STEELY DAN // THE SSE HYDRO, GLASGOW
Steely Dan play sold-out show at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro
STEELY DAN PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S SSE HYDRO - 20.02.2019
PICTURE BY: STEPHEN WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★★
At the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and it’s a muso’s dream gig, Steely Dan with Steve Winwood supporting. I’m really looking forward to this as I spent a whole lot of my time at Uni listening to these guys, and there was never a chance to see them as I think this might be the first time they have ventured to the UK for a tour. The seats I’ve got are great too just a couple of yards from the front of the stage.
Steve Winwood comes on stage with his band, bang on the half seven start time. He is sitting at and old wooden organ playing through a leslie speaker and the sound is very 70s funk. The band are a mix of ages with an old guitarist playing a new looking space age shaped guitar with no headstock. The percussion player sitting behind 3 white bongos and then a sax player cum second keys player and a drummer playing a stripped back kit.
The whole thing is pretty funky and bluesy, a few of the tracks I’m not too familiar with. Winwood moves between organ and guitar playing alternately a black tele and a surf green strat. Then track four is one we all recognise Keep On Running, followed directly be Higher Love, the backing vox are a bit off to start but settle down during the track.
Theres an interesting country vibe to one of the songs Steve plays guitar on, which morphs to a classic rock feel. This is followed by a closing rendition of Gimme Some Lovin’. Great guest support from an artist who could arguably fill the Hydro himself.
On to the main event, the band take the stage first and strike up into a funky groove with a slightly orchestral instrumental running through it. This plays for about a minute then Donald Fagen walks on with the three female backing vocalists in tow, looking every bit the ageing elder statesman of Jazz/ Pop.
Fagen sits at the big 70s looking organ with a big band, black and white picture on the front of it, we can just see his head and the into Bodhisattva. Fagen rolling his head around to the ebb and flow of the rhythm, and punctuating the beat with almost kermit the frog-like open mouthed gestures.
The sound is stunning with the thick luxurious keyboard and organ sounds along with the horn section, bass and drums, holding down the bottom end, whilst still leaving enough room for the guitar and vocal to shine with most of the musician taking a turn at solo parts throughout the gig.
It’s like a greatest hits show as the band move through Hey 19 to Black Friday and into Aja all recognisable and effortlessly delivered. During Aja, Fagen gets up to walk about with a blow organ playing the classic solo riff.
Then into Green Earrings the guitar playing from Jon Herinton is just so well executed, he doesn’t stick with the original parts faithfully but plays the spirit of them with extra flourishes it’s dynamic and Jazzy.
Harking back to the Aja album they play the opener, Black Cow, it’s so reminiscent of the 70s funk scene and the organ sounds and bass interplay are exactly like the recording here. Fagen’s vocal is potentially the weak link but he makes up for it, kookily rephrasing the lyrics to many of the tracks, it just adds that feel that you are witnessing something special.
Marimba sounds herald Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and the people the seats round me are singing every word with Fagen commenting that ‘everyone loves a radio hit’.
The next track is Kid Charlemagne the opener from the album The Royal Scam, the original to this had a masterclass solo by the great Larry Carlton, and Herinton made it his own live, catching the key phrases but adding something different. All of this changing the tracks from Fagen and Herinton is very much what I hoped for given the Jazz roots of so much of the Steely Dan heritage.
Dirty work is sung by the three backing vocalists in lieu of David Palmers original vocal and again this adds something new for the fans singing along.
Fagen says a Glaswegian asked for the next song, though he can’t quite believe that Glaswegian is a word. Deacon Blues is the track it’s probably been asked for by someone who knows that it the track Ricky Ross got the name for his band from. This is another materials in live performance and sound.
The band start playing the intro music again and Fagen goes off stage with the female vocalist - at this point different members of the band introduce each other. Then Fagen come back on stage and do Josie again from the Aja album.
My favourite track, My Old School, closes out the set and the band and Fagen all leave the stage, the crowd gets to its feet and the come back out for the encore…..we all know theres one song thats not been done.
An extended version of Reelin’ In The Years complete with Drum solo closes out the night and and that’s it. This was one of the best gigs I have seen, from the ability and craft of the musicians on the stage to the clarity of the sound and not to mention the songs…….the whole this was stunning. The only thing missing for me was some reference to the passing of Fagen’s writing partner and fellow founding Dan member Walter Becker…..but it never came.
SETLIST: | STEELY DAN : THE SSE HYDRO, GLASGOW - 20.02.2019
Cubano Chant - (Ray Bryant cover) - Band Only
Bodhisattva
Hev Nineteen
Black Friday
Aja
Green Earrings
Time Out of Mind
Black Cow
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
Kid Charlemagne
Dirty Work
Peg
Deacon Blues
Keep That Same Old Feeling - (The Crusaders cover)
Josie
My Old School
ENCORE:
Reelin’ in the Years
A Man Ain’t Supposed to Cry - (Joe Williams cover) - Band Only