OK, I will give you the Cliff’s notes version from their July 2nd show at PNC in Charlotte, NC. Very high quality music. It was mostly an older crowd. Winwood’s voice is strong and clear and it is difficult to believe how old he is and that he was actually in a band with that lunatic Ginger Baker. In retrospect, he played in some outstanding bands and created some iconic music that measures up with any music from the late ’60’s early ’70’s.
Steely Dan brought an excellent eleven person band including a full horn section and three chick do-wop singers. Fagen’s voice is still strong and he is still a perfectionist, the arrangements were all very tight. Becker sounds like Dan Akroyd introducing the Blues Brothers when he tries to banter with the crowd and he is now mostly a rhythm guitar player. I think drugs have definitely taken their toll on that guy, physically and mentally. He claimed he had been with “that mutherfuck#r” for 50 years now, pointing to Fagen. I looked it up and it is more like 48, but rounding errors are acceptable at any rock concert. They met in college up in Annandale (like a lot of us gropers met, but I am always going back to my old school….). The real guitarist who tours with them, Jon Herrington, is an excellent technician and was able to play a stunning Reeling in the Years, much to my delight.
My friend Deepak texted one of my pals Glendt during the show inquiring about the “cheese.” Almost instantly, an attractive middle aged woman in front of us stood up and started doing the dirty boogie, Woodstock style, for Steve Winwood’s “Gimme Some Lovin.'” Her tired husband/boyfriend refused to get out of his lawn chair and hippie dance with her, so I doubt he got any cheese that night. A young guy near us was spinning his young daughter in the air like she was training for sputnik and I figured she would hurl long before any of us would.
The aforementioned Glendt and our mate Mr. Peabody mostly partook of the Sweetwater 420 cans, a good choice and a step-up from Peabody’s go to beer, the ubiquitous PBR. I drank smuggled Bacardi mixed into my tasty, refreshing Sprite beverage while my son pre-gamed on my leftover birthday beer and some local craft swill purchased at The Pavillion. I smelled a fair amount of pot including some “designer” herb that smelled like cat piss and would not stay lit. I am quite certain it did the job, though.
A nice warm, evening spent listening to timeless music with my son and great old friends. It does not get much better than that. Next up is Los Lobos and the Tedeschi/Trucks band the end of this month. Get some!
Song list from Setlist.fm July 2nd, 2016 – PNC Music Pavillion -Charlotte, NC.
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(The Spencer Davis Group song)
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(Traffic song)
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(Blind Faith song)
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(Buddy Miles cover)
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(Traffic song)
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(Traffic song)
- Encore: