THE kings of jazz rock — Steely Dan — are still reelin’ in the ears for an eight-show Beacon Theatre residency that opened Tuesday with a towering performance.
At this show, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen sang that they’d never go “back to their old school” — yet the band’s principals were totally old-school in their pristine, studio-quality versions of their hits.
The concert bowed with a front-to-back, note-for-note rendition of their classic jazz-rock masterpiece “Aja,” the band’s best-selling album. It’s ranked No. 143 among Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums. Subsequent New York performances will give the same treatment to SD albums “The Royal Scam” and “Gaucho.”
How close to the record were guitarist Becker and keyboardist Fagen?
Dead on.
Just to give the audience a Steely Dan-ish hint at the band’s goal, on the side of the stage was an actual turntable, with the record on it. When the band finished “Deacon Blues,” the last song on side one, a back-up singer flipped the vinyl to side two and set down the needle again.
Despite bellyaching about a cold, Fagen’s vocals were excellent, surprisingly supple as he reached for the high notes.
The most devoted SD fans could probably tell you the differences between the complicated original version of “I Got the News” and the rest from these live renderings. But even a casual fan could discern the underlying cool of the originals, released 32 years ago, at the heart of this concert.
And while the flow of the album as it moves from “Black Cow” to title track “Aja” happens with the ease of taking a deep breath, hearing the songs live highlights the quality and consistency of this music. There isn’t a single weak tune in the batch.
Yes, the middle show was a little slow, but the band made up for it with a greatest-hits closer featuring “Hey Nineteen,” “My Old School,” “Kid Charlemagne” and an audience-rousing encore of “Reeling in the Years.” If you’re a Steely Dan fan, catching one of these shows is a must.
STEELY DAN Steely Dan at the Beacon tomorrow, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday; also Aug. 10 and 11. Details at beacontheatre.com.