Monday Night
Tonight I saw Steely Dan play The Royal Scam. It was superb. But one thing I pay attention to at shows is the demographics. Very old crowd. At first, I thought everyone was old, but but then a few twenty year-olds came in during the opener, and me and my buddy were no longer the youngest. I guess this is the hip thing to do for the younger demographic--to miss the opener, look at/buy a t-shirt, alcoholic beverage, maybe nachos or a popcorn, and then sit down right before the headliner starts.
Who gets there early are an odd dozen of mobility-challenged seniors and two guys in their 30s who miscalculated. And this makes sense. Being old, hip means possible hip complications and sensible planning. Being young, hip means probable ironic t-shirt wearage and casual arrival times.
I bought a t-shirt showing Fagen and Becker when they were my age.*
The seats were better than expected, and from there at least, the crowd was enthusiastic toward the music (on their feet a good part of the show) yet relatively laid back toward each other. The opener was pleasant and worthwhile. Steely Dan was fantastic. The Royal Scam sounded as good as I thought it would. The "filler" songs actually seemed more brought to life, though. My first Dan show, and meeting or exceeding expectations. I wonder what tomorrow, the Internet Request night, will sound like.
Good thing I took today and tomorrow off so that I could chill and not let work complicate my enjoyment. It also gives me a couple of days to get a jump on packing for my road trip next week, or at least doing several loads of laundry.
Unlike other shows I've been to recently, security seemed really tolerant of cameras at the Gibson Amphitheater. I think I may venture to sneak in my new flip-style video camera and see what I can get away with.
* Is this an example of irony or post-irony? (Answer tomorrow)