By Joe Heim
Washington Post
BRISTOW, Va. — There was much to celebrate about Steely Dan’s concert at Nissan Pavilion on Wednesday night, not the least of which was that no one was struck by lightning. Much of the venue is covered, of course, but the evening’s massive storm arrived at the same time as thousands of the band’s loyal fans, leading to a mad scramble through the parking lot. Apparently lightning has difficulty hitting a moving target.
Nature’s fierce display kept the lawn clear and delayed the show’s start, but when Donald Fagen and Walter Becker finally took the stage with their phenomenal 11-piece band, they seemed energized by the wild weather. “What a night!” Fagen exclaimed. “It’s unbelievable what we’re seeing from up here.” The two have a reputation for being sly, cynical and detached, but none of that reserve could be detected during a soulful and funky two-hour-plus set.
Much of Steely Dan’s magic lies in making complex arrangements sound and feel so casual. Intricately structured and demanding of precision, the band’s songs come off as if the pair barely need to lift a finger. “My Old School” was sunny and serene, and the languid “Time Out of Mind” felt particularly effortless. Fagen sang lead on all but two songs (and a good thing, too). The small but raucous crowd also took its turn, singing along lustily to decades-old favorites such as “Hey Nineteen” and “Josie.”
The duo’s sound is so distinct, so of an era, that even such new songs as “Godwhacker” or “Things I Miss the Most” felt slightly nostalgic. It’s as if Steely Dan’s songs were all written in one creative burst and are being doled out over the years.
By show’s end the lightning had disappeared, the thunder was a distant whisper and the driving rain was replaced by a cool, drying breeze. The band’s mood-altering music seemed to have had its way with the weather as well.
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