When Steely Dan last toured Australia in 2007 the show was technically perfect but musical dull. They played like high paid session musicians, a great sound but no passion. Last night when they played Melbourne again on their second Australia tour they were brilliant.
Steely Dan - Photo By Ros O'Gorman
This is the show we wanted to see last time. For the first time in Australia Steely Dan were playing like a band.
The 2011 tour gave the fans a bit of something from every album. They replaced ‘Do It Again’ from the Sydney show for ‘Babylon Sister’ in Melbourne but apart from that the songs for the shows were identical.
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen really let loose for the James Brown cover ‘Papa Don’t Take No Mess’. The whole band and the audience was having fun at that point.
The backing singers the Embassy Brats took lead for ‘Dirty Work’ from the first Steely Dan album ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’ from 1972. As Donald Fagen explained, David Palmer, who sang it on the original album, was only with the band for a very short time.
‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’ is finally getting played live for the very first time in Australia. One of my biggest criticisms from the last tour was that the setlist was not modified for an audience who had never seen this band before. They redeemed themselves last night.
Steve Winwood returned for the encore and sang lead on the Steely Dan 1974 track ‘Pretzel Logic’.
This is one great show.
Setlist
Dizzy’s Bidness (intro)
Aja (from Aja, 1977)
Black Friday (from Katy Lied, 1975)
Hey Nineteen (from Gaucho, 1980)
Time Out Of Mind (from Gaucho, 1980)
Two Against Nature (from Two Against Nature, 2000)
Bodhisattva (from Countdown to Ecstasy, 1973)
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number (from Pretzel Logic, 1974)
Showbiz Kids (from Countdown to Ecstasy, 1973)
Godwhacker (from Everything Must Go, 2003)
Papa Don’t Take No Mess (James Brown cover)
Babylon Sister (from Gaucho, 1980)
Dirty Work (from Can’t Buy A Thrill, 1972)
Josie (from Aja, 1977)
Peg (from Aja, 1977)
My Old School (from Countdown to Ecstasy, 1973)
Reeling In The Years (from Can’t Buy A Thrill, 1972)
Kid Charlemagne (from The Royal Scam, 1976)
Pretzel Logic (with Steve Winwood) (from Pretzel Logic, 1974)
Last Tango In Paris (outro)
Remaining shows for the Steely Dan and Steve Winwood tour are:
October 29, Yarra Valley, Rochford Winery
October 30, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
November 2, New Zealand, Christchurch, CBS Canterbury Arena
November 4, Auckland, Vector Arena
November 5, Napier, Church Road
