Steely Dan Calls Beacon Theatre Home

Mel Torme once said that Donald Fagen and Chick Corea are two of America's greatest living composers. Trombonist Jim Pugh could certainly attest to that, having played with both. He is now a fixture in Steely Dan's four-piece horn section.

After some 15 years of on and off touring (mostly on) Becker and Fagen seemed to bask in the glory of a hometown crowd, cementing their relationship with New York City's Beacon Theatre.

Supported by an extremely talented band (see SteelyDan.com for the current line-up) the audience, filled with a combination of musicians and long-time Steely Dan aficionados came prepared to hear two old friends ply their craft in their own unique wat. The audience was not disappointed.

The set itself consisted of both new and old, similar to other shows on the tour, with some notable inclusions for a Friday night.

"Don't Take Me Alive" and "Glamour Profession" were two that were unexpected, though back in '03 during the Everything Must Go tour, the entire audience at New York's Roseland Ballroom was singing along to DTMA.

The title track from Two Against Nature was also a new addition this go-round, the duo having opted to play other selections from that album in recent tours, as well as "New Frontier" from Fagen's '82 solo release, The Nightfly.

Personally, I would have added a cut or two from Fagen's Grammy-nominated Kamikiriad (perhaps "Teahouse on the Tracks") which this reviewer still believes deserved the Grammy in 1993, despite Neil young's brilliant solo effort, Harvest Moon.

The set was noticeably well rehearsed and refined, yet it didn't come across as slick and canned. More like a non-stop tour de force of superb musicianship.

Becker and Fagen were working their instruments as well as ever, not to mention that their vocals were spot on. All in all, a good time was had by all, both off and on the stage!

by Rich Saracino