was interviewed in "Rolling Stone" only half a psyche at a time.

What does it mean??? C'mon, tell me!

Jim

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 10:53:21 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

beaubo makes some good points, but misses the biggest, I think. Steely Dan is Steely Dan because they don't have a hit-oriented mind set. They really never have. Don admits that they aren't as "invulnerable to audience response as we'd like to think we are" but clearly they have never pandered to the audience the way most other bands are eager to do.

The comparison to the Chicago concert is quite apt in this case. I saw Chicago 2-3 years ago and it was perhaps the most uninteresting show I have seen in my life. Take Walter's Hey 19 shtick then amp it up a few notches. The entire Chicago concert was at that level. If SD resorted to that I wouldn't go near the concert. I talked to many people who thought the entire show was a joke--totally uninspired.

As has been pointed out by those here with the ability to separate their personal wishlist and look at the setlist from an objective and analytical perspective, Don and Walt have a very tough balancing act. Pleasing the core Dan fans who like them more for their "obscure" repertoire than for the hits as well as catering to the nostalgic masses ("I love Steely Dan, I have all his songs") who shudder at the very thought of hearing something unfamiliar and just want to sing along to the hits, is a tough job. I think they do a pretty amazing job of taking care of both camps year after year. And if they weren't doing such a good job, how would they continue to be a viable touring act? Talk about sustainability, they've been touring rather consistently since 2000. My guess is going strictly hits would wash them out as a relevant act.

And, Mr Chow (if that is your real name), The Dean knows the crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe. And so do you! :#>

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 10:38:20 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

Kettering Setlist:

Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover)
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
Green Earrings
King of the World
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Monkey in Your Soul
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
Babylon Sisters
I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover)
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin' in the Years
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 10:28:16 ET
Posted by: beaubo, cleveland

@JimTaylor

Jim, indeed there would be almost no room for deep cuts...unless the band did 2 sets like Chicago. But your point begs the question....who would really care that ALL the hits were played and minimum deep cuts. At Chicago concert, nary a soul was moaning after the show about 'too many hits' or 'not enough deep cuts'. Same can not be reasonably said for Steely Dan, definitely heard muttering from folks around us and as we hot the exits.

Its the band's prerogative to play what they want and now with more transparency from setlist.com, it will be the fan's preorgative if they want to invest in such a set list. I think Chicago's formula is safe and that Steely formula is edgy and as such less safe for their downstream tours.

Again, I like the setlist variety personally, just talking on a big picture sustaianbility of being able to tour 3000-8000 seat venues on ongoing basis

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 08:47:37 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Security Joan

Thanks for the heads-up. As I don't read Rolling Stone magazine (who does? lol), I wasn't aware of the edited iteration of the DF interview in print. Since that is the case, both RS and Contact Music really are at fault.

Shameful.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 08:20:49 ET
Posted by: Mr. Chow, the video room

The Dean knows good and well that biscuits don't have cruxes. So I'm not posting my video of the last 10 seconds of last night's performance of the Yellow Peril/Soul Ram/Mock Turtle Song medley. Oh, and Jerry, they're real and they're fabulous.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:45:35 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

No Setlist update anywhere from Kettering last night? Somebody please post.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:38:55 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Although, when is the last time they played Everyone's Gone to the Movies?

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:38:06 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

I've read some of the chatter and talk on here about Donald Fagen's Rolling Stone article. Whether he was misquoted or not. When I read the interview in Rolling Stone I actually enjoyed and loved what I read!! Although I like some of Bob Dylan's songs in concert he is barely audible. In addition, I could imagine being on the road could get quite boring and dull. Especially when you're in your mid/late fifties or early sixties. I could only imagine what kind of conversation could go on between 3 guys at the tail end of their careers. Donald Fagen seems like a guy I would love to have to dinner. Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs not so much. I might be biased though. Ha!! Can't wait for Detroit this Saturday!! As Jerome Anitone would say, Mr.Steely Dan and whatever!!!!

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:36:39 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@Beaubo: If we take your "hits": Do it Again, Rikki, Everyone's Gone to the Movies, Deacon Blues, Black Cow, FM, Don't Take Me Alive, Black Friday and Cousin Dupree and add what they always do: Hey Nineteen, Bodhisattva, Josie, Peg, My Old School, Reelin' in the Years, and Kid Charlemagne, that's 16 songs. (I left out Aja, Green Earrings and Time out of Mind, which they have done every time I have seen them, except Aja in 1993, because they are not truly "hits").

Average set is 17 or 18 songs not including intro, band intros and outro. Doesn't leave much room for ANYTHING out of the ordinary. Which song would you have them play to mix it up a little?

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 06:31:46 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

I don't think DF acted irresponsibly. I think Contact Music and Rolling Stone did. I just wanted to point out that despite what was published in the print version of RS, the actual quote is from Contact Music. I just think if we're going to get upset because quotes were taken out of context, we should make sure we accurately acknowledge sources of quotes as well.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 02:30:45 ET
Posted by: Beaubo, Cleveland

Touring longevity is a function of depth of goodwill/nostalgia and satisfying in concert experience.

One night after Steely Dan left on the table familiar stuff like do it again, rikki, everyone gone to the movies, deacon blues, black cow, fm and to some extent dtma, Black Friday and cousin Dupree....Chicago played the Sam venue and did not leave one hit off the set list.

With the advent of set list.com, I think steely Dan!audience might cast a more discerning eye about the band's set list methodology before forking out 100 or so bucks.

As an avid fan, I like and appreciate the deep cuts, but to the average fan- of which th bulk of crowd is mad of, the value proposition could be at the tipping point.

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 01:34:07 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

i reckon the whole RS incident has sold a few more tickets.

There being no such thing as bad publicity..;.)

Date: Thurs, July 25, 2013, 00:05:08 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

DB16, how would you suggest DF acted irresponsibly ? That's not a rhetorical question. I can see that he is responsible for everything that comes out of his mouth. The nature of the exercise though is that he is vulnerable because once the interview is done, he has no control over how it later appears.

The safe thing for him to do is say nothing 'colourful.' Then the readers/viewers/listeners get less than they might have otherwise. When he steps out of the bland, he deserves the protection of context. Instead in this case, the context was apparently stripped away to make the comments look 'hotter' than they really were. That's a bad practice for Andy Greene and RS and Contact Music, at least as far as it goes with an artist like DF. These days, the 'angry Fagen' headline travels quickly across the Internet and gets repeated many times (out of context again).

It puts DF in a tough spot. He has to be suspicious of the person interviewing him lest he supply the journalist with something that can be taken out of context. I guess DF's responsibility is about not granting any more interviews to RS. That would really be the safe way to go.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 23:11:25 ET
Posted by: Shanks, Oakland, CA

Does anybody know if they played King of the World again for tonight's show? The song is an absolute must to keep on this tour's setlist.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 22:26:10 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

I don't want to defend Rolling Stone or say they aren't at fault. And Andy Greene certainly has acted overly-defensive on twitter and other Social Media outlets (though in my experience, journalists tend to be very defensive of articles they've written).

But to be 100% clear, the quote, the actual quote, that is in Donald Fagen's response is from Contact Music. Again, I haven't read the print version in Rolling Stone and don't plan to, and I will take everyone's word that the print version would've caused Contact Music to interpret and publish what they did. Truthfully, both parties seemingly acted irresponsibly, whether due laziness, practical reasons (i.e. RS could only print excerpts for the space they were allotting to it), because they didn't think it was a big deal or they projected it would generate the argumentative response that it has. So I think it's fair to blame both entities, and it's up to the individual to decide who he/she wants to blame more. However, I think it's absolutely necessary to realize that the quote from Donald Fagen's response is from Contact Music and not Rolling Stone, especially considering a lot of our ire relates to the fact that certain quotes were taken out of context.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 21:37:07 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

John, thanks for the link to the Cleveland review. Chuck Yarborough is one of the reviewers that really gets The Dan. The review was short, but got right to the crux of the biscuit.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 21:02:47 ET
Posted by: SS, Hong Kong

I would have thought anyone and everyone here who has read a lot of DF print interviews over the years and heard him through tv and radio would have wondered from the start what was up with the piece that appeared in Contact Music. DF airs strong opinions occasionally, but you'd have to work at it as a journalist to portray him the way he came off there. In other words, you'd have to remove the context.

That is sad business for every other journalist who spends time building relationships and gaining the trust of people they interview. You don't want a guarded interview subject - you want someone who will tell you something revealing and trust you to be responsible in the way you present it later. I hope DF remembers who the good reporters are later and doesn't treat all journalists the same way after getting burned by RS.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 20:50:35 ET
Posted by: John Granatino, Dallas

I don't think this has been linked yet. It's a review of last night's performance in Cleveland.

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2013/07/steely_dan_was_reelin_in_the_y.html#incart_flyout_entertainment#incart_m-rpt-2

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 20:38:31 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

So then, I come home from work today and find a copy of the offending Rolling Stone, ADDESSED TO ME, in my mail box. I am not, nor have I been in over 30 years, a subscriber to RS. Why today? Why this issue just shows up unsolicited?

So I read the DF interview.

I agree with Joan, it bears no relation to the full, online interview. It's not funny and you can't see how the thread of the conversation leads to what is quoted in the piece. It's just terrible.

The Bob Dylan excerpt is strung together from the answers to several questions. The quote about being on the Dukes tour is COMPLETELY out of context and malicious.

And to top it all off, the author of the "piece" all but confesses to Joan that Donald gets what he deserves when he forgets that he is talking to a journalist. And that is not out of context...;-)

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 20:03:21 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, clarification land

To Michael, KD, others re: the Rolling Stone kerfuffle: As I've mentioned on other platforms, PLEASE keep in mind that DF's letter was NOT addressing the full, online interview that Greene posted but the PRINT version of Rolling Stone (that's why he references that it's the one with the mass killer on the cover). People keep saying "I saw the full interview online, and it was good." Here's the problem: I have had the print version in hand, and it's quite clear that Contact Music used this highly truncated, highly de-contextualized interview excerpt to craft their even more sensationalized version. The header on the very SHORT R.S. print piece is "The Cranky Wisdom of Donald Fagen". The quote about Dylan is indeed presented out of context and only headed by "On Bob Dylan". Then there is a section headed "On Boredom" that begins "I was miserable on the Dukes of September Tour [with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs]..." If you look at the Contact Music piece, they lifted what they'd inferred directly from that Rolling Stone print piece -- where else would they have gotten the "boring Michael McDonald & Boz Scaggs" reference? I'm sorry, but I saw the FULL interview online, and as a fellow journalist, the way Rolling Stone selectively excerpted and headed their little feature on that interview was, indeed, the bait for further negative spin-offs. Furthermore, my Twitter conversations with Andy Greene seem to indicate he wasn't a victim here - that he may have had direct editorial involvement in how those quotes were skewed. His last comment to me was "It's not my fault he forgot he was talking to a reporter". I let it go after that, but would have loved to have pointed out that any responsible reporter, unless they work for National Enquirer, presents even quote snippets within the proper context.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 18:37:29 ET
Posted by: You heard, Right

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790736/soundtrack

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 17:29:50 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

I heard in the new movie RIPD, the music playing in heaven is Steely Dan.
Kinda makes me want to believe.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 14:08:56 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

kzkz, very funny. But the song is King of the World, not King of Nothing. It is Seals and Croft who should dedicate that song.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 13:58:33 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, tick tocking the time away

So did The Donald dedicate KOTW to the new Royal Baby?

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 13:55:29 ET
Posted by: anymanleft, Rio Grande

Now there is no doubt that 2 things exist in the world of Dandom. 1- CTE is the holy grail and 2- Dan and Walt are listening and delivering what the people want. Hope they keep KOTW on the setlist throughout the tour and add a couple more.Hope to see some of you Philly folk at the Mann in Sept.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 13:18:51 ET
Posted by: BillfromPgh,

Glad to hear of the emergence (re-emergence?) of King of the World. it was a standard on the 74 tour -- Donald announced it on one live FM broadcast as a song that "scares me to death." Did the horns take the synth lead or did Donald play it on the Melodica?

From what I'm hearing, Walter has added a nice crunchy overdrive to his pedalboard this tour. He's still giving Jon the last solo on Bodhisattva, though, which was always one of Walter's chances to shine IMO. I know most fans aren't real fond of his voice but I am and Monkey is one of his better tunes to sing if we can't get something from Circus Money - Paging Audrey or Three Picture Deal would be my picks.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 13:02:44 ET
Posted by: bathtub soap film, all washed up

MDOP - I hereby award you 4 hot dogs for that last post. Your actual "hot dog" story from a few days ago gets 5 hot dogs though :P.

PS, 35mm cimemascope of KOTW would be mighty impressive!

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 11:50:28 ET
Posted by: beaubo, cleveland

5th Row center in CLE. Flawless show..other than the continued confounding strategy of letting walter Becker sing!!!!!

When Razor Boy started, it wasn't clear what r=the song was, so modest migration to beer/bathroom and Fagen called out 'Hey where are you going? Yeah, you. You don't know what your missing.' Cute sentiment.

Agree with other poster that New Frontier and DTMA were skipped over, but King of The World was a pleasant surprise.

Starting with YGT is a perplexing call. Its as if the band wants to create a slow build of enthusiasm instead of firing on all engines right out of the box. Usually as concerts go, the first song is not a deep cut.

Next sop NYC/Royal Scam

This tour looks to be a real treat. Enjoy.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 11:49:21 ET
Posted by: Me, Q

I hired SD for a private gig where I determine the set and Don & Walt have to mingle with the fans and have dinner with them before the show, and you're all not invited because of Dean.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 11:32:50 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Well now I feel terribly guilty. I beg for your forgiveness. I can't believe my insensitive remarks denied all of us the opportunity to experience M/O/D/P's bathtub soap ring. DAMN me and my hate-filled posts!

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 10:43:06 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Culver City

Well now I'm miffed at The Dean too. As a result, I won't be posting the thin soapy ring from the sides of my bathtub. See what you've done now, The Dean? You've ruined things for everyone. Again. Way to go, dude.

"I know you're used to 16 or more
Sorry we only have 8"

ps - "Film at eleven"
pps - "Cleveland Film Festival"
ppps - "I've never seen him cry out loud before"

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 09:16:23 ET
Posted by: geo,

They played King Of The World last night? I guess I was right on the money with what I said yesterday!

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 06:53:19 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ The Dean: Oh, I will definitely enjoy the show either way. Once I am inside a Steely Dan show I throw expectations to the wind and just enjoy the moment. The CTE thing was just a little bit of fantasy, having gotten caught up in the excitement of KOTW finally being played. As I was telling Joan, I have 3 shots: Louisville, Houston and Memphis. A lot can happen in 3 shows. Wish I could make NYC.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 06:04:34 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Sam:

Feel free to post the video once you've grown up and gotten the drama queenery out of your system. Thanks in advance.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 05:39:38 ET
Posted by: SDV, Mr. Sam

thank you for not posting the video... i'd like to wait and witness it live and in person

and I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT!!!!!

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 00:54:24 ET
Posted by: Sam, Cleveland rocks

Hi dean. I'm Sam. Not familiar with you so I won't post the last 2 mins film of KOTW. Sorry a bit miffed that's what I get for my 1st ever posts here

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 00:50:53 ET
Posted by: Chip, Cleveland

Great show in Cleveland, the audience was fired up!Band warmed up with instrumental which I did not know. The Boys then entered and opened with Gold Teeth which was incredible.Don announced they were going to play a song they had never played live which was King of The World which sounds great live. The Girls did Razor Boy, Walter sang Monkey in Your SoulOther highkights were Babylon Sister, Josie, Show Biz Kids, the funked up version, Time out of Mind,My OLd school, Bodisavtta, Reelin, Kid C these were the highlights, sorry didn't do a set list like I normally do. They played for 2 hours. Enjoy, they put on a terrific show.

Chip

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 00:45:19 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Thanks for the confirmation, Toni. That's great. Seems like Walter is really on his game this tour, from what I hear.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 00:44:06 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

No, Jim it isn't too much to ask. And I hope you get rewarded.

But I wouldn't bet on it and I think you will enjoy the show either way. But it would be like Don and Walt to just do it without advance warning--though I don't think promoters and managers would like that strategy. Album nights are used as an incentive to draw crowds, I think. Particularly for multi-night stands in larger cities.

Can't wait to find out if King of the World was really played in Cleveland. Not that I doubt the poster, but I'm not familiar with Saam.

Date: Wed, July 24, 2013, 00:41:28 ET
Posted by: Toni,

Yes I can confirme they played King of the World tonight at Cleveland. I was there amazing venue amazing show amazing crowd. The setlist was a little diffrent from what I had read before we did not have Green Book, Don't take me alive and New Frontier (little sad about the last one :( ) Therfore we had Green Earrings and King of the World. It was a lot of of fun! Walter seemed to be very happy he even took out his old V-Guitare ( had never seen him play this one before) and rocked Hey 19 and Josie. Definitively worth it!

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:54:18 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Is it too much to ask that they could do CTE in its entirety in Louisville? Show's sold out... Reward us!

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:48:45 ET
Posted by: Sam, Cleveland

Yes yes yes played tonite! Audience amazing.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:48:22 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, love cleveland ... vicariously

Really, Saam!?! Damn.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:43:22 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Is Saam saying that they played it in Cleveland tonight?

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:38:27 ET
Posted by: Greg M, nyz

Well, Saam might be onto something here.....

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:30:29 ET
Posted by: Logan, Houston

I don't know why Donald & Walter keep ignoring King of the World on these tours. It's always been a fan favorite off the Countdown album. Anyway, to my surprise Black Friday has not shown up on the current setlists yet. I hope it stays that way. Donald always likes to play a blues number, so I think Green Book was chosen has the replacement.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 22:22:10 ET
Posted by: Greg M, nyc

wha-wha-what??

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 21:31:30 ET
Posted by: Saam, Xx

Holy fuck King of thr World -// No this is not a joke

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 12:47:09 ET
Posted by: geo,

Marcus - I completely disagree with you on King Of The World. Now that they just added Razor Boy to the set list, the only song on CTE they haven't played since 1993 from that record is King Of The World. Why would they hold back that one song when they could do another full (new) album night by performing it? It doesn't make ant sense if they don't play it. Plus they played it in 1974 so it's not like they never played it before.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 11:32:49 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

For those interested, a preview of a new Prefab Sprout album is up. Paddy McAloon has been battling tinnitus and detached retina for more than a decade...so progress is slow - Let's Change the World with Music (2009) were brilliant outtakes from 1993.

Sprout was known for its Dan-like production value and stellar songwriting in the 80s and early 90s. Everyone should have a copy of Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good and Jordan the Comeback.

Danfans would enjoy I Remember That, Nightingales, Enchanted, Hey Manhattan, Venus of the Soup Kitchen on From Langley Park to Memphis


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmqWa13Ve0I


The new one sounds like Swoon mixed with The Gunman if that makes sense...

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 09:58:06 ET
Posted by: Aja1, MA

It must kill Don to have to resort to social media to get his side of the story out. As someone who has been forced to "monitor" social media to maintain our business' good name and intentions, it sickens me that anyone with a smart phone can stir up trouble with no fact or basis with a destructive post, twat or whatever. And I'm only 40 years old. The next generation will have some cleaning up to do with all this "transparency."

Can't wait for the show to head my way!

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 09:57:12 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Not exactly a brain hemorrhager, but ...

...take a listen to Jim Beard's "Gonna Tell On You" from his 1997 album "Truly" and notice some interesting similarities to a certain quite fresh song by another musical hero of ours... ;o)

http://www.jimbeard.com/Beard%20mp3s/Truly%20128/Gonna%20Tell%20on%20You%20Wb.01_01.mp3

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 07:22:25 ET
Posted by: Michael, @KD

Yeah, I don't get why Don's directing his ire at Greene/RS rather than Contact Music for their negative spin. Maybe he was misinformed. *shrugs*

Oh well, it's over and done with. Life goes on.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 01:27:54 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

This should read like this:

"but anyone reading Greene's interview (without the Contact Music influence) would not have come away with the impression that he WASN'T ripping on Boz and McD, or their work, personally."

Apologies for the typo. Perhaps I was thrown by the Contact Music post that featured a picture of Walter Becker in a piece about Donald Fagen.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 01:21:32 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Donald Fagen ripped Andy Greene and RS for a headline on another music website that they had nothing to do with. And those verbatim quotes were in context. I agree that the Contact Music "column" was salacious, stupid, and misleading; but anyone reading Greene's interview (without the Contact Music influence) would not have come away with the impression that he was ripping on Boz and McD, or their work, personally. Greene's quote discussed the physical toll that the tour saddled Donald with, and the frustration that these much-loved gems were being ignored while fans bided their time until the band played "Takin' It To the Streets."

It's unfortunate that most here, along with Donald, are focusing their ire on Greene. Possibly the only embarrassing thing about being a Steely Dan fan in the internet era are those childish rants that Donald used to toss out at reviews he didn't like, reducing himself to disgusting "head up his ass" allusions regarding the writers behind them. That's beneath him, even if it was just a lark to write in an airport in 20 minutes.

There have been some terrible and misguided reviews and critiques over the years, including this particular tour (as we've pointed out on this site). Don's words were his words, though, the interview was presented in full, and (most importantly) ANOTHER WEBSITE chose to go with the headline that Donald attributed to Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, a magazine I'm not always a fan of, did not use that headline -- which makes Donald's rant on Facebook just as duplicitous as the headline that appeared on Contact Music.

I take no joy in ripping a person I admire to no end, and have no particular affiliation or major love for Rolling Stone, but Donald is off, here.

Date: Tues, July 23, 2013, 00:02:23 ET
Posted by: Marcus, Phoenix, AZ

I highly doubt if King of the World will be played on this tour. Walt & Donald are just teasing the fans. Who expected Green Book to be on the setlist?

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 21:51:34 ET
Posted by: BillfromPgh,

So, since DF teased about doing all of CTE, are we going to get a King of the World?

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 21:39:51 ET
Posted by: T.O. Danfan, oops again

Of course it was Green Book. My bad. Although I must say the room was a nice green glow when they sung it.

Also the volume was wrong on Herrington's solo during Reelin'. I was row 20 and while he was rockin' out the sound wasn't.

Cheers

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 20:05:59 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Michael - sorry. I meant to direct that to Steve. w/e

Piasters and time re short, so setlists partly determine if and how many shows I make...

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 19:55:27 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Thanks, Soul Monkey! Parking is always a concern for me after my psyche was scarred by trying to park in downtown San Francisco. One less thing to worry about! Hope to see y'all at the Bluegrass Brewing Company.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 19:07:00 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

Jim, parking is not an issue. A parking garage sits on 4th St directly across from The Palace. $5-$10.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 18:27:20 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

El Sup, I am driving in from Baton Rouge for the Show. I am not at all familiar with Louisville. I am not staying in town, but driving back to Bowling Green after the show because I have to be in Nashville early the next morning. If I roll in at around 6, where should I park? Is it an issue downtown? How much will it cost? What time will the Danfest commence? I am meeting some Nashville friends but would like to stop by and see the Blue Crew. I can't seem to access your e-mail. The parking is my main issue. Any advice would be great!

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 18:12:47 ET
Posted by: El Sup, Louisville, KY

Hello everyone!

For anyone making their way to Louisville for the Steely Dan show this Friday, some of us will be meeting at Bluegrass Brewing Company 660 S. 4th St. Louisville, KY 40202. This is basically across the street from the venue. Lots of food, beer and Steely company! If you have any questions, just E-mail me!

Hope to see some of you there!

El Sup

M/O/D/P - Thank you for the merchandise picture!

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 15:49:25 ET
Posted by: The Latest, w

http://www.noise11.com/news/donald-fagen-blasts-rolling-stone-for-misquoting-him-20130721

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 15:05:12 ET
Posted by: pixeleen,

M/O/D/P:

Good stuff!! Keep the reviews coming......

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 14:23:14 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Toronto, half a day later

The sun-drenched crowd seemed to appreciate the Deep Blue Organ Trio's opening set (Victor Feldman's Chant, Hank Mobley's This I Dig of You, and a cool version of Tell Me Something Good - the Stevie Wonder-penned tune originally recorded by Chaka Khan). The group did exactly what a good opening act should do: entertain the folks who understand what "Showtime 8:00 PM" means, warm up the audience, and let the stragglers know that the proceedings have started.

The Dan came on just before 9:00 pm, and the road crew was on stage tearing things apart before 11:00 pm. It was a slightly shorter performance, probably because the city has an 11:00 pm curfew for major entertainment barns. We didn't get Don't Take Me Alive or New Frontier, but Green Earrings was a welcome addition. I'm told that there's actually a fine levied by the city based on the number of minutes a show extends past 11:00 pm - Stevie Wonder had some fun with this a few years ago at the Air Canada Centre when he played more than 20 minutes past the deadline, even mocking the bylaw by saying he just felt like playing some more. He got a lot of cheers for saying that. I like Stevie Wonder a lot.

Herington was as impressive as he's ever been. He continually wrings magical sounds from whatever guitar he's using without having to engage in silly jump-all-over-the-stage-like-a-jackass theatrics. I mean, at times he was on fire, but still he didn't feel compelled to roll around on the floor or gesticulate wildly for a bucket of water. Very, very cool. While I can easily imagine a different lead guitarist playing on stage with The Dan, I have trouble believing it should actually ever happen in reality. The guy is a keeper.

The audience was typically polite for most of the show, including for those songs that people clearly didn't recognize. Green Book, which I loved, drew mostly blank looks from those around me. Actual loud cheering was reserved for My Old School and Reelin', both of which received much enthusiasm. A small number people in our section got up during the less popular songs (presumably to get more $12.50 tiny plastic cups of wine, or to meet with the venue's Finance & Loans Officer to arrange the purchase of a can of beer), but not enough to cause a real disruption as has often been the case in the past at this [glorified outdoor booze-shed] lovely venue. I sometimes wish that these places would not allow food in the seating areas, though. I just think most folks could probably go two hours without eating and not suffer too much. The hippo-chick who sat next to me arrived in the middle of Your Gold Teeth, armed with three hot dogs and downed them like she hadn't eaten for a week. Then she proceeded to burp uncontrollably for half an hour. Fortunately, I like hot dogs, so I suppose things could have been worse.

Sorry, no funny stories of mixed-up Steely Dan concertgoers this time. I was expecting to meet the usual parade of casual fans who insist that their skewed impressions of the band are factual, or that "Steely Dan" is a great guy, or that any Dan song past 1980 is filler, or that Don & Walt & company are pretty good but not in the same league as Journey. No funny folks this time. I'm sorry. I looked. Maybe I'll make a better effort to find some weirdos in October at The Beacon. Stay tuned.

As requested by El Sup a few days ago, I took a couple of shots of the merch stands:

http://s215.photobucket.com/user/MODP/library/Toronto%20July%2021%202013?sort=2&page=1

Nothing too interesting, but if a person felt the overwhelming urge to spend $45 on a t-shirt that should really be worn only inside the house or maybe to another concert, this was the big opportunity. I got a real bargain on a Made in Thailand "Mood Swings" ceramic coffee mug - $25 cash/no tax. I felt a bit smug as I bought this one, knowing that I would soon be adding it to my prized collection of officially licensed Steely Dan tour mugs.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 14:12:33 ET
Posted by: Greg M, white plains ny

you missed this one: Downtown Canon

for the same reasons as black cow

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 13:39:22 ET
Posted by: Charles, F

I'd like to hear an all green set.

Green Flower Street
Green Earrings
Green Book
Green Room (the Florida Room / Green Earrings mash up)
Caves of Altamira
The Royal Scam
Black Cow
I Got the News
Maxine
New Frontier

Any I'm missing?

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 13:29:35 ET
Posted by: Dave (from acquisitions), Philadelphia

This new song "green room" I'm hoping is a mash up between green earrings and Florida room.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 11:35:51 ET
Posted by: mr belzoni, funway west

Saw the Atlantic City show and loved it and that the setlist was tweeked. Loved that they added YGT again and New Frontier , Razor Boy and Monkey were pleasant surprises, though I am still waiting for the Boston Rag since 2000. I find casino crowds to be generally boring. And the loser soundguy completely ignored me when I asked for the setlist after the show, very rude. Carlock is incredible as was Herrington on Reelin. Anyway, I am looking for some great versions of steely tunes done by other artists(not on the Me, Myself and Irene soundtrack). Hoping to hear DTMA and Earrings in September In Philly!

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 11:34:07 ET
Posted by: Have Dan Will Travel, Louisville

Looks like the Louisville Palace is a sellout for Friday!!!!

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 10:19:14 ET
Posted by: Greco, Anytoen usa

I was. Repeat WAS the harshest critic when it comes to the SD Set List. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with the set list. I LOVE IT!

Gold Teeth, Green Room ,Razor Boy (Like to hear DF sing) DTMA my favorite.

Great job Don & Walt. I am going to the concert in Milwaukee.

Greco

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 09:45:09 ET
Posted by: Michael,

@M/O/D/P

That other article which takes Donald's quotes out of context was way out of line, but I don't think that was a Rolling Stone article. Besides, as you mentioned, the latter is having its own issues to confront right now. Unfortunate that Donald's interview happened the occur at that bad moment.

@Doc Mu

I didn't post to complain about the setlist. Besides, learning from past mistakes, I've come to the realization that if someone didn't attend a particular concert, they really have no business complaining about the setlist -- myself included. It's very easy to formulate opinions on things while standing on the sidelines.

Oh, and just to clarify an earlier post: I enjoy Ed Motta's work very much, otherwise I wouldn't own his albums. Regardless of where he lifts some of his ideas, I respect his contribution to music, as being one of the few remaining artists who actually cares about producing quality music. We need more artists like that.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 09:14:44 ET
Posted by: 2, cents

What's interesting each year is how they'll take the time & effort to learn and present other artist's tunes (i.e. Blueport, Dizzy's Bidness, Tuzz' Shadow, Cubano Chant, etc.), but not songs of their own. While I do enjoy these, and I'm thankful that we've been blessed/graced with 10-11 tours since '93, but there are stil so many songs from their own catalog that we haven't yet heard live.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 08:28:13 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Hey folks ... when we don't have live tweeters for the shows, setlist.fm has been consistent so far with providing setlists after the fact. No need to be rude to the nice folks who come here after a show to provide a review just because they didn't grab a setlist; you can see it here:

http://www.setlist.fm/search?query=steely+dan

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 02:36:56 ET
Posted by: Dirty Work, Silco Hill

Hi All,
Just home from the Toronto Molson Amphitheatre. The crowd was noticeably younger from last night. I purchase a bloody Caesar in a can (kinda cool) and some French fries with gravy just to observe some Canadian cultural stuff. The night was perfect. The crowd was very energetic and Walter seemed to have some friends and family here. I was front row and literally 10 feet from Don. The high points tonight were a very tight and full bodied Aja , then we got a first peek at Green Earrings this tour. It was sultry and Smokey and very enjoyable. Tonight's Greenroom was the best yet as the band really seemed to settle in on the setlist. Bodhisattva was great but was better last night. Josie and Peg were really on and it built into a hell of a my old school. The audience really fed into it and the band responded. "California tumbles into the sea that'll be the day I go back to Annandale" thousands of voices in unison echoed across lake Ontario. Very cool. Just the killer song of the night. You could see it spent the band. The rest of the way was good but downhill from there. And that's the way it was July 21, 2013.

see you in Cleveland

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 01:10:26 ET
Posted by: handle, i've had no complaints

http://www.criticaljazz.com/2013/07/mark-masters-ensemble-everything-you.html

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 00:44:48 ET
Posted by: T.O. Danfan, oops

Make that KC of course. Followed by outro unknown.

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 00:37:15 ET
Posted by: T.O. Danfan, Setlist

Just back from the show. Here's what they played in about 2 hours.

Intro unknown
YGT
Aja
Hey 19
Showbiz Kids
Green Earings
Green Room
TOOM
Godwhacker
Monkey
Bhodi
Razorboy
Babylon
Band Intros unknown song
Josie
Peg
School
Reelin'
KD

I'm never disappointed in the band and their always high quality sound. They were awesome as usual.

However I was somewhat disappointed with the setlist. Also wasn't impressed with the brats Razorboy. But that's just me.

Cheers

Date: Mon, July 22, 2013, 00:03:56 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

Setlist in Toronto tonight identical to the first two nights but they dropped New Frontier and replaced it with Green Earrings and completely dropped Don't Take Me Alive. That's not a good two for one trade. I'd rather have New Frontier and Don't Take Me Alive!!

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 23:57:31 ET
Posted by: Mu-stradamus,

GOOD STUFF


It's going to happen one night. We do what we come to do.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 21:41:28 ET
Posted by: Bob,

Where are the posts on tonight's Toronto show?? Let's get with the program folks.

Thanks, Bob

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 21:13:34 ET
Posted by: µ, squirtin' metal all over the place

oh and...

Slinky Thing, INSTWY, Memorabilia, Marlene, and Good Stuff more than hold their own with the CTE cuts IMO The entire album would translate Well into a live performance as witness by the spectacular live version of Whether in My Head on Letterman.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 20:59:42 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu ,

GE/Deacon: thanks for the posts, links, and info.

Makes me wonder what drugs WENN was only when he summarized the RS article. It really did read like a parody, although I was LOL IRL at the Dylan passages. My fav imitations to do are Dylan Like a Rolling Stone then muttering incoherently for any recent Time Out of Mind era song...that and Elmer Fudd sining Bowie's Let's Dance

Quick work by the Donald there.



Michael: That reminds me of why many go to Dan shows, and that's OK. To relive their youth in the 70s, early 80s...or experience sounds they heard then.

Personally, I really love Green Book, Pixeleen, Lunch with Gina, and EMG - that back half of EMG is spectacular. It's a real musicians song and arrangement. Actually it's FAR more interesting than anything on CTE, even Your Gold Teeth or Razor Boy - both outstanding compositions.

Band sounds good for a smartphone external mic recording on GB

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 20:30:26 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

Has anyone considered that maybe one reason there's early unrest amongst the audience is simply because there isn't new Steely Dan material (yet) to hear live and so they're forcing their expectation levels too high in frustration? (as if fans are being denied the tunes they've made up in their heads!)

Nothing beats the anticipation and excitement of arriving at a gig after drilling the heck out of an album thats a few weeks old only to find they've already tweaked those arrangements too! My favourite Steely Dan gig, here in Birmingham, was for the 2VN tour. It was my first SD gig and first chance to hear the musicians interpret the songs live. I didn't mind which older tunes they played in between. Sadly, I think these kind of SD world tours are a thing of the past.

I appreciate that many folks on here have suggested that Sunken and Condos counts as new material but it's a Steely Dan show when all is said and done and even if they played the rarest old cuts, they'd still sound too good i.e the same as the original.

Hope I'm making sense. As many U.K fans would say: 'at least you get to see them live!'

Craig

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 19:53:48 ET
Posted by: Mitch, Mt .Belzoni

Cleveland is up on Tuesday. The venue is Jacobs Pavillion with the Cuyahoga River behind the stage and a skyline backround. I saw the Dukes there and thought the acoustics were subpar. Pittsburgh would have been a much better spot. BTW Donald`s mom had lived in Cleveland for quite a while and used to attend the shows at the Suburban Blossom Music Festival. Cleveland is of course a great Rock town and Pittsburgh a Doo Wop haven,Classic rock and Blue Eyed Soul town,The skinny is SD dropped The Burgh years ago.......Too bad.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 17:55:17 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Philly

David in Miami - I just noticed your post directed to me from Saturday. Answer: My hope is to get an extended version of my Huff Post Fagen article out in another media venue OR maybe a "part two" on HuffPo, so I'm kind of saving all the extra material for that. I will tell you it includes more detailed talk about Dukes of September (all positive, BTW!!), talk about William Gibson, especially the Steely Dan references in his books, more on Jewish gangsters believe it or not, more about his website, more comments on touring/set lists, more detail on Oh Whitney, some quotes about the comedy thing he did with Tom Schiller, as well as some discussion on what he's listening to lately. No bombshell, surprise items, but good stuff nonetheless. It's kind of amazing how much material can come out of a mere 25 minutes on the phone... I should note that I spoke to him before the news about his upcoming book "Eminent Hipsters" broke, and he didn't say a peep about it, oddly enough.

I should note that I, unlike some other writers/publications out there ;), would NEVER quote anyone, especially Fagen, out of context.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 16:38:02 ET
Posted by: Tour, Swag

Can somebody comment on the available swag? Steely Dan site still hasn't been updated, yet. Thanks!

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 16:26:34 ET
Posted by: Dave from Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

Drove all night to the show and then looped to Philly for the Monkees show which was much much much better than the predictable casino Vegas gig. Only thing missing from Friday's scripted performance was Wayne Newton.
Figured I would post something sensible here vs all of the catty remarks that take a half hour to go through.
They should have done a whole album Friday.
Some of the writings here are like 3rd graders in the school yard.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 14:56:05 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

http://steelydan.com/2kband.html#hall

BTW, La Tanya Hall joins The Borderline Brats this season, alongside Carolyn and Catherine. Nice choice!

And....I've been following Catherine Russell. Deepest sympathies to her, having just lost her mom this week. She has a phenomenal solo voice, & an active recording and touring career.

Here's a great sample, performing Louis Armstrong's Ev'ntide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO3JccAHRjo

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 14:50:17 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

Interesting to see "Green Book" added to the tour thus far.

Although a good song to be sure, I wish they would play one of their older "rarities" like "Gaucho", "Any Major Dude" or "Here at the Western World".

I can appreciate the great musicianship of "Green Book" but
some of the newer songs don't resonate like the old songs that may take you back to where you first heard it like in high school or college days.

...And just speaking for myself, I don't look back longingly
at 2003 (when "Everything Must Go" came out).

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 14:39:13 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

@ Tim:

"The amount of money I made producing records was insignificant compared to what I was making from the (Steely Dan) royalties. But there probably was some sort of Protestant work ethic involved, especially after my son was born. You have a kid and it's like, 'He's gotta go to college! Gotta have some clothes!'"

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-09-14/entertainment/ca-38521_1_steely-dan

Don't know if Donald has any biological children, but he did become a stepfather when he married Libby Titus in 1993. Libby had 2 children if memory serves. One child, Ezra Titus with husband Barry Titus. Ezra died tragically at 43 in 2009 (reportedly drugs, suicide). Libby had a daughter, Amy Helm (father: Levon Helm) in 1970.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 14:00:23 ET
Posted by: Tim, Detroit

I was just curious and wondering if anybody knows if either Donald or Walter has kids?

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:58:55 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Twitter battleground

Funny, I was willing to give Greene the benefit of the doubt, i.e. that it was the editors at Rolling Stone who were responsible for the irresponsible way Fagen's words were twisted out of context, but he (Andy Greene) just sent me a short volley of Tweets that make it seem he was indeed involved in the print version. He claims that what was printed in Rolling Stone was "in context" (nonsense) and then ended with the comment, "It's not my fault he forgot he was talking to a reporter." I'm sorry, but if you excerpt someone's quotes, I consider it a journalistic responsibility to make sure the context is intact. DF had every right to publicly call them all out on it.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:38:15 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Only a few hours to go

Michael - It looks like DeaconBlues16 and Security Joan have helped to clarified things re: my "journalistic integrity" comment. I'll just add that I wasn't blaming Mr. Greene for DF's words at all, and that I'm not at all concerned whether or not he likes the current incarnation of Bob Dylan. I take issue with the manner in which peoples' words are so often edited ("reprocessed") and manipulated in order to create some level of controversy where none exists. If reading the condensed/promo version gives a person one impression, but reading the full conversation gives a completely different one, I'd say there's a problem. If Fagen felt he had to write a rebuttal - not directly concerning his own choice of words per se, but to clarify the context and manner in which they have been represented - it's enough for some of us to question the integrity of whomever is responsible for the unnecessary sensationalism. But, like DeaconBlues16 says, I suspect the folks at Rolling Stone have bigger things to worry about.

On another note, I'm hoping that our friend Young Wu thoroughly enjoyed last night's Canandaigua show. Obviously Wu is a big fan, and I'd hate to think that anyone would be unable to fully enjoy a live performance by his or her favourite act due to the band's song choices, especially when the tour in question could very well be the act's final run as-is. I might be in the minority here, but I'd genuinely like to read Wu's concert review once he's digested the proceedings. Sure, he's a hothead sometimes, but he's really one of us, not one of them.

And anyways, sometimes reading a printed song-list on a computer screen just isn't a fair replacement for tenth row dead-center. I said, "sometimes".....

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:33:52 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

And here's Walt's Hey 19 rap in AC. Not my favorite part of the show, but this particular performance seems fresher than the usual take:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2_0I6tay0I

Walt seems to be his old self again, too.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:30:48 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

And we have confirmation. New Frontier played last night, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gFMUwmIEnw

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:26:05 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

The opener, Blueport, is also up now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuMCSyIkHY

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 12:20:45 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Jive, sounds like a great time. And thanks for the clips (looks like Arnold was wrong about Green Book, too--and I think we will find out he is 0-3 in his predictions).

One minor word of caution. One of my friends had very good seats last night and said the show (particularly toward the end) was LOUD. He wasn't complaining (we both like our concerts loud, if the sound is good). Other friends, further back said the sound was great but not too loud. So you just might want to keep that in mind for the older folks.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 11:34:21 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

9/12/2013 at Mizner in Boca Raton, FL will be my 10th Steely Dan show. Also saw DF on his 2006 solo tour. 2 SD shows in CA - 9/17/1994 and 2000 in Irvine CA. (Aja was recorded for Alive in America from that 1994 show). 4 shows in NJ, 2 in PA, 1 in DC.

What makes this show special is the celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary, and my parents' 60th wedding anniversary (they are 87 and 82 years young-at-heart respectively). In years past, I'd never imagine that I'd be taking my parents to a SD concert, but the time and place are just right, and my folks are actually becoming more adventurous and open-minded in their later years. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyway, it looks as though some good souls have posted vid clips in the last 3 hours. I have not watched/listened yet, but here goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z7DqGy3WeE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuMCSyIkHY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NmMMtRtQE

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 11:25:02 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Okay, I haven't seen the print copy of Rolling Stone (or as Donald Fagen put it, "the one where they thought it was cool to put the mass killer on the cover," but I was satisfied with the online interview and I personally didn't draw the conclusions that apparently could've been drawn from the print version.

In that case, I blame the Rolling Stone editors more so than the interviewer (unless they're one in the same of course). But unfortunately, I think Rolling Stone has bigger issues on its hand right now than an imaginary conflict between Donald Fagen and Dylan, Scaggs, and McDonald.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 11:08:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Thanks for the concert recaps--keep em coming please.

Opening Night: When you say Don described "Countdown to Ecstasy as a 'cult classic, now played in churches.'" Was he referring to the album or one of the songs (perhaps Bodhisattva)?

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 11:08:46 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, not at Rolling Stone

DeaconBlues16 - but if you look at the print version of Rolling Stone, the short item they run is indeed a complete misprepresentation, just some out-of-context soundbytes from that interview, and the title is "The Cranky Wisdom of Donald Fagen" ... if you just look at that, which does excerpt the Dylan comments down to make them sound nasty, and then has the quote "I was miserable on the Dukes of September tour [with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs]," you can see how the piece in the link you cite, while sensationalized, was not much of a stretch beyond what it was based on -- the PRINT Rolling Stone piece, not the full online interview. Rolling Stone still has explaining to do.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 09:08:23 ET
Posted by: Opening Night random babblings, home

Funny thing at the Revel. After Monkey in your Soul Donald says "That was pretty creepy, wasn't it?" and the crowd responded with an embarrassed laugh because they took it as a diss of Walt's singing. Then he looks over at Walter and said "I don't mean the performance, the song is creepy because it's like...ya know..." In light of the recent Rolling Stone controversy, I'll stipulate that
those aren't exact quotes.

He also described Countdown to Ecstasy as a "cult classic, now played in churches."

There was no whisper of an opening act, but Deep Blue Organ trio did play well prior to the announced 9pm start time to a house that was perhaps 15% filled. I guess it was just considered a dry run. The casino, oh excuse me, the RESORT surely didn't want anyone running in early to catch them. I did have a tasty late night/early morning "breakfast burger" with a sunny side up fried egg as a topping. Such indulgence in the crazy grid of desire that is AC.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 08:54:08 ET
Posted by: mflinn, Boise

Dave - Don't think the curfew should affect the show. Looks like they're doing about 2.5 hours and if they omit the opening act, though I'd like to see the Trio, they should have plenty of time. A decade ago we was robbed of our Steely Dan show and I'm really excited to have this second go round at the Gardens. See y'all there...

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 08:16:16 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Just to clear up the Dylan issue a little bit, the little quote at the end of Donald Fagen's Facebook response (the words that actually prompted him to issue a response in the first place) is from this link that Doc Mu posted a few days ago, not the Rolling Stone interview:

http://www.contactmusic.com/story/donald-fagen-blasts-boring-dylan-mcdonald-scaggs_3767826

"WENN," the person credited with writing that post, jumped to some conclusions. In fact, after reading the actual Rolling Stone interview, it didn't really seem like Donald Fagen blasted Dylan, or if he did, he qualified it with some respectful statements. Fagen obviously reveres Dylan based on past quotes, the quotes from his Facebook post, and the fact that he's covered Dylan tunes with Levon Helm and elsewhere, and that's regardless of what Dylan might think of Steely Dan. But even if you interpret the quotes from Rolling Stone as a diss of Dylan, I have no idea how you can possibly interpret the interview as criticizing Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald. But somehow Wenn and contactmusic.com did.

My opinion: Rolling Stone interview was fine; it was a straight interview with no real editorializing. And surely the interviewer didn't misquote Donald Fagen or make stuff up. We should really be bashing, to the extent one wants to bash, contactmusic.com/WENN for jumping to such absurd conclusions, publishing it on an apparently reputable website, and creating this situation in the first place.

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 07:46:42 ET
Posted by: Michael, @M/O/D/P

"Another case of dubious journalistic integrity? Sure looks like it. Anybody really surprised? Gee, I sure hope not."

I don't understand how you can blame the journalist for the things Donald said.

Besides, who cares either way? What, does Donald have some sort of an obligation to praise Bob Dylan's work?

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 02:39:33 ET
Posted by: Dave from Acquisitions, My own private Idaho

I'll be attending the Boise and Redmond shows and was very happy to see the set list. Couldn't see a Shuffle Diplomacy show but have seen multiple shows all the other tours, and have been quite bummed to think I'd never hear Gold Teeth live...and there it is! That, Green Book, New Frontier and Razor Boy will be worth the price of admission.

It'll be great especially if these tracks stay on the list at points west. It'd be nice to work in Haitian Divorce, KOTW, Pixeleen (for Godwhacker), or anything from the rarities show...hey, I can dream right?

Boise is excited for the show. The venue has a curfew of 10pm so hopefully that won't lead to any deletions. I saw Cake at the gardens a couple years ago and they took about a 30 second break before the encore and came running out to play The Distance before 10...got it in with about 1o seconds to spare LOL!

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 02:01:11 ET
Posted by: Dirty Work, Silco Hill

Hi All,
Just got home from Canandaigua and giving a quick review. I am pretty tired so it will be pretty quick and painless. From what I can tell the set list was near identical to the previous evening. The weather was perfect and the crowd was friendly. So all was in place for good music. The band seemed to be pretty on . For me anyway the masterpiece of the evening was a smoking bodhisattva. It just dripped energy. Other note worthy moments included a perky my old school and a bloated reelin in the years. During reelin Walter kept pushing his guitar deeper and deeper into the song. It was good to see him with more energy. It took me a minute to figure out if I liked the reelin then I did. I really did. The encore was a kind of anti-climatic Kid but all in all hell of a way to spend a Saturday night.

see you in Toronto-Jerry

Date: Sun, July 21, 2013, 00:14:51 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

It's going to seem like am eternity until Kansas City Sept 3. I should have shelled or the money for St louis in Aug as well

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 23:42:39 ET
Posted by: beaubo, Cleveland

Seems like 'FM" has been warming the bench more than long enough.

'Last Mall' and 'Blues Beach' would seem to be solid options to rotate into the EMG slot, as 'Godwhacker' was certainly not chosen for its hit/crowd appeal.

Ready for the mayhem in CLE!!!

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 23:36:24 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Countdown to Tomorrow Night's Ecstasy

GE - Thanks for the Facebook re-posting. I would never have seen DF's rebuttal otherwise, since "Facebook" is a no-fly zone for me. Another case of dubious journalistic integrity? Sure looks like it. Anybody really surprised? Gee, I sure hope not.

Thanks also to everyone for all the recent interview/info links, and most especially big thanks to Security Joan for that great DF piece. Good Stuff.

Part of me (my right ear, specifically) now wishes I'd gone to the Revel Casino show last night. Green Book alone would have made the long drive worthwhile for me - some amateur critic's clueless, error-riddled ("but now corrected") commentary notwithstanding. If they play the song tomorrow night at the Molson Armpit-theatre - hell, I just saved all that gas and driving and I look like a genius. If they don't, well, I missed out.....but I promise not to come on here and slag the band, the set-list, and Mom's Apple Pie.

Every show is another gem, folks. Enjoy. Soak it up.

Soak in it.

I'm already thinkin' that seeing four shows this time 'round isn't enough....

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 22:13:55 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Well, Arnold's wrong at least one tune. They have already played Razor Boy tonight--of that I am sure. Three friends texted it to me a little while ago.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 21:43:55 ET
Posted by: GE, SLC

Donald just posted this on Facebook re RS interview

RE: DYLAN, MIKE, BOZ, JEWELS AND BINOCULARS, ETC.

Hiya kids –

I did an interview with this guy Andy Greene that appeared in the recent issue of Rolling Stone. You know, the one where they thought it was cool to put the mass killer on the cover. There’s been a little confusion about some things I said (or didn’t say) so I’d like to clarify.

The interview was supposed to be about drumming up business for Steely Dan’s summer tour. Walter Becker and I were originally scheduled to do the interview together on the phone, but it got botched up and we ended up talking to Greene separately.

For a while, it was a typical promo-type phone interview of the sort I’ve been doing for forty years. Greene was asking questions that fans might ask and I was answering as best I could.

He asked about set lists. Because most of the audience is there to hear the popular favorites, Walter and I like to make sure there are a fair number of hits in the show – at least the ones that aren’t too cringe-worthy. Then we talked about how some artists seem immune to audiences’ expectations. Greene brought up Bob Dylan. Because I could tell that Greene loved Dylan as much as I did, I let down my guard, and we started in with the classic fan talk, picking apart his recent work and mourning the fact that his erstwhile astonishing voice has now been reduced to a croak.

For Dylan idolaters, Bob analysis is a real party. We try to mimic his many eccentric vocal styles – folky Bob, psychedelic Bob, post-motorcycle accident Bob, Jesus-freak Bob – it’s fun. In college, we played a Dylan lyrics game:

“Name two items that hung from the head of the mule”.

“Oh c’mon, that’s easy. Jewels and binoculars, of course.”

For a moment, forgetting I was talking to a reporter, I started joking about the recent albums that always seem to have several, long blues-based tunes in minor keys. The lyrics are always great, but the tunes have limited musical interest, perhaps because Dylan needs to accommodate his damaged voice. Because Bob has meant so much to us for so long, because he’s astonished us for so long, maybe we feel we can kid him as if he were family.

Big mistake, as you will soon see.

And it got worse. Greene had read the galleys of a book I wrote, Eminent Hipsters, a collection of pieces I’ve written over the years that’s coming out in October. The most recent is a journal I kept during last summer’s Dukes of September tour. The Dukes are Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and myself singing some of the R&B and soul tunes we grew up with, plus some of our individual radio hits.

The piece is an entirely subjective, jokey view of what it’s like to be on tour. I talk about the stress of doing one-nighters in your sixties, living on buses and in hotel rooms, moving around the country in a state of perpetual exhaustion. I get upset about the lukewarm audience response for the great old tunes we love and fantasize taking out my rage on the crowd. It’s that sort of thing. I also confess my worries about taking prescribed pain-killers for the various aches and pains of aging. There’s almost no personal information about my friends Mike or Boz in the piece.

Greene said he enjoyed the piece and we talked about it for a bit. Mike and Boz never even came up.

Nevertheless, the next day, online:

Donald Fagen blasts boring Dylan, McDonald & Scaggs

Cranky Steely Dan star Donald Fagen has blasted Bob Dylan and his Dukes of September tourmates Michael Mcdonald and Boz Scaggs in a new Rolling Stone magazine article.The 65-year-old rocker reveals he has walked out of several Dylan shows because he finds the folk-rock icon "tedious" and admits he took "certain pharmaceuticals" to help him relieve the boredom of touring with Scaggs and McDonald.

Keep your powder dry, y’all.

DF
July 20 ‘13

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 21:23:58 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

"Anachronistic but nice."

Yummy.

:-)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 21:14:04 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

The brats always get one song which is a testament to Walt and Don for showcasing the talent. And Razor Boy fits perfectly.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 20:17:43 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Jazz: All true. ...but was are the confused fans going to do? Riot!? A Johnny Football night out in Louisiana? Donald and Walter would probably enjoy that! ;)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 20:06:53 ET
Posted by: Arnold, Milwaukee

I predict New Frontier, Green Book and Razor Boy will be replaced with different songs for tonight's setlist.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 20:04:20 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

My buddy just sent me a text from Canindagua saying the opening act (Deep Blue Organ Trio, I presume) was "Tight as hell"

Regarding the rather clueless Atlantic City reviewer, he didn't sound like he wasn't a fan of The Dan or didn't enjoy the show. Rather, as Jazzassin notes, he is a casual fan and is probably like most who attend the shows. As I have noted many times here, most of the people I talk to after the shows (and many of the reviewers) think SD doesn't play enough hits and indulge in too many "obscure" songs.

With that said, he seems far too unknowledgeable to be a reviewer for their concert.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 19:20:20 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, tired but happy

That is indeed the Joe Tex Song they did! Yay - I had no idea what it was (much less whose song it was) when they did it...

One note about kzkzkz comment re Aja: I was sitting pretty close and in front of Fagen area, and it was my impression that DF didn't "forget" lyrics during Aja, rather it looked like he was simply distracted for a few bars, probably because of sound issues. I have seen him flub lyrics a few times in the past, and last night's brief skip was quite different from those.

BTW there were indeed sound issues at Revel, on a mix level, i.e. Herington's and Weiskopf's solos were kind of melded into the overall soundscape, instead of "popping" in a way where they were highlighted and distinguished from the mix. I found myself leaning in to hear those solos, in fact, which was frustrating. It's my understanding that they have a new sound person, so it's possible there are some kinks to be worked out. (Others I was with agreed there was a sort of muddy wash to the mix, so it wasn't my imagination!)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 19:18:12 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

Sounds like the "critic" was not a fan or a convert after going to the show.
I've met people who were unfamiliar with "Steely Dan" but if you've heard them and haven't become a fan, I really question their taste in music.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 18:03:51 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, virtual AC

I guess the not-so-clever review from pressofAtlanticCity.com that Doc linked to can serve as a reality check for those here that eventually doubts that there is a huge gap between the average audience and us diehard fans when it comes to expectations and cravings.
This is the last part of the review:

"A Steely Dan show is certainly not for everyone. Jazzy, long jams, odd lyrics and hippie overtones make for a very mellow show. There are no theatrics, just great musicians playing the music they love. And for borderline fans, that might be a bit boring. And they aren't exactly great about mixing things up, not playing one of their hits until near the end of the show.

But the sold-out crowd of 4,500 people knew exactly what they were there for. And their polite applause between most songs was only slightly outdone when Steely Dan played their few hits as people sang along but rarely left their seats.

The devoted cult fan base seemed delighted. And they should be. They were watching some of the most talented musicians on the planet enjoying what they love. Which is fine.

Now if Steely Dan could only play a few more songs that people really love, it would be a must-see tour this summer."


If this represents the average concert goer's point of view, which I believe it does more or less, it says a lot of what our boys have to deal with. And it's a good explanation to why the setlists can never be too stuffed with all the obscurities we'd love to hear live. The actual setlists is a fair compromise.

After listening to a nice recording from last night's Revel gig that in mysterious ways was broadcasted to my stereo from out of the thin air today, I can just put on my imbecile satisfied smile and conclude that they once again have managed to rework a lot of the arrangements with great success, and that the band seems to be in grat shape. What more can I whish for? The devil is in the details, and the catalog hardly have a bad song in the first place.
And with the handful of "new" or rarely played or long-since-last-time songs that they gave last night, I cant for the life of me understand that there's anything at all to complain about.

I wish everyone a great show where- and whenever you go! Only reason to complain would eventually be because you couldn't go for some reason, but please don't blame Steely Dan for it.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 17:43:12 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, October yet?

**Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:33:34 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbcRQNHH6M

Apparently, this is the Joe Tex song. I will just say that my "source" is something that is frowned upon to discuss at this website**

My "source" also confirms this. It also tells me that The Donald forgot some lyrics during the 2nd verse of Aja.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 17:38:58 ET
Posted by: EC, NY

So I finally get some time to hit the computer and get the news on the first night of the new tour, and I'm floored to see Green Book was played. Floored. Easily my favourite New Testament Dan song. Gold Teeth again? Just amazing.

Don't Take Me Alive, New Frontier, Razor Boy, Monkey in Your Soul......and a bunch of others that I love (and expected)! Near Perfect!! I'll be there tonight at Canandaigua, and I can hardly wait. Based on what I now know, I'm definitely going to trek up to Toronto tomorrow night.

In an effort to keep things "positive", I'd like to say that I'm "positive" I don't want to read another 2 dozen ADD/Tourette's posts every damn night of the tour from the guy who apparently can't be pleased. I'm also "positive" that I don't wanna run into that same noisy little puke tonight. I'd have trouble staying "positive" while sitting beside some bitter self-centered goof who dumps on almost everything....song by song....in real time.....

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 17:03:18 ET
Posted by: Greg M, nyc

Just to repeat what Ports wrote because it deserves mentioning again:

<<<"Pretty funny - during the Walt "Rap" in Hey 19 is talks about coming to the casino to see Steely Dan ...we roll out the hits one after the other, bam boom ...no obscure weird album cuts ... just the number one material...you leave drained of all your craving.">>>

This is indeed what WB said. So, LOL, Walter is making a joke/acknowledging that yes we play just the hits and no "no obscure weird album cuts" at our casino shows...

Although, there were certainly several "obscure weird album cuts" last night, that would make an average concert goer go WTF(?). From my own standpoint, here's hoping for more, different weird tunes at upcoming shows. We'll see.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 16:56:11 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, in the soft spot

I will make The Dean's word my own: "I will just say, damn that was fast!"

Thanks, whoever!! I think I love you.

And btw, that Kid Carlock is more monstrous than ever. Shockingly brutal. Aja solo like never before. Probably worth the dollars alone.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 16:37:20 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR, briefly

At the Podunk Hollow Raytheon Pavilion...

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 16:22:12 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Pig, Rickie Lee Jones that Doobie, Pretzel Ganache, and Mind Out of Time were also left out of the set...

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 16:16:58 ET
Posted by: DocMu,

...and more...what passes for knowledge...


Steely Dan played a few of their live favorites, including ***"Show Biz People,"*** fueled by some fine Becker guitar work.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 16:15:01 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

[Warning: Idiotic Review Ahead]


http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/steely-dan-opens-new-tour-at-revel-in-atlantic-city/article_61087a0e-f0e8-11e2-9ccc-001a4bcf887a.html

Ovation Hall erupted when they start to play their biggest hit, "Reeling in the Years," and the audience was nearly as appreciative for the encore "Kid Charlemagne." The band ended with its typical closer, the short instrumental "Untouchables."

The crowd could have done without "Green Book," a snoozer from the band's most recent album, 2003's "Everything Must Go"; "Razor Boy," a biting song lyrically, packs little punch live;

The devoted cult fan base seemed delighted. And they should be. They were watching some of the most talented musicians on the planet enjoying what they love. Which is fine.
Now if Steely Dan could only play a few more songs that people really love, it would be a must-see tour this summer.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 15:40:22 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

I'm damn good with last night's setlist! Razor Boy (not one of my personal faves, but certainly a deep cut!) and New Frontier and GREENBOOK!!...which may be my favorite cut from EMG. I hope they keep those in for the rest of tour!

I'm one of those who have voiced some discontent over past setlists, but I've also seen them 14 times now...I know many have me WAY beat on that, but I'd pay to see that setlist from last night!

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 14:35:03 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

"but the culture and ethos it fosters is ageless and timeless."

Some of the the *cough* Younger audience around here might want to keep this in mind before - yet again - totally, like, you know, raining on everyone's parade, with their constant stream of juvenile negativity.

I'm not hatin'. I'm just sayin'.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 14:23:38 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Post- A.C.

Apologies about Razor Boy skip on the Tweet stream - I accidentally tweeted from my personal twitter instead of Dandomdotcom stream for that one song! But thanks to whomever (Hoops, I'm sure) picked it up from there ...

I don't know if anyone here has noted or heard about this yet, but there's some very sad news: Carline Ray, Catherine Russell's mother, passed away yesterday. Nonetheless, Catherine still performed in last night's show, brilliantly, and I see that as a tribute to her mother, who was a great musician. RIP to a beautiful woman and massive talent.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 14:08:12 ET
Posted by: hoops, on the quick, in chicago

Have to tweak some stuff here on the blue. If you post in the next 30 minutes, I'd especially suggest (more than usual) keeping a copy/backup of what you post, say, at least to your clipboard. Don't intend to, but there might be an accidental file over-write. And for the record, yes, I know this page is 20 y.o. technology but the culture and ethos it fosters is ageless and timeless.

Thx.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:54:49 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

Pretty funny - during the Walt "Rap" in Hey 19 is talks about coming to the casino to see Steely Dan ...we roll out the hits one after the other, bam boom ...no obscure weird album cuts ... just the number one material...you leave drained of all your craving.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:43:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

DeaconBlues16--"I will just say that my "source" is something that is frowned upon to discuss at this website."

I will just say, damn that was fast!

;#)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:33:34 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbcRQNHH6M

Apparently, this is the Joe Tex song. I will just say that my "source" is something that is frowned upon to discuss at this website.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:29:19 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Sorry Chris, I didn't notice your link. Well now we have two different versions, I guess.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 13:27:40 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Apparently Blueport is a Gerry Mulligan/Art Farmer song, and that makes sense give the recent openers. Here is is labeled as a tribute to one of my favorite artists, Chet Baker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-TtyPL7v4g

I'd also be curious about what Joe Tex song they did. Skinny Legs and All, maybe?

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:55:40 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Setlist.fm lists "Blueport" as the band opener -- can anyone confirm that the band opened with this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teo--Cml0Wg

It also lists "Joe Tex" as the band intros song - a Joe Tex tune certainly falls in line with the band intro songs of recent years ... but which one?

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/steely-dan/2013/ovation-hall-atlantic-city-nj-3bc6acc4.html

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:55:16 ET
Posted by: Lonnie the Kingpin, The Coast

So glad the Dan is out there in 2013. LOVE the Green Book!! I've been calling for this since EMG came out. I will be there with the boys at the amazing Red Rocks on August 8!! No whining about set lists!!! If you whine, you will be forced to go listen to the crap being spewed out by Bieber and those of his ilk. Go DAN!! Go Mr. Herington!! You all jazz-rock!!

LTK (of '65)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:53:45 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

I sure hope Razor Boy is a staple. Just heard a clip from last night.
Slow piano intro-very jazzy...nice.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:50:38 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Count me in as one of the folks with no complaints setlist wise. Casino sets are historically short on surprises, but they still managed to pull out Razor Boy and Green Book. If I had to guess, I'd say Razor Boy will likely be a staple of the tour and Green Book will be swapped out for another new one or an older staple.

Anyone check out that Carlock solo on Aja from last night? Dude is on FIRE! Every year that this band stays the same, these guys, who now know the tunes inside and out, find ways to throw in tasty nuggets lost on most of the audience. http://youtu.be/dz_8C1kQcNc?t=2m22s

The only thing I was a little surprised to see was that YGTI is the opener again. A great tune and I hope to hear it again when I see them in Boston, but I'm a big fan of the unexpected/rearranged opener (Do It Again in 96, Boston Rag in 00, the instrumental medley>Royal Scam in 07).

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:34:01 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

Deaconblues 16,well said on the set list whining.

I think we need to wait for a few more set lists to make any judgements. I would be satisfied if I heard those songs in Milwaukee...I was really happy in 2011 to hear Gold Teeth and Lunch with Gina as my only new live tunes. After all these years I hope to get two songs that I have
not heard live at a new show.

It is true that most of the audience will want all hits. In 2009 at the Chicago request night I had an all time high when they played Dr Wu...many people left for a bathroom break! I found it mind boggling, but that is the reality. Hardcores can only hope for a few rarites and be happy they are still on tour.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:22:06 ET
Posted by: Dirty Work, Silco Hill

I have spent most of my life in the entertainment industry and in that time I managed a major talent for three decades. Walt and Don are considerable artist with great talent. So much so I am going to do my best to see as many show as I can. You must realize that there is a practical pressure to deliver to your fan base what they want. Young Wu is an artist nightmare. His taste and expectations have become so self indulgent that they are not realistic. I will go tonight with hope. What will I hope for? I hope that the band get's there feeling good. I hope that the audience gets them electrified. I hope that the "shit"starts to happen. That it is one of those nights that it goes past work and we have a good time, band and fans. I will leave the venue going "God that was great! I am so fucking glad I got front row for tomorrow!" and Wu will be going "Mom!!!! you know I like my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut diagonally!!!!". Remember Wu if it's Smuckers it's got to be good.

-Jerry

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:08:33 ET
Posted by: sugarcanepaia, on the dunes

Carlock is a master and i get a tingle when he's plays the solo's on aja.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 12:04:05 ET
Posted by: Kirk , NorCal

With regard to complaints about the set list:
I've got three friends I've been close to for over forty years. When we get together, which is several times a year, a good deal of the conversation is taken up retelling stories we've told each other scores of times before. I find it comforting, enjoyable, and part of the "ceremony" of being together with a group I am proud to belong to.

Scattered throughout our reminiscences are new stories, or stories I haven't heard for a long time. I love those, too.

How does this relate to the Steely Dan set list? It's true I've heard Aja a dozen times in concert. I love it, and would miss it if my "friends" didn't play it. Same is true for the other concert regulars (Peg, Josie, etc.). Mixing in a few surprises adds to the pleasure of spending an evening with WB, DF, and the Band--but even if the set list was identical to last year's set list, I'd love every minute of being with them.

Keep in mind: some day, possibly not so very far off, we won't have the opportunity to bitch about set lists because Time and/or Fate will do to Steely Dan what it does to us all. So enjoy what we have while we have it.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 11:39:53 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Woops I meant half empty. My dyslexia kicked in

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 11:38:31 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

Don sang vox on Greenbook, Walter on Monkey in Your Soul only.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 11:36:18 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Young wu, you are obviously a glass half full kinda guy and your motivation comes from negativity. Nothing wrong with that. But you're misplaced here. A negative opinion on occasion is fine but obsessive negativity on a board of folks who love a band doesn't really fit. Steely Dan isn't our Sunday NFL team who we can love one Sunday and be pissed off the next. They aren't our what have you done for me lately band either. It's unconditional love my brother.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 11:00:58 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

"I bring this up because I just don't want certain people on this board who are expecting the entire Countdown to Ecstasy album, the Second Arrangement, and songs from Sunken Condos and Circus Money every night(or the night they're attending the show) to complain about Fagen/Becker not keeping their promises or that they're feeling ripped off because of some stuff Donald Fagen said in a couple of interviews. (Although I imagine those posters will complain about that type of stuff when/if it comes up anyway). "

Looks like my prediction has come true sooner rather than later...

Reaction to the setlist and reaction to the setlist reaction:

Personally, I can't find too much to complain about. They played two songs they've never played before as far as I know (Razor Boy and Green Book-someone correct me if I've wrong about Green Book). I will say I'm a little surprised that they kept Your Gold Teeth as the opener. I was kind of hoping they'd go in a different direction because a lot of the excitement for me comes from changing up the opening number or seeing them do something different with that like they did with Your Gold Teeth in 2011, The Royal Scam in 2008, and The Boston Rag in 2000. But as someone else mentioned, it's a great opening number in the sense that it features all of the soloists pretty much, and relatively speaking, it's still a rarity. And I'm sure the people at the show enjoyed it.

Since I'll be seeing them this year at an "Aja night" show, I already know a lot of what I'm going to get. But I would be happy with many of the songs they played last night. I could live without Time Out of Mind, Show Biz Kids, and Godwhacker (although the latter two always are good enough in the moment that I'm never disappointed about hearing them), and while the rarity of Green Book is novel, and I know a lot of people here love that song, I'd rather hear something different from EMG or TAN. But I would take any of those songs, not to mention New Frontier (or any DF solo song really), Don't Take Me Alive, and Razor Boy (even if the girls are doing the lead vocals... which I don't consider a bad thing necessarily in the first place). I really hope Razor Boy becomes the Dirty Work/Parker's Band of this tour, simply so I can hear it at my show.

The Dean - I would say Godwhacker has been played A LOT the past few years- enough to become a setlist staple in my opinion, but I agree about the other songs. Gold Teeth only entered the fold last year, New Frontier I believe only played in '08 and the '06 Morph the Cat tour, and as mentioned before, I believe last night was the first time they played Green Book and Razor Boy.

Re Green Book vocals: I think the only "indication" that Walter sang this song was from Steve Gennarelli with this quote: " 'Green Room' may be Walt's song for this tour or it may be a one off." Based on his location apparently being Tampa, I don't think Steve was at the show last night. So unless I missed someone else saying Walter sang the song somewhere, which is entirely possible, we don't have a lot of evidence that Walter sang Green Book. Logically, it makes very little sense that Walter would sing it. It's a "new-age" Dan song, so Donald shouldn't have a personal issue with singing it, as he might have with Dirty Work etc. It can't be a vocal range or quality issue if Walter's singing it over Donald. Walter sang Monkey in Your Soul last night, and in this era of SD touring, he doesn't typically sing more than one song per night. And if they wanted to do a Walter song from Everything Must Go, why not Slang of Ages? So can someone who definitely went to the show last night provide some clarity on the Green Book vocals?

Lastly, I typically don't like to confront people on the Internet or be critical of people, but I'm going to have to break that rule here to an extent. To quote Young Wu:

"This setlist is bad (in my opinion). It's nearly identical to the 2011 setlists. One new Countdown song, and not even sung by Donald. And wow, look at all of those Sunken Condos songs.

I'm sorry, but these guys refuse to take chances when it comes to their live show."'


Well, first of all, they only have two songs off of Countdown they hadn't played before last night, and they played one of them. They also played 5/8 songs from that album last night, more than any other album. And Donald said 1 or 2 Sunken Condos songs, but even then, I still wouldn't get my hopes up. You got a Nightfly tune which is relatively rare these days.

Now I could be wrong and someone please correct me if that's the case, but I believe Young Wu has complained about:

a). Dukes of September 2012 setlists - not playing The Band or The Grateful Dead. It actually makes more sense to me that they wouldn't play songs by those bands and would choose a setlist with more 60's R&B type stuff which they did.
b). Sunken Condos - to the extent that he wrote a lukewarm review of the album on Amazon, but now his post implies disappointment that they didn't play any songs from Sunken Condos??
c). Last night's set list.

So Young Wu has complained about things in kind of a rash way in the past. Now I feel really weird judging someone this strongly and publicly on the Internet, but I think when it comes to Steely Dan, Young Wu either has absurdly high expectations, preconceived notions of certain things that have to be met in an exact way to satisfy him, or both.

More generally, while it might be true that they haven't varied their setlists very much in recent years from show-to-show, it just baffles me that you can complain in the manner in which you're complaining here. Look, they only have 82 officially released songs and can only play 18-21 of them per night. I know they've played solo tunes in the past, they played one last night, and Donald said something in that interview about doing a few Sunken Condos tunes, but they've also expressed some reluctance to do solo tunes in recent years. They played unofficially released material a few times in 2011, and I imagine it took a lot of self-convincing for them to even consider doing those tunes. To quote Donald Fagen again, "we're not as invulnerable to audience response as we'd like to we are." Does that mean they refuse to take chances?

Maybe. Or maybe they just don't take the chances the way a band like the Grateful Dead does (who built their audience through touring unlike Steely Dan who built through radio hits and has an aging fanbase and doesn't have a great window for younger fans who are more open-minded to join the fold). But I'd argue opening with songs like Your Gold Teeth, The Boston Rag, and The Royal Scam could constitute taking chances. Opening with a completely unique version of Reelin' in the Years (the club version in 2009) which was a completely different song with the same lyrics pretty much and not playing the original version (let's remember the original version of Reelin' only became a setlist staple in 2009) to me is adventurous.

You're going to get Peg, Josie, Reelin', Kid Charlemagne, and Hey Nineteen at every show. You're going to get Aja, My Old School, Black Friday (excluding last night), and for some reason, Time Out of Mind, Show Biz Kids, and Godwhacker at most shows these days it seems like. You're going to get a song sung by Walter and by the girls at every show probably. That means, unless they change their style, they only have about 4-6 songs they can play around with. They have a finite amount of songs they're willing to play, and they're going to play enough "hits" to satisfy the audience, even if they play them every night. Does playing these same songs make their setlists stale? I suppose. But it doesn't necessarily mean they don't take chances, and it doesn't mean the setlist is "bad." It just means you know what you're going to get, and if what you're going to get bothers you that much, why go to the show?

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 10:55:11 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

tripstar, Oops!

I think that was before my coffee. Anyway, here 'tis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jdxmeAxYU4

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 10:50:01 ET
Posted by: tripstar,

Dean: it seems you forgot to include the link to the Hawthorne interview.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 10:46:31 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

AMDA, thanks for the explanation. That really does suck. Glad you got to see a great show, though.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 10:30:50 ET
Posted by: Dave (from acquisitions), Philadelphia

any video for razor boy? really excited to see that one on the setlist.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 10:00:32 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, NJ

I just wanted to follow up on my comments last night about operations at the Revel. First, though, the band was great and the sound was perfect.

The problem was that our two seventh row seats did not exist. We were two of many who were sold phantom seats at top dollar, and they had no plan in place to deal with it. Huge confusion on their part, and complaints about the situation were handled by having security tell me to shut up.

I ended up sitting somewhere in the vicinity of my original spot and they felt compelled to seat an obvious plainclothes security goon (probably an AC cop off duty) next to me for the entire show. To top it off, he tried to goad me into an argument/fight by telling me the light from my phone was making it hard for him to enjoy the show and that if I wanted to use it I had to go out in the hall. This in a venue filled with glowing phones ... This was why my setlist updates stopped. I started to feel very threatened, to tell the truth.

Needless to say, this generated a lot of tension but I still loved the show. Given what we paid for our non-existent seats, the venue's handling of the problem - the utter lack of professionalism - and the lack of any apology on their part, I will not go there again.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 09:18:41 ET
Posted by: David, Miami

Joan,

Donald's HuffPost interview - you said there was a lot more you could have included, well please include it in full here for diehard Dans

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 08:41:06 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, 2+ months away

Last 3 1/2 minutes of Aja, Carlock in overdrive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_8C1kQcNc

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 08:35:03 ET
Posted by: dirty work, Silco Hill

I am pretty stoked up for tonight. I have seen these guys from the beginning. I think last nights set list was pretty good. I know some of you want to hear some of the obscure stuff and I don't mind bits of it. I want to hear the good stuff. I can't help thinking I would rather hear a hot don't take me alive than some obscure Walt solo piece . What do I know , I like a really bloated Pretzel Logic or a Horned out Deacon Blue. No accounting for taste ;)

-Jerry

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 08:33:17 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Back to an earlier discussion, here's the Interview where Mayer Hawthorne says he "...wanted to do Steely Dan, but make it sexy" and he also says his new one is a cross between Steely Dan and the Beastie Boys (as was previously posted here) which sounds absolutely horrible to me. But the clips of the songs don't sound as bad as that.

If you are only interested in the SD mentions, they are brief and start at 3:39. Not a bad interview actually. I can't imagine I will have his stuff in my personal collection, but I could tolerate it (maybe even like some of it) if I were subjected to it at a bar/club--based on the little I've heard, of course.

If this clip was already posted, my apologies. I didn't notice it in my very brief search.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 08:16:49 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Here's an Aja clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_8C1kQcNc

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 07:45:51 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa

From the brief sample I found on "You Tube", they made some minor alterations to "Godwacker". But I liked what I heard.
I check "YouTube" daily during the tours to see if fans have
uploaded songs.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 07:25:58 ET
Posted by: mflinn, Boise

I woke with excited anticipation of reading the copious volumes of postings about last night's opener...Alas, like a lot of Christmas mornings I was somewhat disappointed in what was under the tree. I need more! I want more! I deserve more!! Damn you, Santa!! Okay, enough with the childish behavior. When someone has the time I'm sure those of us who are "down the road apiece" would appreciate a fan's description detailing what they saw and heard last night at Revel. We can hardly stands to wait, please August 11th don't be late...ALVINNNNNN!!!

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 07:21:51 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Jazzassin calls the setlist "Quite promising so far, I'd say"

I have to agree. As has already been pointed out, this was a casino show. Typically these shows are shorter and lean heavily on more familiar tunes. Still, right out of the gate, they played (based on the most recent Digest) at least five songs not in the standard setlist on most tours. (Yes Godwhacker was a staple on one tour and New Frontier gets played from time-to-time, but none of these are every-tour standards.)

Gold Teeth 1
New Frontier
Greenbook
Godwhacker
Razor Boy

I find it a bit shocking when so-called Dan fans find a reason to complain no matter what is played.

Maybe we can get a bit more info on the Intro and the Band Intro tunes.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 07:14:52 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Young Wu

I can sort of understand your disappointment with the setlist. I felt the same way about it for awhile, but then came to the realization that Don & Walt can do whatever they want to (in this case, appease the majority). It is their show, after all. As Donald said in the Rolling Stone interview, they don't want beer cans thrown at their heads. Sure, every hardcore Dan fan would love for them to break out all sorts of rarities and perhaps some of their solo stuff as well. Who doesn't want to hear Almost Gothic, Miss Marlene and I Can't Write Home About You live? Maybe they'll throw them in at some point.

As for the girls singing Razor Boy, there can be little doubt that this is done in order to give Donald a short rest for his vocals, as well as showcase their back-up singers.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 06:23:26 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, La la land

Thanks for tweets! I'm really curious about further development of the setlists. Quite promising so far, I'd say. :o)

Stay positive. We live in a world more ore less taken over by gangsters who makes the ones portrayed in "Good Stuff" look like kindergarten uncles, and should be grateful for every moment of joy we get.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 02:55:13 ET
Posted by: Eric, Portland, OR

I can't wait for the Portland, OR show on Aug. 13. It will be the 20th anniversary to the day that Steely Dan came out of retirement to play again! :-) No matter what they play, I'll be there with a smile on my face!

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 02:42:42 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Babylon Sisters from last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5W24xGk53k

... and Josie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ufji1JTQY

Don is sounding strong!

Thanks for the reports and shared excitement, everyone.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 01:48:24 ET
Posted by: horns,

horn are always too low in the mix imo

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 01:34:55 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Hey Young Wu: you're and idiot. Quit posting stupid stuff. Go to bed.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 01:15:37 ET
Posted by: Young Wu,

Oh Sweet! I just read the setlist and they are playing Peg this year. That one always sounds so super fantastic!

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 01:15:28 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

All packed,and ready for 20th&21st shows!
Hope to meet some BBers at either show.
Old hippie with the 93 tour tee.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 01:13:49 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

All packed,and ready for 20th&21st shows!
Hope to meet some BBers at either show.
Old hippie with the 93 tour tee.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:47:57 ET
Posted by: Borneodann, Borneo

Enjoy for all those lucky enough to see one or more shows.... I am with you in spirit! .... am soooo fed up of being stuck in Borneo :(

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:45:49 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkxW7OyD4g

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:43:57 ET
Posted by: Ho-, hum

Set list: nothing to get too excited about. Hopefully, they'll spice it up a bit...SOON! :-)

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:42:21 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Excited about the new shows with fresh songs. Thanks for the updates!
Of course that was the first show, things will change and the core of songs will be similar to the most other shows, duh...
Sure hope Green book will become the new Godwhacker and is played at every show!
Young Wu, are you sure you are that young?
You sound like one of those old, jealous, gnarly stinkers that piss on everything to make themselves look more important.
Also - if you can't handle substances, it's best to not make an ass out of yourself repeatedly.
People here are mostly real and they will call you on your pimple faced little fits every time.

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:36:12 ET
Posted by: dirty work, Silco hill

I will be in Canandaigua and Toronto and points west . (until OCT then points east) So I kinda like this start. I wish some of the post dealt with how the band sounded and such. I will know soon enough anyway. A bit excited for an old guy.

See some of you at CPAC-Jerry

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:04:14 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, In a/c, but not in A.C.

OK, well I too am not overly loving the setlist as it seems all too familiar. Again. Not gonna stop me from catching 5+ in NYC come October of course. Also remember that this was a casino show so more tunes may be added for other venues. Whatever, happy I get to see them at all. Again. Here's a clip from the first gig via youtube, too distant and too short but it's what's out there-(end of Godwhacker):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkxW7OyD4g

Date: Sat, July 20, 2013, 00:02:46 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Thanks to Any Major Dude, At and whoever else was involved in getting us the setlist.

Just one thing, AMD, you say the sound was good (which for me is one of the most important things at a show). I also Googled some reviews for the venue and they are generally positive (with the exception of some obstructed view seats-which are supposedly labeled on the tickets). It is a big large for a Dan concert, IMO, but what turned you so much against it? Was there an incident with security? Were the seats uncomfortable or improperly positioned to the stage? Just wondering.

As has been noted, this setlist isn't set in stone, but typically the bulk of it remains. I'm thinking it is a very good one.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:55:59 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Ok Young Wu. Stop the bitching. My you are something. Yes it would be nice to see a little bit more of a variation with songs not heard before or a lot of times but come on. ....as DF says there are certain songs that if not played the audience would riot. And even though they are much much more relaxed on stage now than in the 70s they are still who they are and not too relaxed on stage. So stop your whining Young Wu and shut it up unless you are going to be more positive. And how young are u young wu. Im probably the youngest on the page. I'm always the youngest at just about any concert I go to. Im 34 and started listening to Steely Dan when I was 17 in 1996. They are my favorite.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:51:53 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

Your Gold Teeth is a perfect opener for the full band, just as it was on much of the 2011 tour, as we witnessed at the August 2011 open at Musikfest in Bethlehem PA. Up tempo, jazzy, infectious grooves. Every player gets a meaty solo, starting with Rosenberg, then Weiskopf, Leonhart, Pugh, Jim Beard, and ultimately Jon Herington for the outtro, paying homage to his favorite guitarist George Benson.

In 2011, they opened with the band, sans Don, Walter, and the ladies, playing Cannonball Adderley's "Dizzy's Business" (Bidness?). Anyone know if the band started with a jazz piece?

Always wondered how they'd arrange Razor Boy without Victor Feldman's (RIP) sublime vibes, but naturally, they worked it out.

Someone here described (opined) the band as "ragged". Opening night jitters? Rust?

You Tube clips on the way?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:35:10 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, Revel Sucks

The Revel is an awfully run venue in terms of seating, management, security, etc. Great sound, great show but I won't be back.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:28:39 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Now, I know I lack the intellectual capacity of understanding and reasoning, and I hope I gave enough thought about this post, but since I'm already out in the weeds, I'm just gonna throw out this unpopular opinion:

This setlist is bad (in my opinion). It's nearly identical to the 2011 setlists. One new Countdown song, and not even sung by Donald. And wow, look at all of those Sunken Condos songs.

I'm sorry, but these guys refuse to take chances when it comes to their live show.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:12:41 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

...not to mention Your Gold Teetch


now am Jonesing for some Austin tix, but will be out of town...

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 23:10:19 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Good to see New Frontier, Green Book and Razor Boy in the setlist.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:54:08 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Thanks Dean. Hopefully I'll be able to process that post in a few days...

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:52:20 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St Augustine Beach

So far so great. Fantastic set.

Do we know that Walt sang Green Book? I'll take Razor Boy any way I can get it. People have to understand Don can't sing every song--Walt and the Girls have to take a turn or the concert will be even shorter. We get to hear songs they wouldn't otherwise play because of the alternate vocalists.

Young Wu, I think what people are getting at is, you don't have to post every thought that comes into your head. You have proven here on multiple occasions you don't process things well that quickly. Think about if for a day or two, then get your thoughts in order before you post. Just a suggestion. You shouldn't have to issue yet another apology here.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:49:24 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Don't Take Me Alive!! Yeah, baby! That one always rocks.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:37:23 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Thanks At, and also to the "official" tweeter. Good work everyone!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:36:28 ET
Posted by: Young Wu,

Matt, I believe before Babylon Sisters.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:36:19 ET
Posted by: at, revel

Yes wu and the official tweeter missed it

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:35:21 ET
Posted by: Matt, NC

When was Razor Boy played?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:35:13 ET
Posted by: AC, AC iPhone

The girls sang Razor Boy!! Was that tweeted?

They Are very ragged tonight-- better review when I'm on a normal keyboard

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:32:04 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

The girls sang Razor Boy?? Come on...

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:30:54 ET
Posted by: at, revel

Tweet misses for razor boy. Women vox

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:24:59 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Does anyone know what the band played before Donald and Walter came on?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:24:55 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Hoops, why the fuck are you looking for a fight with me? When did I say this place sucks? When did I say I want to leave?

Get off my back, dude.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:23:18 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Glad you're leaving Wu. This place does suck. Go somewhere better then.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:22:53 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Steve, I think you're absolutely right. Only thing is that my show starts in 23 hours!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:22:35 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Exactly, Steve. In fact, that's why I always try to get to the first show or two...not uncommon for them to try stuff at the first couple of shows or so and drop'em so I wanna catch'em while I can.

Gold Teeth is an awesome opener.

Hey 19 is obligatory for most audience members at a show.

New Frontier--great!

And I'm just looking at set lists which like making love to a woman blindfolded and limiting body contact to just caressing her hang nail.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:19:59 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Hoops, are you kidding me dude? Again with this crap?

I'm not "with you". I'm not telling you that you're wasting your time. I'm not telling you that you should be bummed out. These are my opinions, and I am not forcing them on others.

"Grow up", dude? For vocalizing a criticism of a band's setlist? Come on, man... that's unfair.

Enough with this.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:15:55 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

I wouldn't bet the farm on these 1st couple of shows.

On recent tours we saw songs like "The Bear" in 2011 and "Gaucho" performed 2-3 prior to that, but those songs were only done maybe 1-2 times on the entire tour.

"Green Room" may be Walt's song for this tour or it may be a one off. I expect some more "rarities" in upcoming shows.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:15:45 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Only major bummer so far for me is Young Wu.

Why in the world would I want to spend my Friday night with someone telling me that I'm wasting my time and should be bummed? Grow up!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:09:52 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Wow... I am incredibly bummed out so far.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 22:04:11 ET
Posted by: Howie, Anaheim

Setlist is lookin' good so far. Nice unpredictable surprises.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:56:38 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, Revel Sucks

New Frontier
Green Book

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:45:37 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, Revel Sucks

Show Biz Kids

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:45:22 ET
Posted by: El Sup, Louisville, KY

If someone who is there would snap a picture or two of the merchandise booth I would be very grateful!

El Sup

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:43:34 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Why are people down on Walters playing. It's not bad. It's still good. Why dog him.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:36:54 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Is walter like 2 years ago. Bidet and seems like he's barely hanging on. I love him but just curious. If was odd to see him out of shape.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:32:44 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, Revel Sucks

Hey 19

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:28:47 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Ahhhh!!! I knew it was gonna happen, but I was praying and praying that Aja could sit out just once.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:25:13 ET
Posted by: Any Major Dude Abides, Revel Sucks

Revel is awful. Band is great. First two songs - YourGold Teeth and Aja.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 21:18:21 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Coming from our awesome twitter dude. Show started a little late it seems.

Your Gold Teeth opens!
(Wasn't expecting to hear this one again.)

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:52:33 ET
Posted by: live , feed

https://mobile.twitter.com/djs495

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:47:07 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Keep it up, At! You're a hero!!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:44:34 ET
Posted by: ar, revel

Of you can get my twitter from the pic below look for updates. Long as nobody complains

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:42:33 ET
Posted by: Matt, NC

You the man, At.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:40:40 ET
Posted by: at, revel

Do we need a tweeter still ?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:39:03 ET
Posted by: El Sup, Louisville, KY

Thanks for doing this AT!

El Sup

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:31:07 ET
Posted by: Matt , NC

Keep us posted, At...

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:20:59 ET
Posted by: at, revel

Beatles cover. Hold your hand

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:13:16 ET
Posted by: at, revel

Opening act just came on unannounced. Trio

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:08:12 ET
Posted by: at , revel

View from orchestra seats http://t.co/sZCi0Co9c6

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 20:02:24 ET
Posted by: Have Dan Will Travel, Louisville

My fantasy setlist would begin with reelin and close with bodhisattva. Whatever is in the middle I'll savor.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 18:06:03 ET
Posted by: SS, Silicon Valley

Hey Joan,

Nice piece with DF. Pays to have a journalist-fan here at the Blue.

Fantastic that the tour is getting underway. Sadly, I'm on a plane later tonight for Hong Kong.

Enjoy the shows !

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 17:15:52 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Why am I getting a special mention in that very demanding post?

And Luke, people have been putting up fantasy setlists on the Blue for years. So excuse us if we just completely ignore you.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 17:09:19 ET
Posted by: Luke,

Please stop putting up you fantasy play lists. It's going to get confusing when the real set list gets put up later on tonight. Plus, nobody gives a shit about what you want to hear. That goes for you as well, Young Wu!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 16:34:00 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I can understand Walter's reluctance, sadly, to play his solo songs. The closest thing we had to an internet meme in 1996 was the SD website talking up, not unkindly, people going to the bathroom during his songs. Which is a shame.

This is why we should all do what I've done since 2003 -- take the "Peg Break." We've heard the song on every tour, why not hit the commode during that tune? We might get a "Paging Audrey" (perfect for large sheds) out of it.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 16:04:54 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

1. Black Cow
2. Babylon Sisters
3. Here at the Western World
4. Cousin Dupree
5. Any Major Dude
6. Weather in My Head
7. Josie
8. King of the World
9. Aja
10. IGY
11. Hey Nineteen
12. Home at Last
13. Bodhisattva
14. Haitian Divorce (Walter)
15. Do it Again
16. Peg

E:

17. Kid C
18. My Old School

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 15:28:43 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Here's my guess for tonight. Kinda hoping I'm wrong with a few of these. Really hoping all these Countdown songs actually come to fruition.

1. Time Out of Mind
2. Black Friday
3. King of the World
4. Bad Sneakers
5. Hey Nineteen
6. Miss Maureen
7. Pearl of the Quarter/Razor Boy
8. Bodhisattva
9. Band Intros song
10. Becker song (really no idea where they'll go)
11. Parker's Band (girls)
12. Aja
13. Josie
14. Peg
15. Don’t Take Me Alive
16. Kid Charlemagne

17. My Old School
18. Reelin' in the Years

Counting down the hours!!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 15:05:21 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Joan, what a great article. I've been anticipating it for a while since you mentioned it maybe a month ago and it did not disappoint. I hope Fagen follows through with some Sunken Condos tunes. Weather In My Head sounded great on Letterman. I thought Carlock added quite a bit of energy to it.

Let's also hope West of Hollywood makes an appearance.

I suspected the band worked off of the widely circulated bootlegs of The Bear and The Second Arrangement for the rarities show. I wonder if their recent availability via youtube is what spurred the idea for a rarities night in the first place?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 14:42:45 ET
Posted by: Greg M, nyc

If Slinky, would Freddie play an upright?

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 14:33:41 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

If you've followed my posts here over the past few years, you hopefully know that I'm one of the main setlist prognosticators as well as one of the bigger defenders of setlist choices. If you haven't followed my posts or have but totally disagree with that assessment, that's how I perceive myself in this context, and I'll rely on the self-perception a bit in this post.

So as much as I've been optimistic and defensive about setlist choices, I hope everyone can temper their expectations a little bit. Let's remember that these interviews weren't necessarily given right before the tour even though that's when they were published. So they might've changed their minds since the interviews. And one show might get some "rarities," but another show might get a more "run-of-the-mill" type show. Donald Fagen even said in the Rolling Stone interview: "we're not as invulnerable to audience response as we'd like to think we are." (If you've heard the audience response to the original Here At the Western World from Boca Raton in 2009, that quote might explain why it's rarely played). On top of all that, according to certain posters on this board as well as visual evidence of official typed setlists, they're liable to skip songs they have planned.

I bring this up because I just don't want certain people on this board who are expecting the entire Countdown to Ecstasy album, the Second Arrangement, and songs from Sunken Condos and Circus Money every night(or the night they're attending the show) to complain about Fagen/Becker not keeping their promises or that they're feeling ripped off because of some stuff Donald Fagen said in a couple of interviews. (Although I imagine those posters will complain about that type of stuff when/if it comes up anyway).

Having said all that, it really does sound like we're going to hear Razor Boy and King of the World at the very least. Historically, they'll play the more varied and original (at the time of its being played) setlists towards the beginning of the tour, so for those who are attending some of the early shows, do your best to make sure Donald and Walter know those songs are loved.

Now after arguing against relying on pre-tour conjecture for expectations, I have another potential game for those interested, but there's a very finite amount of time for it. It's called predict the opening night setlist. Now, I'm a little uncomfortable doing this because I'm not sure that level of conjecture would be appreciated by the duo or even by many posters on here, but my current boredom (really slow day at work today) and eager anticipation for the tour outweighs whatever apprehension I might have about making the projection... whoever picks the closest to what's actually played gets my undying admiration until I forget about the fact I even made this post/started this game. If anyone wants to sweeten the "prize pool," feel free. Bonus points for correct or close to correct order. Anyway, my picks:

1. Aja
2. Time Out of Mind
3. Black Friday
4. Hey Nineteen
5. King of the World
6. Godwhacker
7. Bad Sneakers
8. Two Against Nature
9. Razor Boy
10.Bodhisattva
11.Show Biz Kids
12.Slinky Thing (the previous post has me extremely optimistic)
13.Monkey in Your Soul (Walter Becker lead vocals)
14.Band Intro song
15.Dirty Work
16.Black Cow
17.Josie
18.Peg
19.Kid Charlemagne
20.Reelin' in the Years (Encore)
21.My Old School (Encore)

Okay, probably too many songs, but those are my picks. Who else wants to play?

Happy Mood Swings tour!!! Have a great time for those who are attending tonight!

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 12:39:33 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, in the shade

Greg,
Interesting observations and speculations. My bet is you're spot-on.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 12:23:54 ET
Posted by: Greg M, nyc

"Really great to hear that Donald is going
to do 2 songs from SC this tour!"

INDEED. But that fact that they are rehearsing them doesn't mean they will actually get played....

HOWEVER, I was scoping a recent pic of KC's rehearsal drum kit posted on Facebook, and it appears to have a tambourine attached as well as a tiny drum next to his hi-hat. Both *new* items to his Dan setup.

So, I'm not sure where in the SD catalog there is a tambourine struck with a stick (as opposed to being shaken, and usually by M. Leonhart). But tambourine hits do appear on a few tunes on SC - SLINKY (more light-more light-more liiiight section) as well as MARLENE.

And that tiny drum could either be a small timbale for use frankly any song in the catalog - or it could even be a minuscule snare drum. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's tantalizing. If it's a snare, it COULD be used to mimic some of the dry, small "snare" sounds on SC (again, see SLINKLY).

Just speculating.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 10:41:26 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe

Fantastic read Joan!!!!!!!!!

Thank for doing such a great job for all of
us uber fans here!!!!!!

Really great to hear that Donald is going
to do 2 songs from SC this tour!

Looking forward to the reports from
tonight!

Have a great time all, wish I could be there.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 09:58:40 ET
Posted by: Ports, Minneapolis

Tonight's the night! I am in a quandry about looking at the set lists.

I am making the trip to Milwaukee in a week and I can't decide if I want to wait a week without the Blue in order to hear the show with no set list info...except that I know they will do Hey 19 and I'll get the obligitory rambling Walter story...which I am so over with.

Oh crap who am I kidding. I'll be on the Blue tonight hoping to see something new. I can only hope it is as good as Gold Teeth from 2011. Bring it on boys.

Date: Fri, July 19, 2013, 07:46:00 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, still here

Good morning, ladies & gangsters!

No particular subject that made me attack the keyboard today, even after a couple of months of silence, just a few "yippee!"s and a few "thank you!"s.

Because no comments doesn't mean we're not lurking in the bushes on a daily basis; we certainly are.

Thanks a lot to Michael, Funkaholic, Tripstar and all others who provided links to, and hints about, many a good song and ditto artists lately. I've checked out all of them, and some have impressed me a lot. Even if I disagree to all attempts to even compare them to the real thing, I recognize all of it as quality music far beyond average.
One name in particular shall be mentioned; namely The 1957 Tail Fin Fiasco, who has become a real favorite of mine. I'm not exactly floored, but they have a certain charm, humor and obvious cleverness that makes me spin their mini album quite often, actually.

Even the vaguest smell of a possible new SD album in the future is great news, and it seems, according to several interviews with Donald Fagen lately, that it might (but just might, of course) happen after all. Yippee!

Also, I look forward to include the bound copy of Donald's writings to my bookshelf this fall. A modest, but suitable birthday present for myself being released just a few days before this ol' wreck turns fifty. Yippee!

And one more yippee; Donald says they might add some rarely or never played songs to their setlists this year, maybe even some full album nights of CTE or perhaps even PL! Hello? This is almost too good to be true of course, even for a EuroDanFan who won't be able to attend any 2013 shows, but the living will see. In this age of unlimited technological possibilities I'm sure all of us who can't be present physically will get the pleasure of at least being able to listen to a lot of what happens via certain internet services. Thanks in advance to all of you with a recording device and/or a hidden cam.

Last but not least, a big thank you to Security Joan for another great Dan article/ Don interview. You're the best.
And of course to Hoops for providing a place to find it all!

It's D-day. Now, get that setlist tweeted tonight, someone!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 22:33:24 ET
Posted by: DocMu,

Fabulous work, Joan. I particularly enjoyed how the interview was woven into the fabric of the article narrative and background. It makes for entertaining storytelling.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 22:07:08 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Joan, I doubt you were babbling--but remember, it's the results that count.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 21:17:09 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Closing in on pancake day

Dean - You are too kind. If you heard what I babbling idiot I sounded like interviewing DF, you might reassess your opinion!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 20:08:46 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Just back from a little vacation and haven't had time to catch up with everything yet. I did get to read Joan's interview with Don and, as always, it is fabulous. Nobody writes, or interviews, better than Joan when it comes to Dan-related stuff. Her pieces are always a joy to read. No pandering and free of cliches.

Also, I read the Rolling Stone interview and can't see where Don disses Mike and/or Boz. Where did Contact Mag get that idea?

Very excited to see the setlist and especially to hear the boys are "considering" Countdown, Pretzel or possibly one of the new ones. Doesn't sound like they are all-in on any one in particular, but I expect to get a few surprises this tour. Although I doubt St Augustine is a venue where they will get too risky. Still excited to see them, though.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 19:36:55 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

No worries, Joan.

News of your interview is VERY MUCH worth repeating!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 19:29:54 ET
Posted by: Inattentive Security Joan, oops

Sorry about last post... should've noticed Hoops already had put up that link!!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 19:27:22 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, A.C. bound

Okey doke, my Donald Fagen interview piece is now live on Huff Post... there was MUCH more I could have included, but have to keep these pieces tight and within word count limits: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-k-smith/on-the-eve-of-the-mood-sw_b_3613414.html

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 19:12:11 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Still Soggy SoBe

AND THE REALLY BIG NEWS OF THE DAY???????????

"And Fagen said he isn’t ruling out playing a fourth album from the Steely Dan catalog at some point in the tour."

“We noticed that the other day we were learning a couple older songs that we haven’t done live previously,” he said. “And we realized we had yet another album where we knew all the songs. So we could actually play another album from beginning to end, which we might just spring on the audience some night.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 17:51:39 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

The most revealing part is that I always thought her first name was "Security"!

"As the 'Mood Swings' Tour Opens, a Conversation With Steely Dan's Donald Fagen"

Steely Dan is proving itself one of the 21st century's most consistent, and unfailingly impressive, touring acts.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-k-smith/on-the-eve-of-the-mood-sw_b_3613414.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications

Awesome, Joan K. Smith!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 17:46:00 ET
Posted by: SDV, Dylan on Dan

what did Dylan ever have to say about Steely Dan?

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 17:18:51 ET
Posted by: Howie, Anaheim, CA

Yes, I agree. I'm not going to bed tomorrow night until the full setlist is finally revealed.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 15:49:19 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Please tell me we have someone to do setlist updates during the show tomorrow... please!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 15:25:36 ET
Posted by: Can't Buy A Thrill,

Scratch the last post.

Just Donald being Donald.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 15:15:54 ET
Posted by: Can't Buy A Thrill,

Regarding Donald's diss of Bob Dylan, I wonder if he's following Joni Mitchell's example. That Canadian interviewer guy interviewed her. She explained why she thought Dylan was over-rated and also explained earlier remarks about his being a plagiarist. His Modern Times album lifts a lot of lyrics from a certain book, as I recall.

Of course, Bob Dylan has implied once on his radio show that he's not too fond of Steely Dan either.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 14:40:46 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Funk, but if that were to happen, it would no longer be Donald's artistic expression but rather someone else's who's clearly trying to imitate him.

It's funny because you can clearly discern certain phrases where Ed Motta is liberally lifting ideas from other songs. One of the song intros sounds exactly like Sailing by Christopher Cross, another song has a harmonic passage that's oh-so-close to the transitional harmonic passage after the chorus concludes in The Second Arrangement (which itself is similar to that four chord passage which precedes the opening vamp in Josie). Still another song's Rhodes rhythm is lifted directly from Peg. Etc.

Borrowing ideas is not uncommon even for Don & Walt (you've gotta start somewhere). However, much of Ed's writing comes off more like fanboyish plagarism -- he doesn't have his own identity and there's where I take issue.

Speaking of plagarism, here's a good example.

Rita Lee - Lanca Perfume
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nY31bga-GY

When the full arrangement kicks into gear, it's What A Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 13:49:03 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

I have a feeling the questions were irrelevant and they caught him at a bad moment. They're well traveled ground, to be sure, but the guy seems pretty respectful and maybe even a fan of the bad in the Fagen portion ...

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 12:48:29 ET
Posted by: CJB, I-90, eastbound

Razor Boy? Boston Rag? Pearl? OH YEAH.

Also, in Walter's defense, he's batting cleanup, and Rolling Stone's interviewer, all protestations to the contrary, is trying to run right back over well-travelled ground. Better questions, IMHO, might have led to a less cranky Walter and more revealing answers.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 12:36:48 ET
Posted by: Funkaholic1972, The Hague

@Michael:

I also believe DF's compositions are stronger in general, and of course he is the originator of that sound. So yeah: total win for "The Don" in this punch out!

But if you take for example Sunken Condos (which I enjoyed quite a lot) and gave me the opportunity to edit/change that album by replacing a few songs from SC with the most appealing tracks from AOR (but then sung and performed by DF), I would most likely do so. I like Ed's music that much, I personally think he has pretty much nailed the DF sound on AOR...

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 12:32:17 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

...also, shit, Becker is in a sour mood in that interview.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 12:22:04 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Anyone see this article? There's potentially some big news here ... possible spoilers as well. Take a look:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/steely-dan-on-making-new-music-weve-been-talking-20130718

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 12:01:59 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Funkaholic

I concur. It's good to see more artists attempting to preserve this style of music. However, I disagree with your opinion about Ed Motta's music being more appealing. It's similar in terms of arrangement and production but the songwriting isn't quite as strong as SD's.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 11:36:52 ET
Posted by: Tour, PR Interview

http://www.fltimes.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_76e7d966-efba-11e2-8de4-0019bb2963f4.html

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 11:27:52 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Wow... so fucking excited for the tour starting tomorrow. Never before played songs??!! Super pumped.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 10:46:27 ET
Posted by: Kenny, i

It's one thing to choose a stage name, but why one that is as hard to pronounce as Mayer Hawthorne? No flow. Ironically his real name, Andrew Cohen, couldn't be easier.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 10:38:11 ET
Posted by: Funkaholic1972, The Hague

@Michael: I think DF and WB look at their "imitators" with amusement. Who wouldn't be flattered if someone else is copying our style?

And I think especially Ed Motta did an excellent job with his "AOR" album, I think his songs are not far removed from the quality of Donald's songs, some of them might even be better/more appealing! If I was Donald I would be proud to see he has inspired a new generation, especially in these difficult times for "real music"

I for one am happy to have found out about a younger artist who can fill some of the SD void, when our aging heroes won't be able to produce new music anymore...

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 08:59:52 ET
Posted by: Michael,

I have to wonder how Don & Walt feel about all their imitators. Although they try to mimic SD's arranging style, particularly their late-70's output, in terms of songwriting, lyrics and performace they cannot hold a candle. Nevertheless, art doesn't exist in a vacuum and it's good to see artists take inspiration from quality music for a change.

RE the Donald interview: I never understood why Bob Dylan was considered great. His singing is beyond-awful and his songwriting is bland. So he wrote a few clever lyrics, so what? Lyrics alone do not make for a great song.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 07:32:11 ET
Posted by: Steve M, Scotland

Re: RE Mayer Hawthorne: I was intrigued when I read an interview where he said his new album would be "a cross between Steely Dan and Beastie Boys". Less Motown and more LA, the production work of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Here is an obvious attempt to break into the big pop league. This tune has an intro/chorus thing going that borders plagiarism:

...Pegtastic!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 05:56:01 ET
Posted by: tripstar,

New SD album coming??? For those like myself who have lost hope of ever seeing SD live (unless they decide to cross the pond one last time, which seems unlikely), that's such great news!! Wet Side Story, Cash Only Island, The Bear, The 2nd Arrangement... one can only dream. Something to look forward to. Make it quick, time is running out!!! And of course the new album IS worth discussing, even if it is still just a faint "smell", though I understand that most US posters are excited about the tours right now. I wish you all a happy SD summer/fall! Enjoy it while you can!

RE Ed Motta: a big man in more than one sense. Jazz/funk-infused pop with a Brasilian tinge... Yummy. Lots of great music behind him, but this last album pays homage to SD in an even more obvious way, as has been noted here. This is a fine example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjlCO7_iDFI&list=FLzKRL7mztHQCXtCd191w_mw&index=1

RE Mayer Hawthorne: I was intrigued when I read an interview where he said his new album would be "a cross between Steely Dan and Beastie Boys". Less Motown and more LA, the production work of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Here is an obvious attempt to break into the big pop league. This tune has an intro/chorus thing going that borders plagiarism:

http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/06/13/mayer-hawthorne-new-song-reach-out-richard/

Still, it's a good thing IMHO that so many current big names are acknowledging a SD influence, even if the results in practice are inevitably somewhat decaffeinated when compared to the real thing.

And it's beginning to look like a trend: check out French electro/dance duo Daft Punk's "Fragments of Time", where they went for a "70's West Coast vibe" and which has drawn comparisons by reviewers with the likes of the Doobies, Fleetwood Mac and especially Steely Dan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3bMERyIUWo

It helps to employ Omar Hakim, Nathan East, Paul Jackson Jr (lovely rhythm guitar on this track's minimalistic verses) and pedal steel extraordinaire Greg Leisz... Not a bad move for the veritable kings of vocoder/synth-driven dance music. If this is a sign of where big pop is going... well, it could be a lot worse.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 04:30:37 ET
Posted by: Dan Fan, Florida

If anyone cares: The September eighth show at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is officially sold-out. Should be a fun night!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 01:29:29 ET
Posted by: The Captain, San Jose CA

Well Mr. Taylor I noticed while there you do live large in new Orleans!
I never heard the Kulee song? And a few others mentioned I guess I'm just very familiar with everything up to Aja. I have time before Aug. 18th is there any one album I should be listening to or maybe more than one.
Hard to say what I'd love to hear specifically : Hatian Divorce (a maybe) , My Old School (very likely they'll play it) , Boddeshatva (possible), songs from Pretzel Logic (maybe).
El Capitan

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 01:00:35 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

That Rolling Stone interview was likely given to Boz Scaggs' kid Austin, so that's ... interesting.

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 00:22:11 ET
Posted by: hey ravel, yo

check out the king http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2hiDYE5Qdw

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 00:16:29 ET
Posted by: hey doc, yo

i eat red onions almost everyday - are they good for you?

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 00:14:29 ET
Posted by: id go nutz, if

.. . . they played mr sam!!!

Date: Thurs, July 18, 2013, 00:12:26 ET
Posted by: ??, tell me

anybody get the mark masters tribute cd?

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 23:54:14 ET
Posted by: Luke,

Doc Mu What's up that Fagen interview you just posted below? Is that from The Onion?

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 23:24:32 ET
Posted by: Revel, Bound

The only problem I have tweeting it is that it may annoy the person sitting next to me. Thoughts?

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 22:17:20 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Wha? SC is a classic. Hope the actually dip into the 21st Century



don't let us get bored Donald!

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 21:40:24 ET
Posted by: tommytomato, cols, oh

Anybody tweeting the opening night set list?

As far as the band breaking out any "never played live" songs on this tour...highly unlikely...but anything is possible.

Hopefully no "Sunken Condo's" stuff.

Steely Dan tour...play Steely Dan songs.

Give me that "Green Book"

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 21:12:42 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Ouch with the mood swings:

http://www.contactmusic.com/story/donald-fagen-blasts-boring-dylan-mcdonald-scaggs_3767826


That Dylan influence was indeed just lyrics only!


Guess an eventual Dukes of December is out...



Big fan of Kulee, Can't Write Home About You, Bear, Talking Bout My Home, 2ndA and the other leftovers with the kewl jazzy chord progressions of that period. The related title track of the Nightfly is a nice case in point.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 20:00:02 ET
Posted by: Soul Monkey, Louisville

All I need are Here at the Western World and Razor Boy.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 18:22:37 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Yes, El Capitan we live pretty large here in Louisiana. We'll be going to see the Dan in Louisville, Houston and Memphis on this tour. Would like to go to NYC, but the dates were announced too late for me to get plans(and money!)together.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 13:55:35 ET
Posted by: The Captain, San Jose CA

Thanks for the set list advice guys!
To David Crosby - what am I hiding from ? Why "Wooden Ships" of course David!
Pedro- my friend went to the same Sting concert and said the venue did indeed suck- it's worth going to Reno even though it forces me to take the next day off from work.
It seems The dan has a serious following in Baton Rouge- I was there a couple years ago for the LSU-Florida game plus throw in NOLA to boot- first time there and I had a great time. You know you're in a civilized city when they let you take your drinks with you and walk in the streets! Plus I'm a big LSU fan even though I live in San Jose and grew up in Boston!
Geaux Tigers!
El Capitan

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 12:00:10 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2013/07/steely_dans_donald_fagen_and_w.html

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 11:27:31 ET
Posted by: Michael,

BTW, I tried learning Kulee Baba awhile ago (the demo version) on piano and it's deceptively difficult due to the unorthodox harmonies. It's complex even by their standards, kind of like how The Second Arrangement or Babylon Sisters tend to keep moving into uncharted territory, often venturing outside the confines of a tonal center, without sounding 'unnatural' or forced. Believe me, that takes REAL skill to pull off effectively. They make it sound effortless.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 09:39:51 ET
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KY

I love Kulee Baba. And I would love to hear it live particularly because I am curious to hear what kind of horn arrangement they had in mind for it. Also was the instrumental break going to be a guitar or sax solo? That would be great to hear.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 09:12:43 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Luke

Kulee Baba is a lame tune, you say? *sigh*

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 08:19:18 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

http://www.setlist.fm/search?query=steely+dan

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 08:08:34 ET
Posted by: David Crosby, this ship

Oh, Captain, what are you hiding from?

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 02:39:33 ET
Posted by: SDV, up on the hill

Almost Gothic was played only once i believe, on 6/11/00 in Albuquerque. Can't find a full setlist.

Lunch With Gina was debuted on the EMG tour of 2003, fittingly. Hope it makes the cut again this tour.

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 02:09:20 ET
Posted by: Larry, Dunkirk

Can anyone tell me whereabouts in the set lists Almost Gothic was played in 2000? Does anyone have a set list of that show?

Date: Wed, July 17, 2013, 01:33:28 ET
Posted by: Luke,

Maybe they didn't complete it because it was pretty a pretty lame tune

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 22:39:34 ET
Posted by: just say no to luke, WTF

i can't believe how many steely "FANS" don't know a great song or more importantly - HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR!

KULLE BABA IS A WONDERFUL TUNE WITH HYSTERICAL LYRICS- um, that's steely dan.

if they ever completed it, it would have been even more amazing.

love,
jsntl

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 19:50:48 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Yes it was before sept. Lunch with Gina was first done Aug 2011

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 18:57:52 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

Hackeysack, that Gina in St. Louis must have been before Sept. 2011,
while I was quite toasted, I don't believe I hallucianated it. PS:
Spelling is not DYLYNFANS strength.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 17:52:18 ET
Posted by: Pedro, San Francisco

Hey, Captain..You made a good choice on not selecting the America's Cup venue to see Steely Dan. We saw Sting performing there last month and the venue really does suck. The weather got icy cold at night and those folding chairs are tightly squeezed together. It was very uncomfortable. Also, extra long lines at the entrance gate and the food was hugely overpriced.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 17:35:31 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Captain: Ifn you go to the Archives to the summer/fall of 2011 and do "control F" and type in "set list," you should hit Steely Dan gold for set lists. Others more savvy than I may know where set lists are to be found more conveniently.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 17:26:52 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Captain: That is the $64,000 question. The set list is not known at this time. Much speculation, Sturm und Drang is attendant to trying to read the tea leaves, as it were, and discern the contents of the sacred list. Try back the evening of June 19, 2013. All will be revealed, at least for that night!

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 17:13:04 ET
Posted by: The Captian, San Jose, CA

Guys and Dolls,
I love your enthusiasm about the Dan but can someone (or someones) please post a set list.
I'm used to going to Bruce's Backstreets web site and getting every set list the E Streeters ever played - getting a Steely Dan one has been impossible except for some real old ones.
I got tickets to see them in Reno and am really looking forward to the show. I was going to go to San francisco but a friend warned me off it saying the America's cup venue is a shitty one and besides the dan is best seen at an indoor venue!
The Captain

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 15:36:17 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

They played lunch with Gina in St louis in 2011. After the sing df said that was the first time they've ever played that one. To be honest it wasn't the smoothest of the song but was still good df was on Melodica

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 15:26:02 ET
Posted by: Aja1, Newton

Agree with Michael's assessment of Mayer Hawthorne. But I will say his albums are the only current non-SD, DF, WB cd's that I've purchased in a long long time. They are catchy tunes and I highly recommend at least his first two for a modern take on Motown. Good summer songs.

I had no idea that he was a SD fan, so I chuckled when I saw the title of that article. Just when I thought I had found some new music that wasn't directly connected with SD...

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 13:17:05 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe - Who'll Stop The Rain?

CJB,

Enjoy the trip! Sounds like fun.
The lovely "Book Of Liars" has been
played numerous times live and can even
be found on "AIA".

Not sure if this has ever been posted
here before, but Ellen Kaye actually
covered "Book Of Liars" on her CD,
Ice Wine (Songs for Christmas & Dark Winter Nights)

Here is a live version from the Iridium
in NYC:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZm4D_JZLLwý

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 13:09:15 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

Hey Barney from Bedrock, they played Gina the last time I saw them,
at the iconic Tower Theater in Philly in September of 2011. And you
are correct, it KILLED live! ps: Due to the loss of a quite a few
brain cells, I may have this date FCKD UP!

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 13:05:20 ET
Posted by: anymanleft, Rio Grande

Ernie u, the venue in Bethlehem Pa is different this tour. Last time it was outside, this time inside. Same general area in Bethlehem though

My choices, same as James Taylor's.And not just because I like the name!

Can't Buy A Thrill
-Kings

Countdown to Ecstasy
King of the World

Pretzel Logic
Barrytown

Katy Lied
Rose Darling

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 11:56:16 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Mayer Hawthorne is definitely not in the same ballpark as Steely Dan. He's got a few interesting chord progressions and such but the production quality is nowhere near SD, nor are the lyrics (from what I could hear in those iTunes previews). But I give him some credit for not being merely another vapid contemporary clone.

Ed Motta I've known about since the 90's; I own several of his albums. The SD influence is prominent in much of his work, his earliest being the best. However, from listening to the preview clips of his new AOR album, this might be a good return to form after his last few albums which weren't so hot.

If Don and Walt do work on another album, work wouldn't begin until sometime after they conclude this tour, so it's not even worth discussion right now.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 11:41:14 ET
Posted by: 88 Fingers Louie, Bedrock

From that list I would pick:

- Can't Buy A Thrill: "Only a Fool Would Say That" - (but any of these would be a thrill to hear live, proving that you can, in fact, buy a thrill)

- Countdown To Ecstasy: "King of the World" - it rocks and would work very well in concert (it did in the 70's tours)

- Pretzel Logic: "Charlie Freak" - what a surprise this would be, and it has a nice sing-song quality and beat that would sound great live I think.

- Katy Lied: "Your Gold Teeth II" - Not sure about it live (they did play some of it as an instrumental back in the day), but I just like this one. Hope they record "Your Gold Teeth III" for the potential new album.

- Extra: Although it was played (rarely), "Lunch with Gina" - Why they don't play this all the time I don't know. Seems like it would be great live. Shouda been a single.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 11:09:46 ET
Posted by: Funkaholic1972, The Hague

One last thing about Ed Motta's AOR album: it is available in English and Portuguese version.

I have only listened to the Portugese version as that is the only one available in my country at the moment. But supposedly the album is meant to be in English...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S2CZJHWF7c

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 09:56:36 ET
Posted by: Have Dan Will Travel, Louisville

If you don't like Steely Dan, I don't like you. Never heard of this guy but will be checking his album out:

http://www.spin.com/#articles/mayer-hawthorne-where-does-this-door-go-interview/

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 09:17:00 ET
Posted by: Oscar, Q

I'm always cognizant of how something is received by the audience and that most of the people in attendance probably never heard this or that 70s album cut. So while it would be cool to hear Brooklyn, Rose Darling, etc. my enthusiasm would be tempered by the "wtf?" reaction of the crowd and that the real excitement is with some bluebooker home on his computer reading a Twitter feed.

Date: Tues, July 16, 2013, 08:39:03 ET
Posted by: Funkaholic1972, The Hague

One more rave about Brasilian singer/musician Ed Motta, who's new album "AOR" should be right up the alley of your average Steely Dan fan.

IMHO it is the best SD/DF album that wasn't made by our heroes themselves. It's got the songwriting, the sound, the horns, the arrangements, the catchiness, hell, even the guitar solos sound like they were designed by Larry Carlton!

The only 'complaint' you could possibly make about the album is that it is too short, and that it sounds too much like Steely Dan (as if that would be a bad thing!).

People that dug Snarky Puppy should definately look into Ed's new album! Tip of the year...

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 22:24:58 ET
Posted by: CJB, Boise, Idaho Road Trip, General Admission, Front Row!

Barrytown, Brooklyn, Western World.

Solo? Weather in My Head ('cuz it's been rehearsed and played, albeit on Lame Over-the-Hill Talk Show), Miss Marlene. Maybe, if I'm dreaming, Book of Liars. Or anything from the Circus Monkey.

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 21:18:23 ET
Posted by: Abu, Reading last year's papers

My votes:

Fire in the Hole, King of the World, Barrytown, and Throw Back the Little Ones.


Abu

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 21:08:35 ET
Posted by: James Taylor- Baton Roge, Hello Baton Rouge

Can't Buy A Thrill
-Kings

Countdown to Ecstasy
King of the World

Pretzel Logic
Barrytown

Katy Lied
Rose Darling

My bet on what they will actually play if, as promised, they do more than one new oldie....KOTW and RD. Why? I hear horns.

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 19:03:25 ET
Posted by: El Sup, Louisville, KY

I'll play.

CBAT - Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
CTE - Razor Boy
PL - Barrytown
KL - Your Gold Teeth II

I don't think they ever did Negative Girl from 2vN or Green Book from EMG. I'll take those as my bonus picks!

El Sup

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 18:48:24 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Gothis...Gothic Gina...Regina

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 18:47:02 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

I can tell you they definitely did Lunch With Gina...or Regina..whichever you prefer. Not sure about Gothis. I know they did LWG at least twice on the EMG tour.

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 18:39:18 ET
Posted by: Regina Stasis,

Deacon Blue -

Did they do "Almost Gothic" and "Lunch with Regina" live?

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 16:03:07 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

As far as songs played never-before played (or not known to have been played since the 1993 reunion), we're pretty much limited to the first four albums. (I think they've played every song from Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go at least once, with the exception of Green Book and Negative Girl. They've also played the original version of Here At the Western World at least once; maybe a couple of times, I can't remember off the top of my head, but they played it in Boca Raton in 2009). So here are the songs not known to have been played by album since the 1993 reunion (not including solo material or the two aforementioned songs from the 00's albums):

Can't Buy A Thrill

-Kings
-Fire in the Hole
-Only a Fool Would Say That
-Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)
-Change of the Guard
-Turn that Heartbeat Over Again

Countdown to Ecstasy

- Razor Boy
- King of the World

Pretzel Logic

-Barrytown
-Charlie Freak
-With A Gun
-Through with Buzz


Katy Lied

-Rose Darling
-Your Gold Teeth II
-Throw Back the Little Ones

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those are the only songs that haven't been played at least once from their 70's albums since the 1993 reunion.

So here's the game... choose one of those songs from each of those albums you'd most like to hear live. My choices:

CBAT: Kings -- it's between Kings and Fire in the Hole, and I'd like to hear a re-creation of the Kings guitar solo. Brooklyn gets honorable mention here as well.

CTE: King of the World -- tough tough choice; I honestly think that both of these songs are among the top 3 or 4 of the "unplayed" songs. But ultimately, I think they could do more live with King of the World and change it up to make it really work well live to their liking.

PL: Barrytown - easy choice; none of the other songs thrill me too much live or at least as much as hearing this one.

KL: Your Gold Teeth 2 - similar to Barrytown on Pretzel Logic, I just think this is a better overall song than the other options.

Anyone else want to play?

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 12:14:03 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Hoops - Fire In The Hole would be great! I'd also love to hear the original version of Here At The Western World and or Gaucho (Donald singing).

Date: Mon, July 15, 2013, 10:31:23 ET
Posted by: Ernie, u

On the bus into NYC this weekend, I saw a Billboard advertising the Bethlehem, PA show. Anyone know if it's at the same venue as the 2011 tour?

Date: Sun, July 14, 2013, 23:34:49 ET
Posted by: hoops, On the kwik

My vote for what I'd like to hear as a new, never-before played track goes to Only A Fool Would Say That or Fire In The Hole.

Date: Sun, July 14, 2013, 20:23:29 ET
Posted by: Hot Sweaty Guy, Newark, NJ

Forget about the new album. The first show of the tour finally begins in just a few more days. It's time to party with Walt & Donald!

Date: Sun, July 14, 2013, 00:07:19 ET
Posted by: Abu, Checking out the spectacular thigh

Great! A possible new album? Certainly good news. Perhaps by 2016 it will be released. What's another three years, after waiting ten already?


Abu

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 17:36:20 ET
Posted by: TheNightfly93, South Jersey Grid of Desire

It's not much, but a quick blurb from DF AND WB Yesterday... New album talk... ;)

http://prince.org/msg/8/399309?jump=1&pg=1

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 17:34:38 ET
Posted by: TheNightfly93, South Jersey Grid of Desire

@the Dean. It is a particular treat isn't it? I recently started teaching myself "Florida Room" with the chords and lyrics on a sheet. I absolutely love his live performance at the ascap Jazz induction! To me it sounds better with just a small group. DF really opens up on the performance with just Car. Leon. on backing vocals...

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 17:09:54 ET
Posted by: Pete, NYC

fagenism, That's true.

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 17:04:04 ET
Posted by: Luke,

Kulee Baba is the most overrated outtake I think. It's boring. It would be pretty bad live.

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 15:26:08 ET
Posted by: Funkaholic1972, The Hague

Has anyone here heard of Ed Motta? I have just "discovered" him tonight, and his music is very influenced by Steely Dan and vintage Gino Vanelli. Check out this one, could have been a Donald Fagen solo track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmEMsZ358DE

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 15:06:59 ET
Posted by: Lee, Tampa

Regarding a possible new album, the smartest thing they could do to ensure its greatest possible distribution would be to include a finalized version of The Second Arrangement.

You know how a lot of show biz writers are (like many members of the press in general): They search for any "hook" that might make writing an article easier. So imagine all the local and national beat writers and their editors hearing about that song's inclusion, and I think that it would be easy to predict that compared to when Everything Must Go was issued, many more writers would be pushing out their usual pap about a possible new album, with The Second Arrangement angle as the lead.

There would be a lot of headlines out there such as "The Dan Does 'The Second Arrangement' Again". Because of the perfect PR "hook", more people would know about the album. The end result would be that more people would be introduced to the real "new music" that would be included.

I know that some think that the guys don't really care about such low matters as PR, but I disagree. They are only human, and yes.....in and of itself, exposing their work to as many people as possible has to be attractive to them. And while I know it would never be the overarching goal, I think that they also would appreciate a little more money for their efforts.

Of course, they never would compromise their standards for either of those goals. However, The Second Arrangement would not represent a lowering of their standards. Even if its inclusion would actually represent some type of compromise in their minds, it would end up being only one small compromise that would engender a lot of positives.

I know they probably would not include The Second Arrangement, but their comments about old songs does make that possibility a plausible one.

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 14:20:34 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Soggy SoBe

"Mood Swings: Who's Afraid Of The Muffin Man? Tour"

Thanks to all for the interview links!

Unfinished? Two words,

"Kulee Baba".

That's what I would like to hear.

Live from Nowhere.

Revel,

One might assume that the DBOT would be opening
opening night. But since it's a Casino show I
wouldn't assume anything.

Just a few more days! Hope we can get
a real time set list post opening night.

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 13:03:07 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

New Album in the future is fantastic news!

In the meantime, bring on the tour!

Has anyone come across any remarks or clues as to what they've been rehearsing?

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 08:44:24 ET
Posted by: SS, Gearing for the west coast

Fagenism, I think it could be legit because I've seen DF say that in (more) recent years he has used a voice coach.

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 08:37:53 ET
Posted by: fagenism, -

Vocal coach claims to have worked with Don. Legit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNxozV_Y0ck

Date: Sat, July 13, 2013, 08:17:57 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

New SD album? Songs written in the 80's? Maybe we'll get to hear proper recordings of Cash Only Island and Wetside Story among others.

We can still hope for Second Arrangement as well. Guess I'm the eternal optimist!

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 22:39:35 ET
Posted by: Triggleto79, Louisville

New (and damn fine) Donald Fagen interview: http://www.955klos.com/common/page.php?feed=212&pt=Interview%3A+Gary+Moore+with+Steely+Dan%27s+Donald+Fagen&id=10423&is_corp=0

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 18:47:03 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Just saw this. Just record the Gaucho + Aja Outtakes + More with the band. Get it out there as yer bonus package, right there...


Fagen went on to say that some of the music dates back to 1984. Becker added "We have a bunch of things. Put it this way; any other band in the world would have finished or mixed these old things that were lying around and issued them with a great ta-da fanfare. But we just don't. We don't play it like that, necessarily. It's not the way we roll."


Read more: http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2013/07/steely-dan-hints-new-album-may-be-in.html#ixzz2YsGBO2Zj

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 15:09:10 ET
Posted by: steelydoc, near the Revel

Walter and Donald talking about a new album "in the air":

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1572967/new-steely-dan-album-its-in-the-air

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 12:48:28 ET
Posted by: Revel, Bound

Can I assume (or has it been made official) that there is no opener opening night in AC?

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 12:36:48 ET
Posted by: GreatCelestialPlane, Nebraska

http://www.stationcaster.com/stations/klos/media/mp3/Gary_Moore_Interviews_Steely_Dan_s_Donald_Fagan-1373577504.mp3

This is a recent interview with Donald. At one point he mentions:

"we're doing some older tunes we've NEVER DONE"

Definitely looking forward to hearing these on the upcoming tour.

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 11:27:05 ET
Posted by: Abu, SoCal

Pete Christlieb's tenor sax on Deacon Blues and FM are lengendary. Since then, Pete can be heard on at least two cover versions of SD's or DF's tunes:

Babylon Sisters - Masanori Sasaji & The L.A. All-Stars
Maxine - Anthony Wilson

On both of these cuts, Pete plays a supporting role in the horn section. He also does some solos on he Masanori album... good stuff! Another SD-alumni is Peter Erskine, who plays drums on the entire album.

Anthony Wilson is a decent jazz guitarist, and his cover of Maxine is very good, from his album Adult Themes.

Justin Morell released a hard-to-find Quintet album of SD covers, which isn't too bad as well. Their cover of thr title track of the Royal Scam is quite unique. They take essentially one line of the song and turn it into a 7-minute jam session. An interesting take on it.

Claire Martin, a British jazz singer covers Things I Miss the Most, and does a good job with it. Her cover includes quality piano and trombone solos. It is worth hearing.


All of these covers (and more) can be heard on my new Facebook page, Steely Dan Covers. Check it out...

https://www.facebook.com/SteelyDanCovers


Abu

Date: Fri, July 12, 2013, 08:48:06 ET
Posted by: mccart, USA

my name is mccart i never believe in spell casting, until when i was was tempted to try it. i and my husband have been having a lot of problem living together, he will always not make me happy because he have fallen in love with another lady outside our relationship, i tried my best to make sure that my husband leave this woman but the more i talk to him the more he makes me fell sad, so my marriage is now leading to divorce because he no longer gives me attention. so with all this pain and agony, i decided to contact this spell caster to see if things can work out between me and my husband again. this spell caster who was a woman told me that my husband is really under a great spell that he have been charm by some magic, so she told me that she was going to make all things normal back. she did the spell on my husband and after 5 days my husband changed completely he even apologize with the way he treated me that he was not him self, i really thank this woman her name is Dr Aluta she have bring back my husband back to me i want you all to contact her who are having any problem related to marriage issue and relationship problem she will solve it for you. her email is traditionalspellhospital@ gmail.com, she is a woman and she is great. wish you good time.

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 16:23:45 ET
Posted by: SS, Airport Lounge

Don, I should have been more clear. I didn't actually mean Gordon Lightfoot and the interminable Edmund Fitzgerald but another more obscure song about a ship that went down by a Hamilton, Ontario folk singer.

To argue against myself, I know SD admits a Dylan influence. How much might be a different discussion.

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 16:14:37 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was a big hit for Gordon Lightfoot,also a Canuck. I don't think he's deceased though.

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 14:51:38 ET
Posted by: SS, Stuck In Transit

I thought too that lyrics might be a bridge for folkies into SD music. But the cryptic stories don't quite ring true as folk songs, imo. I mean the song we listened to was about a ship that went down (think Edmund Fitzgerald). Maybe The Royal Scam (song) comes close as a folk tune, for a few reasons. The lyrics are about immigrants getting shafted, and the music is pretty repetitive. As DF has said, he's interested when the music 'goes somewhere.' I don't think that's too important in folk, though the musicians can still be great players of less complex music.

Impenetrable SD lyrics might be a deal breaker for folk fans. I always presume they are listening for a good story, or maybe a certain type of story, but might be left head scratching, and not happily, too often on D&W songs.

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 14:27:44 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

SS,

My immediate thought in response to your question about how folk music fans would feel about SD is that at least some of the charm of folk music is its roughness, the fact that mistakes and missed notes add up in some 3-4 minute stew to become something endearing. And so from that perspective SD's perfectionism might be viewed, as your acquaintance remarked, as thinking too highly of themselves. Too cool for school.

On the other hand, I've always thought another aspect of folk music is the genuineness of the lyrics, the giving up of some trite mantra that has a nice pop hook to it, in exchange for something real and that makes you think and maybe even reflect for a moment. And in that respect I would think folk music fans would enjoy SD.

So in other words, who the f knows?

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 12:29:33 ET
Posted by: SS, Charlottesville, VA

GPS, just on a long biz trip.

Yesterday, I was talking to a guy who told me he likes music of all types. He's in his late 60s. His favourite artist is a now deceased folk singer from Canada named Stan Rogers. He played me one of this guy's songs. Eventually I asked him what he thought of SD. He said the band thought thought too much of themselves and their music.

His comments aside, I rather guessed ahead of time he wouldn't be a fan ( he did say he like RITY). I don't see folk music lovers being SD fans.

Am I wrong about that ?

Date: Thurs, July 11, 2013, 00:34:20 ET
Posted by: GPS locator,

Did SS emigrate from Hong Kong? That, or his doppelganger is in New England

Date: Wed, July 10, 2013, 22:41:59 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Keith Carlock getting right back on the road with Mike Stern after the tour. Few US dates on the West Coast as well.
Over the years, the same drummers got hired by both Mike and SD. Dennis, Peter, Vinnie and now Keith. Plus Jim Beard.
Good for us.

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 23:13:08 ET
Posted by: SS, Bangor, Maine

The Florida Room line came from a brainiac I was interviewing for a TV documentary about this year's Shaw Prize winners. His wife noticed my SD 2011 tour t shirt the next day and said 'Oh, I like Steely Dan.'

We're going into the woods of Maine tomorrow for another geneticist also being honored for discovering the mechanisms that underlie circadian rhythms. I said we'd find the place by ten. He said fine, he's usually finished throwing up by nine. I'm going to wear that 2011 t shirt again.

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 21:51:46 ET
Posted by: Meegs, Phila

Hi all --

First time posting here, I can't believe I just found this site...I (tried?) signing up for the AC danfest listserv, but I don't know if I was successful.

I'm going to the show in AC 7/19. I was wondering if someone could loop me in to/point me in the direction of any online conversation that might be happening regarding this sure-to-be-delightful evening? Thanks...

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 17:31:15 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Growing up in the North East (Niagara Falls) I only knew about a Florida Room because one of my friends had a room in his house which his mother referred to as the "Florida Room".

Since I now live in Florida, all my rooms are Florida Rooms.

What a great song, BTW.

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 13:26:19 ET
Posted by: Here's a , Visual

http://floridarooms.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/florida_room_with_tile.jpg

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 13:20:34 ET
Posted by: out to, Lunch

I never knew it was a real word either.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Florida_room

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 12:51:45 ET
Posted by: PGE, You learn something new every day...

SS:

"Florida room"?! Never knew that! Thanks!

As far as "blowjobs" go ...

/PGE

Date: Tues, July 09, 2013, 08:47:27 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

SS from Walthan, congratulations that was the line of the year!!!
Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your prize, a board game
version of the Blue.

Date: Mon, July 08, 2013, 20:46:38 ET
Posted by: SS, Waltham, MA

I ran afoul of the filters on the hotel PC when I tried to dial up the Blue today while on a business trip. The child- protecting software located the word 'blowjob' somewhere and denied me access. That's a better job of finding a blowjob than I've done lately.

I had someone refer to a Florida Room the other day in an actual conversation for the first time ever. Now I know that there is such a thing.

Date: Mon, July 08, 2013, 20:30:20 ET
Posted by: lovethisgig, Atlanta

And they both received the ASCAP Founders Award in 2000, but I don't think that's the same as induction into the Songwriters' Hall.

Love that ASCAP Wall of Jazz performance btw. That's Adam Rogers on guitar, of Chris Potter Underground fame.

I'm guessing this has been posted here, but just in case ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-x4f7o-8E8

Date: Mon, July 08, 2013, 18:26:26 ET
Posted by: moray eel, uh

Donald got in ASCAP Jazz. I don't think Walter did. DF gives a brief speech at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-JDwLJhQf4

m.e.

Date: Mon, July 08, 2013, 15:05:18 ET
Posted by: Dirk, Düsseldorf/Germany

Nice summer album by Brazilian artist Ed Motta with a strong Steely Dan influence ... check it out

http://www.funku.fr/en/2013/interview-ed-motta-steely-dan-changed-my-life/

Date: Sun, July 07, 2013, 20:10:54 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

The latest edition of the Dandom Digest was just mailed. This one covered posts for June 21- today, July 7, 2013. The previous Dandom Digest was dated June 16-20, 2013.

If you are a subscriber, you should see the latest edition in your email box within an hour of this post. If you don't see them, check your spam filters first; then, if it's not there, please email me.

As I regularly remind subscribers, some people have problems with delivery of the Dandom Digest, usually because of their spam filters, firewalls, etc. That's why this sort of notice is posted here--so you are aware that you should have received the latest edition.

The following are the subject headlines of the Dandom Digest for June 21-July 7, 2013.

=======

- Tour Rehearsals Underway
- Sound and Vision Interviews with Donald & MIchael & Walter
- Dukes DVD Release?
- DF's Eminent Hipsters
- REDUX: Danfests 2013
- Roger Nichols Recording Primer
- Jon in Glide
- REDUX: Questions for Jim Beard?

=======

If you are not currently a subscriber but would like to receive the free Dandom Digest email newsletter, please email me at hoops AT dandom DOT com or see http://www.dandom.com/dandomdigest.

For the record, the Dandom Digest is a newsletter with unofficial content written by and for the fans of Steely Dan. The newsletter is independent of, nor to be confused with, the glorious and much more glamorous official newsletters from steelydan.com, walterbecker.com, donaldfagen.com and other sites of Steely Dan associates.

Thanks for your support through the years, especially Pete and Shari, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Winterbottom, and espcially thinking of Mark and Bill, and not to mention one or two people who request anonymity.

Date: Sun, July 07, 2013, 17:50:04 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

....Thanks Security Joan for the update on the PBS Special.

I found an interesting book called "Waiting for the Sun" about the LA Rock Music scene from the 60's to the 90's. Barney Hoskins is the author.

There's a good 4 pages or so on "Steely Dan", their formative years and the albums. Definitely worth picking up if your a fan of SD and of Rock music in general.

Ps..I'm going on vacation to Portland, OR with my wife this week. Any good recommendations on where to find "Steely Dan" T-shirts ?

Date: Sun, July 07, 2013, 08:49:38 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

God, for the PBS special, I hope Donald does a live, in-studio appearance like the "cable access channel" they did for 2VN. That was hysterical. Maybe he'll take some calls?

Date: Sat, July 06, 2013, 23:50:17 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, Philly

Steve Gennarelli - Dukes of September PBS broadcast is probably going to be late summer/early fall, during whenever fund drive time happens, because there will also be a DVD that will probably be offered to people who pledge. This is horse's mouth info, and I know it's vague, but it's as much as the horse knew...

Date: Sat, July 06, 2013, 16:17:51 ET
Posted by: awards, red carpet

They got an ASCAP somgwriting award some time in the early '00s -- but I don't know if that's the same thing as the "SHOF". I don[t even know who gives out the SHOF.

Date: Sat, July 06, 2013, 08:44:01 ET
Posted by: Jim,

I could swear D + W were in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

They're really not?

Date: Fri, July 05, 2013, 17:02:59 ET
Posted by: Snake Mary,

Good call Pete, I emailed Warners when Sunken Condos was just about to be released to ask them to do their jobs...! As my old dear always said to me 'if you don't ask you don't get'. Good on ya son...!

Date: Fri, July 05, 2013, 10:20:26 ET
Posted by: Steelydoc, Near the tower

Jeffers

SD played the Tower on Sept. 9-10 a few years back, the street view is old...

Date: Fri, July 05, 2013, 09:45:02 ET
Posted by: Jeffer, Kinnet Sq.

Google Street view of the Tower Theater shows Steely Dan on Sept 9 and 10 on the marquee. I see those dates are free on the schedule, but they are in Florida on the 8th and 11th.

Date: Fri, July 05, 2013, 04:40:32 ET
Posted by: PETE EVANS, MANCHESTER UK

Just sent an e mail to the Songwriters Hall Of Fame following the recent list of awards asking the simple question why are two of the contenders for greatest popular music songwriters ever not in the list of a couple of hundred inductees ? Somehow I doubt I will get a reply and probably wasting my time, but as my old mum used to say, if you don't try and do something about it nothing gets done !!

Date: Fri, July 05, 2013, 00:17:59 ET
Posted by: YouTube , Search

Here's a tasty jazz cover of "Babylon Sisters" w/ a Fender Rhodes solo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7VKS_Icfjk

Date: Wed, July 03, 2013, 21:01:40 ET
Posted by: almost gothic negative girl, monterey

Looks like Cindy Mizelle and Janice Pendarvis are part of it. Sounds like a very watchable movie. And listenable too! Thanks for the heads up.

Date: Wed, July 03, 2013, 16:54:24 ET
Posted by: Francis, R

There is a documentary out in theaters now about backup singers. Looking at the cast,, Patti Austin is the only one I recognize as have worked with SD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396566/

Date: Tues, July 02, 2013, 18:02:15 ET
Posted by: That DF book link, is just the wording from Amazon

on a different website

Date: Tues, July 02, 2013, 17:45:04 ET
Posted by: Ben, Indy

DF's Book:

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/118815/Donald-Fagen-Work-Of-Memoir-And-Criticism-Due-In-October

Date: Tues, July 02, 2013, 17:18:08 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Thanks Danfan--but those instructions are all kinds of fail. With a bit of work I found what you were getting to.

Here's the real link:

http://canadaam.ctvnews.ca/video?binId=1.815913

Appreciate the lead, anyway.

Date: Tues, July 02, 2013, 14:15:51 ET
Posted by: Danfan, Toronto

Saw the Boz in Toronto Friday night at the Toronto Jazz fest, Great show.
That same morning (Go hear WWW.Canada AM/CTV.com)and click on AM Soundstage.

Enjoy!

Date: Tues, July 02, 2013, 14:15:45 ET
Posted by: Danfan, Toronto

Saw the Boz in Toronto Friday night at the Toronto Jazz fest, Great show.
That same morning (Go hear WWW.Canada AM/CTV.com)and click on AM Soundstage.

Enjoy!

Date: Mon, July 01, 2013, 20:46:47 ET
Posted by: Julo, San Francisco

Only 18 days left until the first show of the tour begins. Yes, the anticipation is mounting!

Date: Mon, July 01, 2013, 18:25:02 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Jon Herington says rehearsals start tomorrow.
the excitement is building,...

Date: Mon, July 01, 2013, 13:19:08 ET
Posted by: anymanleft, Rio Grande

I agree SS. The 2000 version of Boston Rag did work and was a great opener. But I still prefer the original version of Reelin and Bodhisattva. Some songs the horns just can't replace the guitar, those are 2 in my book.

Date: Sun, June 30, 2013, 18:54:46 ET
Posted by: T.O. Danfan, oops

Make that Zingg. Sorry Drew.....this from a guy who hates it when people spell his name wrong!

Cheers
and Happy Canada Day tomorrow!

Date: Sun, June 30, 2013, 03:49:40 ET
Posted by: Another Scurvy, Brother

Any Comcast cable subscribers may be interested to know that "Bright Lights Big City" is available in the free movies section of the On Demand programming.

Fun to hear the snippets of Fagen's score throughout. Too bad there wasn't more of it--and too bad the score wasn't included on the BLBC soundtrack.

Dangential side note: BLBC director James Bridges had tapped Joe Jackson for the "Mike's Murder" soundtrack a few years prior to BLBC. That score was reportedly cut in the wide release in favor of a score by John Barry (James Bond theme etc.), though I still haven't found a copy of the movie so I couldn't swear to it.

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 20:44:41 ET
Posted by: T.O. Danfan, at home

Saw Boz Scaggs Friday night in a tent at the Toronto Jazz Festival. It was like seeing him in a club. There was maybe 1200 people. We were centre about 40 ft away.

The band of 7 players including great singer Miss Monet was very tight. Drew Zing was awesome thruout and had us all goin' nuts with his 3-4? minute solo during Loan Me A Dime.

Boz played a number of cuts from his latest Memphis and a few from Silk Degrees, Miss Sun and more. Loan Me A Dime was my highlight. Sadly, he did not play his decent version of Pearl.

Here's a link to a review that pretty much sums it all up.

http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/TorontoJazzFestival/boz_scaggs-nathan_phillips_square_toronto_on_june_28

Cheers

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 20:02:29 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Mr. LaPaige - That's Love Spell Spam. It's showed up here before.
It certainly isn't our Gina from The Netherlands.

Getting ready to tune into the Krantz show at The Iridium. I really enjoyed the one several months back with Wayne, Tim and Keith. I'm sure this will be spendid.

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 15:57:06 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

I like Boz's cover of "Pearl of the Quarter"..it was pretty nice.
Also, just curious if anyone knew when the "Dukes of September" special is supposed to air on PBS ?
I also enjoyed the revamped version of "Reelin..." but from the shows I've seen on YouTube, the crowd popped like crazy when the old style version is performed. They seem to prefer the "classic" version.

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 09:26:11 ET
Posted by: Mr. LaPaige, The Room at the Top of the Stairs

Hey Gina!

Unless you are describing your lunch date, we don't care!

The Blue

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 06:21:47 ET
Posted by: Gina, usa

i am Gina i told my boyfriend to take a week space from me to sort out his feelings. i was hopeful that things would work out as he was always telling me that he love me and had strong feelings for me. but all of a sudden he said that he wanted to be single and had doubts about our future together. i did cry but i did not beg him to stay. i said sorry for any hurt i had caused him and thanked him for showing me love. very hard but i did it with as much dignity as i could. but i never understand why he don't want to stay with me. but before he left he told me i am irresistible, lovely warm person etc but he just want to walk away from my life. the pain was awful. our getting together was fateful and we found out our birthday both 1st June. he is 26 and i am 22. it was weird. i thought we were made for each other. he deleted my numbers but i never let go of him. i wanted him back but he has made up his mind so i had no choice but to look for a way to get him back so what i did was to look for a spell caster to help me get back my lover fast as possible, when i came a cross sangospelltemple@gmail.com so he did a love spell for me and the spell came out perfect, my lover reconciled with me and we came back together and since then we have been in peace and the lover is flowing perfectly.

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 06:21:21 ET
Posted by: Abu, All night long, singing that stupid song

Looking back here on the BB, I didn't notice any thoughts on Boz Scaggs latest release Memphis, particularly his cover of Pearl of the Quarter. I, for one, enjoy his laid-back version of the tune from CTE. Check out this nice article concerning it below:


http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/03/10/steely-dan-sunday-pearl-of-the-quarter-by-boz-scaggs-2013/


This cover, among many others, can be heard on my Facebook page: Steely Dan Covers (link below):

https://www.facebook.com/SteelyDanCovers


Abu

Date: Sat, June 29, 2013, 00:00:42 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

I like both versions of RITY. I think the band brought back the original for the sake of fans who are a little more casual. By the time that happened, SD was more frank about playing what the crowd wanted to hear.

The version with the horns has it own integrity, imo anyway. It's far enough away from the original that I don't regard them as quite the same song.

Bodhisattva is another thing. There, it's horns in place of guitars and to me it takes away from some of the authority and heaviness I associate with, and like about, the song.

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 23:17:27 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, Le Neu Yawrck

http://theiridium.com/iridiumlive/

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday, June 29th @ 8pm est & again @ 10pm est-

WAYNE KRANTZ BAND featuring Wayne Krantz, Nate Wood, Tim Lefebvre

This is a LIVE video stream from The Iridium Jazz Club in NYC.

Enjoy!

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 22:19:30 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, heels dug in

Gordon, I strongly, strongly disagree with you on the Reelin' versions. When they did the earlier variations I'm sure they eventually realized it neither captured the essence of original song, nor did it capture the imagination of fans, who wanted to hear the original, heavy guitar version. Personally, in early touring years when I heard them play the "variant" of RITY, I felt like I was hearing a Lawrence Welk adaptation -- albeit if Lawrence Welk had managed to get killer Steely Dan players onto his banstand. Their current performance in its original form is brilliant, especially w. Jon Herington taking reins on those solos...The first version was perfection, and not to be messed with! ==

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 16:48:16 ET
Posted by: Gordon, Tempe, AZ

Then how come Donald & Walt have been playing the original 1972 guitar based version of Reelin' instead of the updated 1993 jazzy horn version on the recent tours? I want the jazzy horn Reelin' back on the setlist.

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 04:47:32 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

One more thought on old songs made horny....

Listen to the way Boston Rag was updated with horns on the 2000 tour. It was a gradual build up at the start that turned into a powerful show opening.

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 03:14:24 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

I figure some songs might not get played on tour if they're not horn-friendly. Some are made to be horn-friendly (i.e. Green Earrings).

The synth line in King of the World could easily become a unison horn line. And that mid-song descent into a kind of madness (voices in the background, different time signature, etcetera...just before...' I'm reading last year's papers...') could also become a horn thing.

Date: Fri, June 28, 2013, 00:02:15 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Vic, why not just search and stop bitching at someone who provided you a link? Are you that obtuse?

I have to shake my head at the douchebags who simply attack other posters, instead of adding to the conversation here.

Irony intended.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 21:48:08 ET
Posted by: vic,

weinberg bros,

"Copy and pasting copyrighted material is frowned upon here"

Are you freaking kidding me? What's frowned upon here is talking about trading SD boot legs. Not coping and pasting a few sentences form a long ass article. Get with now, son!

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 18:23:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

I'd love to hear King of the World--any arrangement the boys want is fine with me.

It is fine to copy and paste excerpts of articles. You should, of course, cite the source---and providing a link is nice.

And it's pretty easy to find the reference in a big article, as has been noted. Ctrl F and search the page. No reason to bitch at someone who has provided a nice link for us.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 16:27:19 ET
Posted by: Gordon , Tempe, AZ

I would love to hear King of the World on this tour as well, but I know it's a real long shot. I love that synth riff that runs throughout the song. It would make a good showcase for Jim Beard.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 15:24:44 ET
Posted by: weinberg bros, .

Vic,

What KD said. Also, copy and pasting copyrighted material is frowned upon here.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 14:39:53 ET
Posted by: vic,

KD, Yeah...the guy writes better than you ever will. FAIL!

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 14:36:16 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Any man, I agree. I keep coming back to that track; it's probably my favorite on their first two records. And all the pieces are there perfectly - imagine that synth line as a horn soli!

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 14:08:50 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Or maybe you can stop complaining about free content, or read a good interview, or maybe learn the CTRL-F function?

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 14:02:38 ET
Posted by: vic,

Weinberg Bros, Are you really going to make us all read that long ass article just find out what the f**k you're talking about? Maybe you can cut and paste next time.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 12:56:28 ET
Posted by: anymanleft, Rio Grande

Chris, We can only hope they would dust it off and rework it after all these years. I think it's one of those songs that needs to be played as close to the original recording as it can, no slowed down variation will work. And the groove on it is so tight and perfectly layered it will take some doing. But I would be thrilled to hear it... I didn't take my moniker for nuthin!

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 12:34:01 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Will 2013 be the year we finally hear a live version of King of The World with the post-70s band? Discuss.

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 11:42:24 ET
Posted by: Weinberg Bros, .

Apparently Michael Shannon (Van Alden on Boardwalk Empire) is such a big SD fan that he's an expert on SD cover bands

http://www.avclub.com/articles/michael-shannon-on-general-zod-the-nsa-and-the-gen,99009/

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 11:39:22 ET
Posted by: Wu, MO

Hey Hackensack ... rumor was that DF was at Harry's Country Club following SD's show at Starlight in '11. Any truth to that?

Date: Thurs, June 27, 2013, 00:29:10 ET
Posted by: 🐨🐨🐨sam🐹🐹🐹, On location

Can't wait for the shows.

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 15:47:50 ET
Posted by: Here's one,

NYTimes story about revival of Teen Beach movies at Disney. Plot: Disney had some teens transported back to a fictional 1962 beach movie called "Wet Side Story."

Maybe D+W's lawyers should call Disney.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/business/media/disney-drags-the-beach-blanket-out-of-the-attic-and-gives-it-a-shake.html?hpw

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 13:40:21 ET
Posted by: Have Dan Will Travel, Louisville

Very nice interview with Jon from Glide:

http://www.glidemagazine.com/36914/jon-herrington-steely-dans-lead-guitarist/

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 09:14:12 ET
Posted by: search, k

Stupid me, Walter's interview is on page 2.

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 09:03:19 ET
Posted by: search , k

I don't recall seeing this interview posted. A noted at the bottom about a forthcoming interview with Walter.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2013/04/25/steely-dan-s-planet-d-sound-quality-1

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 08:05:19 ET
Posted by: Nicholas Urfe, Phraxos

Don Patrol - admittedly, my comment about the Hey Nineteen rap was overly broad, no offense intended. No doubt, many people who have attended multiple concerts like it. I should have said that I, myself, found it clever, then tedious, then maddening. I do, however, appreciate the beer break that it provides!

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 07:51:31 ET
Posted by: Carson, Omenhouse, Germany

YES! Can't believe it yet. My wife & me will be in NYC for the Aja show, Sept 30th and the Royal Scam on Oct 3rd. Hope there'll be any pre-/post-show get-togethers ...

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 03:13:57 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

A "Joe Walsh, hat-cam," which I've never heard of, seems like the absolute most Eagles thing that could ever happen in the history of that awful fucking band.

Joe Walsh, hat-cam. Like, the perfect ruination of a guy I respect, Eagles-style.

Date: Tues, June 25, 2013, 00:51:30 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

New to commenting but not to site. Im 34 years old and started listening to steely dan at age 17. Im Going to kc concert sept 5. This will be the 4th time seeing sd and 6th time seeing df. Amongst the usual songs here is my dream song wishlist:
The Nightfly
Paging Audrey
Dr Wu
Here at the Western World
Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
Midnight Cruiser WB
The Good Stuff
Glamour Proffession
West of Hollywood
THE Second Arrangement(I know its not happening but its their best song)

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 23:26:22 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

Personally,I enjoy Walt's schtik. I've heard it live probably 10 times and 4 or 5 more on recordings. Kinda like vaudeville. The familiarity is part of the charm. So you take your best girl to the Steely Dan show......

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 19:58:42 ET
Posted by: Nicholas Urfe, Phraxos

The Hey Nineteen rap is much like the Joe Walsh hatcam at an Eagles concert. It seems clever to first-timers, tedious to repeat attenders, maddening to hardcore fans, and, based on facts currently in evidence, probably here to stay. But, hey, it's a good time to grab a beer!

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 18:35:47 ET
Posted by: Have Dan Will Travel, Louisville

Walter? Slang Me!! I love that tune.

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 17:19:55 ET
Posted by: Gordon, Tempe, AZ

It doesn't matter to me which tune Walter will sing on this tour. I just hope he doesn't start talking aimlessly during the interlude of Hey Nineteen like in the past.

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 10:46:12 ET
Posted by: dqjifntxsu, USA

hpbdoeboepn, http://www.kdczqhmaao.com ogsxutjlqx

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 04:54:06 ET
Posted by: Abu, At my night gig

Question:

Has Oleander been here on the BB recently? I used to live in the same town back in '03 or so, in the southeast US, in the western end of one of those states. She used to be on here back in those days, and so was I... with a different "name" (I was a character from one of the tunes from Katy Lied) Just wondering whats up. I have not seen her since I came back here on May 21, which is my third time here on the Book of Blue, between long breaks (for personal reasons).

Ah, I justed checked. Her last post seems to have been last October. Just sayin' "Hey". Hint below.

(I used to be "your man", you know, in the den. Now, I'm "our man")...

Abu

Date: Mon, June 24, 2013, 00:27:41 ET
Posted by: SDV, Midnight Cruiser

I gotta go with Skunk on the Midnite Cruiser solo. Denny was never a string bender. The twin guitars may be with Dias, but are just as likely Skunk playing both parts.

Walter sounded good singing that one back in '96. That gets my vote. Let the ladies sing Only a Fool

and 5 more:
Razor Boy
King of the World
YGT 2
Almost Gothic
Lunch With Gina

don't get me started on Donald's tunes. it most likely ain't gonna happen.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 23:00:27 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, Bee - Con Cant Wait

So, what tune does Walter sing this tour?

My vote - Through With Buzz

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 22:54:01 ET
Posted by: Grumpy_one, Portland OR

<head slap> I just assumed the tour was under way.... I'll have to stay tuned until July 19. What a dummy. I'll have to tell my memorable moment from the last time I saw these guys, about 15 years ago. I was so jazzed to see Donal and Walter live. It was a great show, I remember Donald playing the shoulder synthesizer, can't remember any of set list. But at the end of the show, Donald walked off the stage as though he was pissed. I was waiting for the typical "good night and thank you San Fransisco", a bow or something. But just stormed off stage and didn't come back. I believe the encore was "hey nineteen". Left feeling kind of bummed. But I got to see these guy live, and get to once more.
Going through my old cd's. Didn't know I had so many copys of Aja! go figure. It's been YEARS since I've heard some of these song. I've got Gaucho on now, no radio stations here in Portland play "soft jazz". Just found this site looking for a setlist, now I know why google failed me.... <another head slap>. Cheers

BTW, putting a set list together by some of the "want I want to here" from you guys, been LOTS of years since hearing some of these tunes, for that I say thanks!

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 22:21:46 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Grumpy One, nobody knows the exact setlist for the SD concerts until they play a few venues. After that, there are usually few changes during the tour (a song or two here and there). There are certainly a number of songs you can expect to hear, based on past tours.

And, how in the world can ANY STeely Dan song be considered a "guilty pleasure"?

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 22:16:49 ET
Posted by: Grumpy_one, Portland OR

Going to see SD in August. Been about 15 years since I've last seen them. Does anyone know the set list for this tour? Surely someone here has seen one of the concerts. Google is failing me.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 20:50:42 ET
Posted by: xqphttqivn, USA

quiubeboepn, <a href="http://www.srziiffyex.com">zrlbvmabuh</a>

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 20:50:21 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Gaucho is another song I'd have to include in my top five...which changes by the hour. Steely Dan top five is a tough list to stick by!

Gaucho is one of those songs I'd rather hear Donald sing though..same with Haitian Divorce. Both of those songs are just so suited to Donald's way of singing. I'm sure everyone differs on this. I get the idea of letting Walter sing a tune to give Donald a break, but why not let it be one of Walt's tunes?? I would WAY prefer to hear Walter singing Paging Audrey, Somebody's Saturday Night, etc. than one of the SD tunes that Donald sings.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 18:29:13 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Agreed, Steve.
And that's because of the genius of Jim Beard.
Jeff Young was cool but they're in a different plateau now.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 17:48:47 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

"Black Cow" is one of those songs that sounds better and better on the more recent SD Tours.
Like "Kid Charlemagne"...its a must have on every show.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 16:34:45 ET
Posted by: Jordan, Brooklyn, NY

My two guilty pleasures are King of the World and Rose Darling.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 15:47:11 ET
Posted by: yqaactmusz, France

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Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 15:34:20 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

This year I'm planning to see SD in Atlanta, and I'm extremely excited because they're playing Aja (despite the fact that I've heard all the songs on Aja at least once at the five SD concerts I've been to). So, I'm going to play the semi-realistic fantasy setlist game with the added parameter of it being an Aja album night.


1. Intro Song
2. Black Cow
3. Aja
4. Deacon Blues
5. Peg
6. Home At Last
7. I Got the News
8. Josie
9. Hey Nineteen
10. Black Friday
11. Show Biz Kids
12. Doctor Wu*
13. Green Earrings
14. Gaucho*
15. Any DF solo tune (but preferably: IGY, The Nightfly, The Goodbye Look, Maxine, Snowbound, The Great Pagoda of Funn, The Night Belongs to Mona, Slinky Thing, Miss Marlene, or I'm Not the Same Without You)*
16. Godwhacker
17. Almost Gothic*
18. Chain Lightning*
19. My Old School
20. Kid Charlemagne
21. Reelin' in the Years
22. Outro

Okay, here's my reasoning:

2-8 - obviously they're going to play Aja
9 - they're going to play Hey Nineteen
10 - I think it's pretty likely they'll play Black Friday (not 100%) but I'm okay with it because I really like the version of it they've done since 2008
11 - Show Biz Kids - I figure they'll probably do Time Out of Mind and Show Biz Kids... I've seen those enough to prefer to hear something different. For my semi-realistic fantasy setlist, they're only playing one of those, and I like the funked-up version of Show Biz Kids better (and I just like Show Biz Kids better over all than Time Out of Mind)
12 - Doctor Wu - my first "rarity" selection (if you haven't figured it out, the asterisked songs are the rarity). One of my top 5 SD songs, and like many of you, I've never seen it live.
13 - They've played Green Earrings at all five shows I've been to, so I'm slightly superstitious that I'll hear it at every SD show I attend. I definitely would prefer something else (i.e. Don't Take Me Alive, which I've only seen once), but once they actually play it, I know I'll enjoy the instrumental jam aspects of it, and Donald Fagen singing "I don't mind" a billion times
14 - I like Walter Becker, but I'm not as big of a fan of his solo work as most people on here. However, if he were to sing a song, I'd rather it be a solo tune (Paging Audrey, Selfish Gene, or Junkie Girl are the ones that come to mind). But for the sake of this setlist, I'll assume he won't do that, but maybe still will sing a song. Of all the songs, he's taken lead vocals on in the past, my favorite one is Gaucho (actually I think I was in attendance for the first time they ever did Gaucho, in Atlanta in 2008). Now, since they've started doing the Gaucho album nights, Donald obviously has taken over lead vocals. So choosing Gaucho as a rarity is a win-win - it'll either be the best song Walter would sing, or it'd be awesome if Donald sang it.
15 - this is pretty self-explanatory. Most of the songs I listed are among my favorite songs regardless of SD or Fagen solo, and I've never had the opportunity to hear any of those live. It's a longshot (although Fagen did IGY with the Dukes as recently as 2010), but that's why it's one of my fantasy tunes.
16 - I figure they'll play Godwhacker. I haven't heard this live as much as it feels like I have (only 2/5 shows), and it's one of the ones I know I'll enjoy when they get into it, but I'd rather see something else from post 2000 SD.
17 - my favorite SD song since 2000. I heard the one live version of it recorded in New Mexico in 2000, and hearing it, I understood why it maybe doesn't work as well live. But it's one of those Doctor Wu type deals where it would just be awesome to be present when they play it
18 - Chain Lightning is a song that hasn't been a regular in the setlist for a while, but it'll pop up every now and then. I've never seen it in person, and I think it's a great improv song and has a better chance of being played than some of my other "rarities"
19-21 - 99.9% chance they'll play Reelin' in the Years and Kid Charlemagne, 95% chance of My Old School


That would be a great set list and is at least semi-realistic, but I'm going to be thrilled with whatever the play. Hearing Aja played in its original order alone will be enough to satisfy me.

Here's a short list of alternate songs I'd like to hear that would hopefully replace the songs that I'm expecting them to play but aren't entirely sure they will (Godwhacker, Show Biz Kids, and Green Earrings). These also could be songs to replace the rarities. But they aren't replacing Hey Nineteen, Kid Charlemagne, or Reelin' in The Years.

- Don't Take Me Alive - only seen once
- Babylon Sisters - one of my top five-ten SD songs, and I've only seen it twice
- Haitian Divorce - if Walter doesn't sing Gaucho but sings another one he's done in the past, I'd prefer Haitian Divorce. I'd also definitely take Donald singing this.
- Monkey in Your Soul - if Walter doesn't sing Gaucho or Haitian Divorce but still sings a song, I hope it's this one
- Two Against Nature - heard it twice but love the live version of it; would rather hear than Godwhacker
- Everything Must Go - definitely a great live song that they've played from time to time, never seen it personally
- Lunch with Gina - another post 2000 favorite and again would rather hear it than Godwhacker
- Bodhisattva - seen 3 times but always a good live song
- The Royal Scam - seen once in 2008, also a great live song
- Everything You Did - also saw in 2008, really like how they changed up the tempo
- Pretzel Logic - kind of a Chain Lightning deal here, where it might be sprinkled into a few shows here and there. I did get to see this twice last year with the Dukes of September, but I'd love to hear with SD as well.

If the girls sing a song, I'd rather not hear Dirty Work or Parker's Band (although I'm expecting Dirty Work). I hope they get a new song to sing, like Razor Boy or Your Gold Teeth II, but I'm not expecting it.

Songs I don't want to hear very much but I'm expecting or there's a good possibility I'll hear them:

Time Out of Mind (expecting)
Dirty Work (expecting)
Do It Again (good possibility)


Of course, this is all speculation. They could come out and totally surprise us.

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 12:32:26 ET
Posted by: Hoyt M, North

Wing walker Jane Wicker (think wicker wing chair) and her pilot were two against nature in Dayton yesterday upon entering the opposite of an aerial view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zctCuE46VKM

Date: Sun, June 23, 2013, 11:35:53 ET
Posted by: xgnkmvsupw, Italy

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Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 23:52:38 ET
Posted by: Whit,

1. Only a Fool
2. True Companion
3. Here at the Western World
4. Almost Gothic
5. Pixeleen

AAAHHHHH !!!!!

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 23:26:10 ET
Posted by: magic answering 8 ball,

It is reasonably certain to have been Denny Dias

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 22:42:38 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Tact P n R - I'm almost sure it was Potter doing Sax on that tour, along with C. Bumpus...as to what he played vs. what was recorded - that was 13 years ago...I'm 49...I'm trying to remember what I had for lunch yesterday... I'm making an educated guess that he probably winged it most every night since he's a jazz guy and that's what they do.

I would love to add Here At The Western World into my wish list of what they play. The original version!! Not the Fagen solo version...which was interesting...kind of.

Book Of Liars is another great choice that they did play on the 93 tour. Great song! Bathroom break for a lot of people in what used to be the Atlanta Omni. On that tour the horn section was 3 saxophone players.

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 21:57:20 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

I will play: 1 Boston Rag
2 Caves
3 Miss Marlene
4 DTMA
5 Midnite Cruiser
Honorable Mention:
Big Noise NY
Pixeleen
Chain Lightning
ps: Help a brother out, who plays that killer lead guitar on Midnite
Cruiser? (not a Brain Strainer, I honestly do not know and don't want
to cheat and Google it.)

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 19:02:44 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Thanks, Hello Memphis. I guess I am out in the cold unless I can find a friend with an AMEX card. I'll have to jump in there with the madding crowd, LOL!

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 17:15:50 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa

I gave you my top 5 Guilty Pleasures

But there are so many...I wanted to add 5 more.

1. Gaucho
2. Night by Night
3. Rikki ...because I've never heard it live and know I
can die happy after hearing it.
4. Wet Side Story...Although a studio version of this one
might be what we really need.
5. Pearl of the Quarter - Along with "Second Arrangement"
-One of the real gems of 2011's "Rarities Night".

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 15:36:20 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, Beaconville

Young Wu- That setlist would be fine with me.

Josey- I'm curious, when you saw West Of Hollywood in 2000, who played the sax solo, did it last the full 4 minutes, and was it very similar to the album or much different?

My list would be:

Barrytown
Dr. Wu
Throw Back The Little Ones
Chain Lightning
The Royal Scam
West Of Hollywood

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 15:24:36 ET
Posted by: CJB's 5, YVR

Solo stuff fair game too; "fantasy setlist" rules. Songs I've not heard live in person or ever:

Here @ The Western World
Miss Marlene
Book of Liars
Old Regime
Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)

Songs I've previously heard live in person:

The Nightfly
The Bear
The Second Arrangement
Pretzel Logic
Night By Night (a gimmie, I know, but it sure sounds great live)

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 14:45:38 ET
Posted by: Hello Memphis, Graceland

To Jim Taylor -
Looking at Ticketmaster's link on sale periods, it looks like the presale is for American Express card members. I think that means no password, just your american express account #. Maybe someone with experience can confirm or correct?

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 12:15:55 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

The five I'd love to hear them play:

1 - Almost Gothic
2 - Green Book
3 - Dr. Wu
4 - The Fez
5 - Negative Girl

Just about anything from 2VN and EMG would suit me fine. I did get to see Everything Must Go and Lunch With Gina in Atlanta, and West Of Hollywood, Jack Of Speed, and one or two others from 2VN on the 2000 tour.

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 11:05:48 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Here would be my perfect, semi-not-really-realistic setlist:

1. Time Out of Mind
2. Here at the Western World
3. Bad Sneakers
4. Pearl of the Quarter
5. Black Cow
6. Everything Must Go
7. The Caves of Altamira
8. Miss Maureen
9. Home at Last
10. I.G.Y.
11. Parker's Band
12. Paging Audrey
13. Glamour Profession
14. Doctor Wu
15. Don’t Take Me Alive
16. Kid Charlemagne

17. My Old School
18. Reelin' in the Years

Dear god, I could die happy...

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 10:59:18 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

My top 5 for the tour:

1. Glamor Profession
2. Doctor Wu
3. Pearl of the Quarter
4. Here at the Western World
5. The Caves of Altamira

I'm not including solo songs, that would be too hard. But I'd love to have Walter's song be Paging Audrey.

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 10:09:48 ET
Posted by: Cobalt Cigarette, New York

Woo hoo! Just got my ticket to The Royal Scam show at the Beacon Theatre. Went for the lowest price range because Ticketmaster fees are a ripoff and I'm not loaded, but I'm really excited for this! It'll be my first time seeing SD and The Royal Scam's my favorite album of theirs. Anyone else going that I can look out for?

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 08:13:28 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Sorry for multiple post. Unintended.

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 08:11:57 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Does anyone have any info on the Memphis Mud Island Pre-sale? It just got posted for 10:00 A.M. Wednesday June 26. I have a Live Nation account, but so far, I get no love on the presale. If anyone knows the password/code, I would really appreciate it. As you can imagine, this is VERY IMPORTANT, LOL! Thanks!

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 08:11:52 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Does anyone have any info on the Memphis Mud Island Pre-sale? It just got posted for 10:00 A.M. Wednesday June 26. I have a Live Nation account, but so far, I get no love on the presale. If anyone knows the password/code, I would really appreciate it. As you can imagine, this is VERY IMPORTANT, LOL! Thanks!

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 07:40:02 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Here at the Western World;
Wet Side Story
Paging Audrey
Somebody's Saturday Night
Cash Only Island

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 03:25:05 ET
Posted by: Snake Mary,

Here's a picture of the guy who wrote that pointless article about Fagen. I bet he looks like a million dollars when he gets his paper in the morning...?

http://www.ibtimes.com/corporate/leadership/palash-ghosh

Dick head...!

Date: Sat, June 22, 2013, 00:44:19 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa

I also have 5 songs that would be unlikely choices but would make my night.
"Here at the Western World" - I've never heard this one live and have been waiting forever to hear it. Hopefully this will be THE year.
"Dr Wu" - The first time this was done at the Beacon..'08 maybe ? The horn solo was killer...but in the few other shows since that one..the horn solo wasn't up to par. I'm hoping they can do it close to the classic solo from the album.
"Blues Beach" - Maybe my favorite song along with "Almost Gothic" from the recent vintage Steely Dan.
"The Second Arrangement" - I've played this so many times since Rarities Night at the Beacon. Thank you You Tube. But that song has a lot of life left in it in my opinion.
Honorable Mention "Rose Darlin'"

Date: Fri, June 21, 2013, 21:57:36 ET
Posted by: Security Joan, No gripes, just requests

So with all the talk about "request nights" and also the preponderance of "album nights" -- the latter, of course, to be supplanted by additional songs beyond the album -- I'd like to hear what 5 unlikely songs people would lust to hear.

Mine: West of Hollywood; Green Book; Second Arrangement (once again); plus two solo songs, Surf and/or Die, and Slinky Thing. Yours?

(As to solo works included in this year's SD setlists... do NOT dismiss that idea, it could happen...)

Date: Fri, June 21, 2013, 13:09:43 ET
Posted by: Lurker, Not Ray

Billie Rubin - If DF was single he'd be worth 5 times that!

Date: Fri, June 21, 2013, 10:48:41 ET
Posted by: Big Fan, Dirty work

We're in for Oct 5. Row L Seats 7-9 Not bad. $$$$$$ Got our hotel room. I'm so much happier about the Beacon than Foxwoods. I put in a song from EMG - I would like to hear more of the newer stuff thatthey never played or don't play much - having heard all of the old stuff.

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 23:33:46 ET
Posted by: henrod, NY

Can't do it again..... Why the heck can't they play other albums? I went to 7 of the Beacon shows and I feel like it would be really anti-climactic to go again, waiting through Walter's very boring solos played from a stool wishing it was Jon playing...

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 23:32:01 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin, Paid in Gold

This can't be right... Donald's got to be worth more than this I would think.


http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/singers/donald-fagen-net-worth/

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 21:56:46 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, NYNYNYNYNYNYNYC

Here's the livenation email I received-

Steely Dan
Mood Swings 2013:
8 Miles To Pancake Day
7 Night Stand ft. hit albums & fan favorites!

September 30 - Aja
October 1 - Greatest Hits
October 3 - Royal Scam
October 4 - Gaucho
October 5 - Request night
October 7 - Aja
October 8 - Greatest Hits

Beacon Theatre

Presale starts: Fri, Jun 21 at 10am
Presale ends: Fri, Jun 21 at 10pm
Use Password: picnic
Public On Sale: Sat, Jun 22 at 10am

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 20:26:37 ET
Posted by: hoops, Chicago

Jim Beard's new CD, "Show of Hands," is due this fall. But in the mean time, maybe you have a burning question for the one and only Mr. Beard. Maybe you want to know about his releases or perhaps his Next One, "Show of Hands" or perhaps what was that riff all about at the Indy show in 2011 or...?

As time and creativity permit, Jim is willing to submit to questioning and friendly interrogation.

Just send your questions to...

jbq@dandom.com (think "jb" as in "Jim Beard" and "q" as in "questions."

When are the questions due? Well, we'll see how fast they roll in and how thing roll in general.

The past couple of Dandom Digests featured my own take on Jim Beard's genius. But I really like Amazon.com's "Editorial Review" for Jim's "Revolutions" album. Check it out! (And buy a copy if you haven't already.)

http://www.amazon.com/Revolutions-Jim-Beard-Vince-Mendoza/dp/B001URRHHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1241735353&sr=8-1

http://www.jimbeard.com

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 20:21:48 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

The latest edition of the Dandom Digest was just mailed. This one covered posts for June 16-20, 2013. The previous Dandom Digest was dated June 1-15, 2013 and was mailed Sunday evening, June 16, 2013.

If you are a subscriber, you should already have received both in your email box. If you don't see them, check your spam filters first; then, if it's not there, please email me.

As I regularly remind subscribers, some people have problems with delivery of the Dandom Digest, usually because of their spam filters, firewalls, etc. That's why this sort of notice is posted here--so you are aware that you should have received the latest edition.

The following are the subject headlines of the Dandom Digest for June 1-15, 2013.

=======

- "Black Friday" Live Single with DF & Ollabelle
- EMG * 10 + C$ * 5 = Timeless Bliss
- Official SD Merch 2013? Not yet...
- Danfests 2013
- REDUX: Eminently Hip Donald Fagen Memoirs
- New Jon Herington "skype to broadcast" interview with Guitarhoo.com
- Upcoming Catherine Russell Shows
- Questions for Jim Beard?

=======

The following are the subject headlines of the Dandom Digest for June 16-20, 2013.

=======

- Steely Dan at NYC's Beacon Theatre
- "Deacon Blues," Scotch, SD & other intergenerational appreciations
- DF: "Anonymous Superstar"
- REDUX: "Black Friday" Live Single with DF & Ollabelle
- REDUX: Danfests 2013
- REDUX: Upcoming Catherine Russell Shows
- REDUX: Questions for Jim Beard?

=======

If you are not currently a subscriber but would like to receive the free Dandom Digest email newsletter, please email me at hoops AT dandom DOT com or see http://www.dandom.com/dandomdigest.

For the record, the Dandom Digest is a newsletter with unofficial content written by and for the fans of Steely Dan. The newsletter is independent of, nor to be confused with, the glorious and much more glamorous official newsletters from steelydan.com, walterbecker.com, donaldfagen.com and other sites of Steely Dan associates.

Thanks for your support through the years, especially Pete and Shari, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Winterbottom, and espcially thinking of Mark and Bill, and not to mention one or two people who request anonymity.

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 19:00:11 ET
Posted by: Nicky, R

Oct 1 and Oct 8 according to Doc's post.

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 18:52:52 ET
Posted by: Jordan, Brooklyn, NY

Huh? How do you know which night they are going to play Doctor Wu and Western World?

Date: Thurs, June 20, 2013, 18:41:44 ET
Posted by: Nicky, R