Steely Dan Performs ‘The Royal Scam’ Album & Selected Hits In 2015
By Scott Bernstein Jul 7, 2017 • 1:27 pm PDT

Over the past six years Steely Dan has performed their acclaimed 1976 album The Royal Scam five times as part of multi-night runs at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. For today’s Full Show Friday we look at newly-surfaced video featuring the entire “The Royal Scam Plus Selected Hits” show that took place at the Beacon on October 10, 2015.
Steely Dan masterminds Donald Fagen and Walter Becker start the show by leading the 13-piece band through each and every track off The Royal Scam. The ensemble masterfully works through the ode to Owsley, “Kid Charlemagne,” as well as their first rendition of “The Caves Of Altamira” in over two years. “Don’t Take Me Alive” and “Sign In Stranger” come next before the backing vocalists take the lead on “The Fez.”
Fagen steps into the spotlight for a powerful “Green Earrings” and while Walter usually sings “Haitian Divorce,” it’s Donald who provides lead vocals on this night. A rare take on “Everything You Did” follows before Steely Dan concludes the full performance of The Royal Scam with the title track from the album. From there, the Dan presented a career-spanning collection of material to close the 21-song main set including “Bodhisattva,” “Aja,” “Show Biz Kids,” “Josie,” “Peg,” “My Old School” and “Reelin’ In The Years.” The band concludes the evening with “Pretzel Logic” and plays the theme to The Untouchables as Donald and Walter leave the stage.
Watch fan-shot footage of Steely Dan’s “Royal Scam Plus” show captured by Larry Rulz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzlpxQ5LalITracklist
0:11Teenie’s Blues
“The Royal Scam” album
- 5:51 Kid Charlemagne
- 11:28 The Caves of Altamira
- 15:02 Don’t Take Me Alive
- 19:32 Sign in Stranger
- 24:22 The Fez
- 28:06 Green Earrings
- 34:22 Haitian Divorce
- 39:52 Everything You Did
- 44:06 The Royal Scam
“Selected Hits”
- 51:44 Bodhisattva
- 57:34 Aja
- 1:06:09 Black Friday
- 1:11:12 Show Biz Kids
- 1:18:19 Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More
- 1:22:12 Razor Boy
- 1:27:45 I Want To (Do Everything for You)
- 1:39:58 Josie
- 1:45:18 Peg
- 1:49:44 My Old School
- 1:56:04 Reelin’ in the Years
Encore:
- 2:04:24 Pretzel Logic
- 2:10:29 The Untouchables
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