By RAY BANZ
as told to JEREMY COX
Naples Daily News
Editor’s note: The following review of Steely Dan’s performance Wednesday night at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall is written from the perspective of lead singer and band co-founder Donald Fagen’s sunglasses. As such, it may include some flashes of fiction, but none of them glaring.
Fort MYERS, Fl. — First off, can I just tell you how weird it is to be writing one of these reviews. Normally, all I get to do is read them. And I know what you’re already thinking: “Why would Donald Fagen wear sunglasses while reading the newspaper?”
The man is cool, that’s why.
If my boss wants to wear me in a darkened music hall at night, so be it. It’s my job to transform Mr. Fagen from a skinny band nerd to a pasty Ray Charles, or maybe a suntanned Roy Orbison.
I don’t want to knock Walter Becker’s choice of eyewear. But when our guitarist adjusts the spectacles on the bridge of his nose when he’s supposed to be soloing on “My Old School,” as he did Wednesday night, his look couldn’t be more unrock ‘n’ roll.
No worries, though. I was having the time of my life during that song. Mr. Fagen’s neck must be spring-loaded or something. We bobbed with each rapid-fire note, and, even from where I was sitting, I could tell he was smiling.
That song is definitely my favorite. The reviewers often call us a jazz-rock combo (trio counting me, if I may be so bold). But after 35 years on the road, minus a decade-long gap there in the ‘80s, it’s nice to show people that we can flat-out rock when we want to.
For Steely Dan, appearances have always been a distant second to the music. Heck, you won’t find a picture of Misters Fagen or Becker on the cover of any of their nine proper studio albums, which span from 1972’s “Can’t Buy a Thrill” to 2003’s “Everything Must Go.”
After “My Old School,” we amped up the energy some more with the weird but wonderful “Bodhisattva.” Think ‘50s-era boogie shone through a postmodern prism. With all the sideways jerking we were doing, I thought my boss was trying to get water out of his ears. I’m still kinda dizzy.
OK, I don’t want to get fired here, but I feel there’s something I have to get off my lenses.
This was the first show we ever played in Fort Myers. The Mann, as the locals call it, is nice, but from down here on the stage, the guy sitting in row WW, seat 106, in the balcony looks like he’s sitting at the top of the Grand Canyon.
This won’t endear me to my boss either, but I felt like the only time the band showed some life was during “My Old School” and “Bodhisattva,” which happened to be the encores.
The backing band — which included two saxophones, one horn, one trombone, a drummer, an organist, a bassist and second guitarist — were pretty faithful to the original versions of the songs.
We cranked through the first 13 songs in 77 minutes. It felt like we were pacing ourselves for the finale the whole time.
My boss promised to play “tunes from the present, the recent past and the far past,” but the front end of the show was loaded with the newer stuff. Don’t get me wrong: “Two Against Nature” and “Janie Runaway” have excellent grooves that are better than 90 percent of the junk that comes out today. But they aren’t the reason folks pay 80 bucks for the cheap seats.
Where were “Don’t Take Me Alive,” “FM,” “Any Major Dude Will Tell You,” and “Reelin’ In the Years?” Letting the two female backup singers take lead on “Dirty Work” was a mistake, in my opinion. It seemed like they were auditioning for better singing gigs in the future, instead of telling the story of a twisted love.
Now, I’m sounding overly negative. Sorry about that, boss. This is probably why the powers that be don’t usually allow sunglasses to write reviews.
The performance demonstrated that Steely Dan is still one of the most ingenious, literate and enigmatic bands on the planet. So, can I still keep my job?
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