Steely Dan played Coachella, Donald Fagen blogged about it, touring this summer with Elvis Costello & the Imposters (dates)

by Bill Pearis

Steely Dan @ Coachella 4/10/2015 (photo via @sctzzx)

Steely Dan made the trek out to Coachella this year and acerbic frontman Donald Fagen kept a diary for Rolling Stone where he noted, “Aside from the music and the polo, one can visit a local gas station that features a brass plaque commemorating the 1991 arrest of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart for driving on the wrong side of the road in the company of a prostitute.” As for the Dan’s experience at the festival, here’s what he said:

After hearing a few different bands through the open door, I noticed that many of them sounded a lot like the folk rock bands of the Sixties that were born in the wake of Bob Dylan’s electric switchover, only louder and dumber. At the silliest level, Barry McGuire came to mind. Unfortunately, none that I heard approached the elegance and originality that Roger McGuinn brought to the Dylan-inspired group, the Byrds.

Apparently, the big attractions are the EDM tents (that’s Electronic Dance Music, dad) where ravers get off to pulsing sound and lights. As with the live bands, it seems to me that the wellspring of this genre happened 40 years ago: Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte’s production, I Feel Love, featuring Donna Summer. Session players used to call this sort of thing a porn loop.

Steely Dan’s self-described “slammin'” set was a pretty hit-friendly one, including “Hey Nineteen,” “My Old School,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Kid Charlemagne.” There was also a signature Walter Becker rant: “There were some financial considerations, I’m not gonna lie…We’re here, we still got it, and if you want it come and get it… You’re gonna know that your little tree has been shook, and that your world has been rocked” (via Billboard). Setlist is below.

Steely Dan do it again at Coachella this weekend and will be in the NY-area later this summer when they’re on tour with Elvis Costello & the Imposters and play two nearby shows in NJ: August 1 at PNC Bank Arts Center and August 3 at Susquehanna Bank Center. Tickets for those shows are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

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SETLIST: Steely Dan @ Coachella 4/10/2015
Bodhisattva
Black Friday
Aja
Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
Josie
My Old School
Reelin’ in the Years
Kid Charlemagne

Steely Dan – 2015 Tour Dates
Apr 14 Paso Robles CA Vina Robles Amp.
Apr 15 Santa Barbara CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Apr 17 Indio CA Coachella
Apr 18 San Diego CA Humphrey’s
Apr 19 San Diego CA Humphrey’s
Jul 06 Denver CO Red Rocks **
Jul 09 Auburn WA White River Amp. **
Jul 11 Mountain View CA Shoreline Amp. **
Jul 13 Los Angeles CA Hollywood Bowl **
Jul 15 Albuquerque NM Isleta **
Jul 17 Austin TX 360 **
Jul 18 Houston TX Woodlands **
Jul 19 Dallas TX Gexa **
Jul 22 Maryland Heights MO Hollywood Casino Amp **
Jul 24 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Jul 25 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Jul 27 Clarkston MI DTE Energy Music Theatre **
Jul 28 Cuyahoga Falls OH Blossom **
Jul 30 Boston MA Blue Hills Bank **
Jul 31 Boston MA Blue Hills Bank **
Aug 01 Holmdel NJ PNC Arts Ctr **
Aug 03 Camden NJ Susquehanna Bank Center **
Aug 05 Bristow VA Jiffy Lube **
Aug 06 Raleigh NC Walnut Creek **
Aug 08 Nashville TN West Riverfront Park **
Aug 09 Atlanta GA Chastain **
Aug 11 Tampa FL Mid Florida **
Aug 12 West Palm Beach FL Cruzan **
** w/ Elvis Costello & The Imposters