SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER
'70s superstars hit PNC for end-of-summer show
As a perfect end-of-summer event for classic rock fans, the trio of '70s superstars are bringing their "Dukes of September Rhythm Revue" tour through New Jersey for a pair of shows: the first stop was Aug. 20 at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the act returns to New Jersey on Thursday to perform at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.
"This is similar to a show we did back in the '90s — it was called the "New York Rock and Soul Revue' — we toured together one summer," Fagen said during a recent teleconference with members of the media. "Basically, it's an opportunity for us to do some of the material from our own personal repertoires and also do some cover material, tunes that each of us choose among tunes that were popular when we were growing up, when we decided to become musicians."
Material covered on the tour will range from late-'50s R&B and Motown to folk music and the work of the Beach Boys and the Band, according to Fagen, who was born in Passaic.
"To get onstage and play — not just our own songs, but the songs that we grew up listening to — really kind of got us all into this, with the band of this caliber that we're in together," McDonald said. "You know, it's like a dream come true. It's almost self-indulgent for us. And doing the old stuff is really the more self-indulgent part for us, because we probably enjoy that even more than playing our own stuff.
"We're working with material that is challenging, and it's going to be really fun to perform background vocals or to take a guitar part of it, take a synth part," Scaggs said. "And I'm talking about the material of the other two guys, as well as the cover material we're going to do. This is fun, challenging and the stuff the music's all about."
Fagen, who said he has known McDonald since 1973 or 1974 and Scaggs since 1993, reflected on why the three musicians work so well together.
"I think it's basically that we see things musically the same way, although I think you're always competing with yourself.
"(And I) think our main thing is competition," Fagen said. "I think it may be a generational thing. . . . You know, we like to play with other musicians. We like to make each other look good, and so it's more about collaboration. And it's a very, very comfortable thing."
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