By Gary Graff
The Oakland Press
DETROIT — In Steely Dan’s world, one guy makes a big difference.
In fact, it’s what allows the group to BE Steely Dan.
Last year the entire group that was on stage Saturday night, July 27, at the Fox Theatre performed at the DTE Energy Music Theatre as the Dukes of September, a collaboration with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald. But it was without Walter Becker, who’s sometimes viewed as Steely Dan’s secondary partner because of Donald Fagen’s more prolific solo career but who established on Saturday that he makes all the difference in the world.
Becker’s distinctive guitar licks and wry humor are defining characteristics in Steely Dan’s jazz-rock-blues-R&B hybrid, and he demonstrated that throughout the two-hour before an exuberant and overwhelmingly boomer-aged crowd at the Fox. The guitar playing was evident throughout the night, with Becker’s chicken-pickin’ variations complementing musical director Jon Herington’s searing leads. Becker’s best verbal riff, meanwhile, came during “Hey Nineteen,” as he led the song into its last-verse mention of Quervo Gold with a brief but humorous discourse about what couples attending the show would be doing afterwards.
Mostly, however, Becker and Fagen — who re-formed Steely Dan as a touring unit 20 years ago after rarely playing live during their heyday — let the music do the talking, dishing out 20 songs that ran the gamut from hits (“Peg,” “Deacon Blues” “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Time Out of Mind”) to well-known album tracks such as “Black Friday,” “Show Biz Kids,” “Josie,” “My Old School” and “Kid Charlemagne” as well as some truly deep tracks for real aficionados. The group has unearthed “Razor Boy” for what Fagen said was the first time ever, letting the three female singers known as the Borderline Brats handle the vocals, as well as Your Gold Teeth, both songs ostensibly honoring the 40th anniversary of Steely Dan’s sophomore album, “Countdown to Ecstasy.”
Becker sang “Monkey in Your Soul” from 1974’s “Pretzel Logic,” another real rarity, while “Godwhacker” was presented as the only entry from Steely Dan’s 21st century canon.
The musicianship, meanwhile, was typically exceptional, with Steely Dan frequently “passing the ball” to let the eight instrumentalists of the Bipolar Allstars enjoy a bit of the spotlight. Chief among those was Herington, of course, but Keith Carlock remains a force of nature drummer, flashy but never losing the pocket and standing out particularly on “Aja.” Saxophonist Walt Weiskopf was a first among equals in the four-piece horn section, introducing “Show Biz Kids” with a solo and shining throughout “Deacon Blues.”
Fagen’s voice, meanwhile, took about a third of the show to really warm up, but he compensated with solid Fender Rhodes electric piano playing — including a bit of Beethoven`s “Fur Elise” before “Josie” — and by playing melodica on several songs.
Although Becker and Fagen have a track record of sarcasm and irreverence, the latter sounded genuinely sincere as he thanked the Fox crowd for its reception during the encore. “It keeps us going. We’re old!” he said. Here’s hoping that response, here and in other cities, will keep Steely Dan going for some time to come.
No comments yet.