Steely Dan

Related Content

• I Can Go For That: Ten Classic Rock Covers That Are Better Than the Original
  May 23, 2012
• The Short List: This Week's Recommended Shows
  May 16, 2012
• 100 Favorite Dishes: Baked Potato at Wedgwood Broiler
  April 17, 2012
• Overheard In Email: "Subject: Kelly Clarkson Warning"
  March 12, 2012
• The Washover Fans
  May 16, 2012

More About

• Steely Dan
• Messers Becker
• Mike Seely
• Fleetwood Mac

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

The Cuervo Gold. The fine Colombian. Makes tonight a wonderful thing. Set to a jazzy, mellow beat, these lyrics from Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen” encapsulate what was arguably popular music’s most decadent half-decade, the late-‘70s, as well as any words that have ever been recorded. After the Band and its tired, rootsy cohorts retired to the infamous White Room after their Last Waltz in ‘76, it was the likes of Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac which steered rock in a decidedly more polished, superficial direction. Credit Steely Dan, master ironists that they are, for not getting defensive in the face of this perception; the high watermark of their commercial success was marked by an unabashed commitment to the studio and a rejection of the road. Their creations were so technically adroit that they often get “credited” with helping to spawn smooth jazz. Whatever aversion to touring Messers Becker and Fagen had in their youth has thankfully vanished with age. Their Seattle stop finds them continuing one of the most welcome trends in live rock: “album” shows, in which the band will perform Aja and The Royal Scam in their entirety on back-to-back nights. Expect the Aja showcase to pack more intrigue, as the economical album featured but seven tracks, including “Peg,” “Black Cow,” and “Deacon Blues.” With all that extra time, let’s hope the sublime “Pearl of the Quarter” and “Dirty Work” get pulled into the set. All ages. MIKE SEELY
Mon., Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Tue., Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m., 2009