THE STEELY DAN INTERNET RESOURCE

The veteran act's jazz-pop proves as strong as ever at the Pacific, though Donald Fagen is losing his vocal potency

By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register

A quarter-century ago, when the meticulously smooth "Aja" was an inescapable FM rage, if you had placed a bet that Steely Dan would today be a viable live act, the odds would have been at least a million to one. At that point, it had been four years since their last trek, a ramshackle one behind "Countdown to Ecstasy," and the influential, Hall of Fame-bound band was perfectly content to nestle into the studio, seemingly for good.

Hoping they'd return to the stage was foolish. But wagering that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (and whatever pros they chose to back them) would become not just a regular concert attraction but a premier performing unit - one capable of both revitalizing the complex Dan catalog and forging ahead into fresh fusions of jazz, funk and traditional pop - well, that would have pushed odds into astronomical figures.

And for a pittance back then you'd now own a small chunk of Vegas.

For the mighty Steely Dan continues to defy even the most convoluted pretzel logic - the sort that says this should not be happening so well - as evidenced Wednesday night at the group's Pacific Amphitheatre gig. Once again, the expansive, 13-member version of the Dan played superbly - tremendously, in the case of drummer Keith Carlock - just as it has since its reassembly nearly a decade ago.

Not that this was an ideal setting for such sophisticated tunes. Though the playing was convincingly punchy and the mix was the best I've heard during this Pacific series - finally, all instruments blended properly and with plenty of volume - an outdoor venue somehow robs Steely Dan's music of a certain intimacy even its weirdest tunes retain.

What's more, it was poorly timed. Any yahoo who can tell "Peg" from "Josie" knows these guys are apt to deliver two sets across at least three hours. So starting at 8 p.m., when the sound curfew is 10, was unwise. Given such restraints, the Dan ran over by 15 minutes and still had to drop "My Old School," slated between "Don't Take Me Alive" and "FM." There was no encore.

Also curious was the song selection, heavily favoring material from "Aja" and "The Royal Scam" - the works that marked a shift toward slick jazz terrain - while virtually ignoring the first four efforts, save for a lively take on "Parker's Band" sung by a trio of backing vocalists and not-quite-successful rearrangements of "Do It Again" (which lost its sleek creep) and "Reelin' in the Years" (barely recognizable).

All three pieces, however, suggest that Steely Dan has raised the stakes, challenging itself and its devoted audience to take a few detours, even if they lead nowhere - like letting Becker sing "Haitian Divorce," when his humorous drawling on the new "Slang of Ages" indicates that his style is an ill fit for much else.

Why such twists? More than merely keeping it interesting, I'd guess it's because, as Fagen ages, he's losing vocal potency. Often he clips melodies the way Dylan does, here huffing his way through "Kid Charlemagne" and never once actually singing the title of "Hey Nineteen." (New cuts, like "Things I Miss the Most" and "Godwhacker," are designed with his reedy register in mind, so they came across better.)

This being the tour opener, maybe he was just rusty. "What we lack in polish, we'll make up for in energy," he promised, and they made good on that. By the time the ensemble returns in October to wrap up this jaunt at Universal Amphitheatre, Fagen could be in top form.

Still, it was noticeable during the last outing that he's slipping. How ironic that the greater Steely Dan becomes as a live act, the more its unmistakable voice seems to fade into a hoarse void.

If they keep at it, and I sincerely hope they do, I predict less nostalgia, more soulful instrumental excursions - and a team of guest vocalists. Hey, they've hired aces for everything else. Who says they can't replace themselves, too?

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