Grab your Steely Dan t-shirt & get thee to a concert hall…last night this dexterous duo played the Riverside in Milwaukee…if you’ve never seen them live, put this on your gotta-do list.
The show started with the Aja album, played from start to finish, which is what I had been looking forward to. But it got even better after that…I felt like I was transported back to the ’70s. The playlist included Babylon Sisters, My Old School, Kid Charlemagne–even a rendition of Dirty Work. It was obvious that Fagen and Becker were there to make sure everyone had a good time, in stark contrast to their standoffish reputation. Fagen suggested we get up and dance, to which we responded with a collective shake-and-shimmyfest. I’m pretty sure we would have done anything he asked.
Cool glasses, aren’t they? Kind of a leopard thing goin’ on…
The Riverside is my favorite place to see a concert. It’s smallish, so it feels intimate, and you can bring in a camera, as long as you’re not obnoxious with it. It also has a long and storied past. Built for vaudeville in 1927, the theater was restored to its former beauty in 1984 thanks to a generous donation by Milwaukee patron Joseph Zilber. It’s one of the few historic theaters left in Milwaukee, and, amazingly, it looks just about the same on the inside as it did in 1927. I hear that there are “Haunted Riverside” tours given by one of the employees…but I’d rather get my thrills & chills listening to some fine Steely Dan jazz.
Wisconsin and Beyond 