I'm putting on my music-critic hat, just for a few minutes.
Last night I saw legendary jazz-rock band Steely Dan in concert at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheater. This is one band I had never seen before, even though I have been a fan of their songs and albums since I bought a vinyl copy of "Can't Buy a Thrill" when it first came out in 1972. (I must have been about 2 years old at the time -- yeah right!).
The zoo's outdoor amphitheater has a large stone bandshell that was built as part of the 1930s Works Progress Act. The zoo setting and the uniqueness of the old stage gave the show a lot of character. Donald Fagan joked that the building looked a lot like The Alamo. The venue holds about 5,000 people and it was just about sold out last night. On warm sunny nights under starry skies, the relatively small amphitheater is about as good a place to see a show as any.
Fagan said it was the first time in the band's nearly 40-year history that they ever played in a zoo. Midway through the show, one of their crew came out in a gorilla suit and monkeyed around the stage for a few minutes (Fagan and Becker barely seemed to notice).
Unfortunately, the weather was soggy last night. It rained off and on, never in buckets and mostly very lightly, but there was enough drizzle and drops to soak your clothes. And the temperatures were low for a summer night in Toledo -- it was in the low to mid 50s. Umbrellas were banned and I, like many fans, didn't bring a poncho. So despite my windbreaker with a hood, I and my friend, the inimitable Mark "Hound Dog" Vipond, and thousands more endured the show in a cold, damp setting.

Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, before the invention of scissors.

Steely Dan had a lot to live up to meet my expectations, having such a high regard for the band's music, lyrics, quality of sound, and arrangements, and of course their overall smug bicoastal attitude.
The band leaders, keyboardist-singer Donald Fagan and guitarist Walter Becker, were accompanied by 8 musicians -- baritone sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, and guitar -- and two female singers who swung and swayed their way through every song.
The backup band opened things up with a song that showed their impressive chops -- clearly these are all extremely talented jazz instrumentalists.
Then Fagan and Becker strode out, Fagan wearing a thigh-length black leather jacket and blowing on a portable wind-driven keyboard; Becker playing a baby-blue Stratocaster strapped high.
I am not going to go into detail on all the songs played during the hour and 45 minute show, but Fagan's voice was magical -- that New York hipster funk, a tad nasal, tossing off lines from an angle as he tilted his head sideways and back. Wearing shades and sitting at a Fender Rhodes piano most of the night, from my distant seat his body language reminded me of Ray Charles.
If I remember correctly, I believe they opened with "Time Out of Mind." The guitarist who handled most of the leads -- Jon Herington of NYC -- was a monster player, zipping all up and down the frets and cranking it with a clean-but-effects-laden buzz. He reminded me a bit of Carlos Santana, which made me dream for a moment of a concert tour with Santana playing lead for Steely Dan... wouldn't that be something?
The tenor sax player, Walt Weiskopf, also was a major talent, screeching into the honkosphere and careering all over the key signatures like a voracious jazz wizard.
My favorite numbers included the slow burn of "Babylon Sisters," the fast noodling jazz of "Kid Charlemagne," and especially the sly smouldering "Hey Nineteen" and the lofty "Aja". Also, I found myself singing "Josie" all day long... so that tune obviously had a lasting impact.
There were times when the band reminded me of Chicago at their peak -- and that's saying a lot. Sizzling guitar leads, the body punch of a tight horn section, and terrific melodies that never lose their shine.
"Dirty Work" gave the lead vocals to the two female background singers -- the sultry Cindy Mizelle and Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery.
The band was punctual -- starting precisely at 8:30 and ending at 10:01, then coming back for an encore that wrapped at 10:15.
The encore was highlighted by "My Old School." They've closed some shows with "Bodhisattva," another sure crowd-pleaser that I would have loved to hear. I also missed hearing two other faves, "Reelin' in the Years" and "Your Gold Teeth," but that's the way it goes with a band that has too many songs to squeeze into one show. Something's gotta give.
I must gripe about the sound mix. From where I was sitting, the sonic quality was a shambles -- tinny, especially on the lead vocals, making them sound like they were singing inside a tin can. The mix lacked mid-range, and the bass was boomy. I was a little off-center, but not the last section to the side, so I really don't think my location is a justifiable excuse for sloppy sound.
Although that was annoying to my "golden ears," it was not enough to suppress the pure joy of hearing some of my all-time favorite songs played live by a well-rehearsed, world-class band.
I also enjoyed the occasional stage banter from Fagan and Becker, who joked about the guy who takes his "object of affliction" out for a date and ends up sitting there looking cool in his poncho.
I also give credit to them for playing despite the rain. Some bands freak out when it rains during an outdoor show, thinking they're flirting with electrocution... Led Zeppelin caused a riot when they quit a show at Tampa Stadium in the 1970s (I was there) after a couple of songs because of a passing thunderstorm. Anybody who knows Florida knows that summer storms pop up and disappear as regularly as Old Faithful. Then there was the Joe Cocker debacle at the zoo a few years ago (2000?) when fans waited it out for hours after the scheduled start, only to have Cocker bail out on them. I was glad I missed that one.
Steely Dan is an awesome band and an American original... It's always great to see the originators, not the imitators.
* * *
I was "supposed" to interview the band but it never happened. Their manager blamed it on the crazy tour life but I doubt they ever planned to do one... I wrote a preview for The Blade anyway, and you can read it here.
Let's hope they throw out their gold teeth in Toledo again someday.
Here are some good websites to enter Steely Danland:
official website
band dictionary
concert history

Toledo, Ohio June 6, 2007