By Jeffrey Lee Puckett
The Courier-Journal
LOUISVILLE — Steely Dan is a band famed for its painstaking attention to detail when making records. Every note is in place, sometimes to a fault, although no one can question the dedication to craft of songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
That same attention to detail was in full force Friday night at a sold-out Louisville Palace, but it never handcuffed the band’s underlying sense of urgency, even when it kept the heat at a simmer.
From the opening song, a relaxed stroll through “Your Gold Teeth,” Becker and Fagen led a master class in how they’ve perfectly adopted essential aspects of West Coast jazz to pop music. It was a seamless splice job, all done on a genetic level.
The opening 25 minutes were sublime, with “Your Gold Teeth” melting into an evocative “Aja,” the title track from the 1977 album that laid the groundwork for every record since. Next was a sparkling “Hey Nineteen,” which featured a Wolfman Jack-style rap from the otherwise taciturn Becker. A sneaky “Show Biz Kids” wrapped it up.
Things got a little weird after that, unless you’re a staunch fan, as the emphasis shifted to deep album cuts. “Green Earrings” was followed by “King of the World,” “Time Out of Mind,” “Godwhacker” and “Monkey in Your Soul,” with a halfhearted vocal from Becker. There were some fine moments but the show’s momentum was definitely blunted.
While Fagen and Becker might be famous for doing as they please — and “Godwhacker” is an example of just that — they also didn’t seem interested in irking their notoriously loyal fans. So they launched into an ecstatic “Bodhisattva” and the codeine groove of “Razor Boy” before closing with a flurry of classics in “Josie,” “Peg,” “My Old School,” “Reeling in the Years” and, for an encore, “Kid Charlemagne.”
Steely Dan has a rich catalog, but the band’s more overtly popular songs clearly resonate on a far more visceral level, appealing to a mainstream audience without sacrificing the subtleties that entice hard-core fans. That last 30 minutes was smart, exciting pop music, still vital after decades of being worn out by classic rock radio.
As usual, Becker and Fagen brought a top-notch band, nicknamed The Bipolar Allstars, with The Borderline Brats, a trio of female singers who were essential. The entire band was excellent but drummer Keith Carlock was consistently outstanding, especially on the unusually demanding “Aja,” which requires a rare combination of power, technique and elegance. He delivered all three.
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