Steely Dan @ SydneyEntertainment Centre(18/07/07)

Thu 20th Sep, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Making their only Sydney appearance on this tour the unstoppable Steely Dan presented us with a slick and marvellous show of pop-rock-jazz. Sir Becker and Sir Fagen were in fine form for their second show in New South Wales, after a special night at Bimbadgen this past Saturday (*A Day On The Green*). The band was once again as marvellous as before and all was well on the stage!

Time Out Of Mind and Black Cow were rolled out again and I figured I was going to get a carbon copy of the Saturday gig. But no, the next tune to be displayed in sonic brilliance was I Got The News. “Can’t you see our love will grow….” Ahh, it was a beautiful moment and left a smile on many of the faces in the fairly packed barn.

The horn section absolutely burned through their paces tonight and Walt Weiskopf proved once again that he is a saxophonist to reckon with. (Ready) Freddie Washington, who has played with the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and many others, laid down the lines that kept the melody in the right place. Cindy Mizelle and Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery grooved and danced and most importantly sang beautifully and blended with Fagen and the band superbly. Backing vocalists of this caliber don’t get a look-in very often down here, so I was very pleased to listen to them croon.

Standing in the penal colony where we had been relegated to dance, just off to stage right, where no seats were occupied, we had a special time with the few followers who found the music too special to sit to. Security were unsure whether we were terrorists or fans so they conferred for awhile and then actually let us dance for the remainder of the gig! Colin, who befriended me, was amazed I was dancing with my wife (!!) and he was in awe of the musicianship and the historic moment we witnessed. Steely Dan in Sydney.

But my, how do people sit, and just listen. Donald Fagen may have called them the Steely Dan Orchestra tonight, but it was not symphonic, it was a funky groove that demanded participation of the body shaking kind.

Aja was a crowd favourite and that was followed with Do It Again before the Heavy Rollers headed off to the obligatory applause and screams for the encore. And there was still some gas in the car for Deacon Blues and Kid Charlemagne to end what was another note perfect Steely Dan show.