 Mon, Sep 08, 2008 05:03 AM
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2008-06-05  ALPHARETTA AND ROSWELL REVUE & NEWS | | | by Scott Sowers | |  |
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June 13, 2008
ALPHARETTA -- The intense thunderstorms during the early evening Wednesday night were not enough to keep out a huge crowd to see Steely Dan at the brand new Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. A nearly sold out venue made for a great atmosphere to see one of the more critically acclaimed bands over the last 30 or so years, The Dan.
I didn't realize that this band had as dedicated of a following as it did, but clearly I was wrong. The group sitting behind me seemed to be fans in the know as they were talking about all of the different instrumental arrangements the songs had compared to shows they'd seen in the past.
This was an interesting show for me because I'm not one who's all about these nostalgia acts who come in and act like they still have something to prove, when all they do is rattle off rote versions of their hits from 30 years ago. But this was not the case with Steely Dan, who played a show geared towards their longtime fans.
The show was not a "greatest hits" type of affair with only a handful of their popular numbers thrown in with the bigger mix of deep album cuts and material off their newer albums, including 2000's Grammy-winning "Two Against Nature." This maybe made it a bit tougher to sit through for casual fans at the show. While I know only the hits of this band, it was interesting to watch their large backing band work and shape the sound.
Steely Dan were long known as being studio musicians, when many of the original members left the group leaving just Donald Fagen and Walter Becker to write and perform the songs with some of the country's best session musicians. Despite their reputation of not coming into the live arena often, they sure put on a great show.
Playing with what Fagen called the "Think Fast Steely Dan Orchestra '08," the band is built with a lot of elements coming together: Fagen playing the electric piano while being flanked by another keyboardist who covers the rest of the keys, the lead guitarist dueling with Becker and the four-man horn section.
Becker said that this band had only been together for little over a month, and that it was like a new baby with all of the fans at the show like relatives coming to visit and nurture the baby. To my ear they sounded great together and must have done a lot of practice before the tour, because they were all on the same page and had all of the timing down pat.
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In an interesting start to a show I hadn't seen before, it was the backing band that first came out, playing an instrumental melody, or maybe even a jam – I'm not sure which – before the two true members of Steely Dan made their way to the stage. Fagen, per usual, did nearly all of the singing, with Becker taking the lead on "Godwhacker," from their latest album, "Everything Must Go" from 2003.
I can see why Becker doesn't do much of the singing. His voice sounded flat and there wasn't much emotion to it. Surprising given that he just released a solo album this year. Fagen, on the other hand, was great. At 60 he can still hit all kinds of high notes and really seems to get into the lyrics – even when it's not his turn to sing into the mic he can still be seen singing away at his piano.
The evening was kicked off by the excellent Sam Yahel Organ Trio, a jazz trio that sacrifices the piano for the organ instead. I'm a sucker for just about anything with an organ on it, and they didn't disappoint. The group played a selection of jazz standards and originals that were filled with jamming. The group's excellent saxophonist was flanked with Michael Leonhart, the trumpeter for The Dan, making them a quartet that night.
This group sounded great to me up close, but I think the expanse of the amphitheater is not best suited for them. It would be interesting to see in a club.
Steely Dan's biggest reactions that night came when they busted out some of their well-known ditties, especially "Hey Nineteen," "Josie," and "Peg," which served as the set closer.
Then, during the final encore song of the evening, "FM," once the track was winding down, Fagen and Becker walked off stage with simply a wave, letting the rest of the band take them out just as how the evening began.
- www.northfulton.com
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Month Old Baby; VZW Amphitheater (Disappointing Sound)
July 05, 2008 | 12:25 PM
Can any readers share some insight regarding the sound quality/quantity at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA?
I attended the Steely Dan show on 6/11/2008 and consequently have a few curiosities. While there were no flies on this band (they were tighter than ever), the audio impressed me as lacking in quality and quantity.
Regarding the "month old baby" (the venue):
1) From the lawn area, the decibel (SPL) level was very low (quiet) although clearer than the covered seats area and very shy on bass response.
2) From the last row of covered seats, the sound was louder, but still quiet for a rock concert. Surprisingly, sound clarity suffered at this closer listening position.
This experience led me to wonder if there was an overall loudness restriction imposed by venue administration (or other local authority)? Was the sound reinforcement system supplied by the venue as a "house" system or was it provided by the band's touring sound company?
Even though the show was quite enjoyable (I've never seen a "bad" Steely Dan concert), it was a shame that the product didn't come across with the full impact it deserved.
Thanks for any help.
Mathew Hindle
| | Factual mistakes
June 18, 2008 | 12:22 PM
Such as?
Do Tell
| | June 18, 2008 | 01:44 AM
This article is riddled with factual mistakes.
noah
| | June 13, 2008 | 06:32 PM
Actually, Becker was referring to the AMPHITHEATER as a month old baby. Not the band!! The touring band's been relatively consistent for several years now. And Becker didn't sing lead on Godwhacker, but rather Gaucho, a song which they have NEVER performed live before. And it was amazing for your information. Hardcore fans were stoked.
You should check out Walter's latest solo effort, Circus Money. They did play Godwhacker, but Fagen sang lead. These guys are gods!
Ricky
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