Steely Dan Fits Rarities Into ‘Sweet’ Tour Opener In Ohio

Steely Dan had a number of surprises in store for the first concert of their Sweet tour, which took place on Tuesday night at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The band worked a handful of rarities into the setlist as they kicked off a run that extends through November 9.

Last night’s show was originally supposed to take place at The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre but was moved indoors “due to the forecast of potential inclement weather.” The band opened with a cover of Oliver Nelson’s “Teenie’s Blues” before Donald Fagen emerged to lead the group through just their fifth version of “Sign In Stranger” from The Royal Scam since 2011. All four previous recent versions were played at The Beacon Theatre in New York City as part of full performances of the 1976 studio album.

Steely Dan continued on with a run of more familiar fare including “Black Friday,” “Hey Nineteen” and “Aja” before treating fans to the rare Katy Lied track “Bad Sneakers.” All four versions from the past five years of “Bad Sneakers” took place either at The Beacon or during the band’s Las Vegas residency. Next up was “Kid Charlemagne” with a fresh intro and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Then, Steely Dan played “The Goodbye Look” from Fagen’s 1982 album, The Nightfly. A few songs later came the evening’s last big surprise, a rendition of “Third World Man” off Gaucho. The Dan last performed “Third World Man” during a non-residency or orchestral tour stop five years to the day prior in Montreal and yesterday’s rendition was just the ninth version of the song played in the last decade.

Fagen trotted off stage to give the band a turn in the spotlight for a cover of The Crusaders’ “Keep That Same Old Feeling.” Donald returned to lead the band through the set-closing run of “I Got The News,” “Bodhisattva” and “My Old School.” Last night’s “I Got The News” was one of only two played since 2014 at a concert that didn’t include a complete performance of Aja. For the encore, Steely Dan performed “Reelin’ In The Years” and sent Fagen off with a cover of Joe Williams’ “A Man Ain’t Supposed To Cry.”

Watch a clip of “Black Friday” captured by ralphfajack below:

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