The show opened with Michael McDonald doing a long set that combined many Doobie Brothers hits, along with Motown covers that he has featured on his last two CDs. McDonald's voice was in great form belting out Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson tunes, accompanied by a strong backing band that included a terrific sax and backup vocals. He finished up with a rousing rendition of "Taking it to the Streets", that brought the crowd to its feet. We felt that we had already gotten our money's worth with half the show to go.
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker arrived with a 10 piece backing band that included four horns and two backup singers. They opened with the exuberant "Bodhisattva" and then carried on with a virtual greatest hits list of Steely Dan songs, including "Aja", "Peg", "Hey 19" and many others. Only one recent tune, "Pixeleen", was tossed in the mix. I would have enjoyed hearing "Cousin Dupree", or anything from Fagen's excellent new Morph the Cat CD, but most of the songs were rooted firmly in the 70's. Mid way through the set, Michael McDonald joined in on vocals and keyboard. He added an extra spark to "Show Biz Kids", "Do it Again", and others. The show ended with my favorite Steely tune, "My Old School", filled with wild guitars and a crowd once again standing and singing along with every word.We left feeling that we had gotten two great concerts for the price of one.
They got the house on the corner
With the rug inside
They got the booze they need
All that money can buy
They got the shapely bods
They got the steely dan t-shirt
And for the coup-de-gras
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