Pete Academy Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Nearly Dan will be appearing at The Sage Gateshead this coming Saturday 5 September. Onstage 8pm. Tickets £13.50. 0191 443 4661 www.thesagegateshead.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceman Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Just thought I'd post a little gig review of this amazing performance that I witnessed last night at The Sage. I had previously spoken to Pete Academy about some Steely Dan bass line question and recently spoke to him about his Steinberger (decided to pass on this one, probably for the best...) and mentioned meeting up for a drink. We had a fantastic chat about all things bass and the Dan, it's always good to meet a fellow bass afincado. Turns out we are thinking about some similar things, including swapping our respective Ashdown heads for Markbasses The gig itself. For those who haven't been to The Sage before, it's one of the best concert venues in the North East, if not England. Nearly Dan appeared in the second hall, not the massive hall one that has seen the likes of Jackson Browne and David Byrne this year. The sound is always crystal clear and the staff are always very helpful, last night was no exception. Hall 2 is a unique shape, with three layers in a circular fashion. It holds around 400 people and last night was a sell out, congrats to Nearly Dan for doing this! It would be a dream come true if my band ever makes it to play this hall. I bought my ticket not long ago and managed to bag a spot right in the front row. Just around 8:00pm, the band came onto the stage and opened with [b]The Boston Rag[/b] - slightly obscure choice but I loved it! For such a formal environment, the gig was very relaxed and the banter was terrific. The ten piece band had a very full sound, complete with two backing singers and three piece horn section. I never remember setlists but all the usual suspects where there, the only song that I felt was missing was Do It Again - it's one of their most well known songs and I was hoping, but you can't have everything. Some of the tasty rarities more than made up for it. As Pete said, they've been doing this for 12 years so chopping and choosing their songs would seem a good idea. The highlights in the set were [b]Show Biz Kids[/b] (with some nice slap bass from Pete in a completely reworked version of the original), [b]Josie[/b] (nailed it), [b]FM[/b] (another rare number), [b]Hey Nineteen[/b] (with some of the best trumpet playing I've ever seen) and [b]Rikki Don't Loose That Number[/b] (including audience participation moment). However, the standout was the track [b]IGY[/b], from Donald Fagen's solo album The Nightfly. It was a number 20 hit in 1982 in the US, making it a semi-popular but still quite rare track. The band captured the feel perfectly.The reggae beat was so groovy and the audience loved it, to the surprise of the band. The solos in Reelin' In The Years were also spot on, I could go on and on... The band appeared at the bar during the interval and chatted to their paying guests. I managed to quickly say hello to their singer/guitarist and trumpeter. The set length was also very impressive, with the first half coming in around an hour and the second half a little number, plus the romping encore of [b]My Old School[/b] and [b]Bodhisattva[/b]. The Dan's music wasn't made for dancing, but a few sprung up during Reelin'. As the fellow next me said, the musical abilities of each band member will blow you away. The horn section nailed their respective parts, their drummer went for an epic drum solo and made it work so well, the backing singers voices blended well, Pete's bass was perfect and drove all the tunes along while the two guitarists on the front line just got it right. Not over the top, not too little but just the right amount. The role of lead guitar was interchanged several times and each handled it perfectly. The singer also has the right voice for the Dan's tunes - Fagen's isn't a traditional singing voice but he got he vibe right. So, in conclusion - go see Nearly Dan! If you like the Dan, you'll love these guys. If you have no idea who Aja is, then go see them anyway, their musicianship will blow you away. I loved it and had a great evening, thanks guys. If all things work out, I'm going to gather my band together to have a road trip to see them in Edinburgh on 23rd October! Can't wait to see them again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I would have liked to have come along last night, but I had a gig.. wish I'd made it. Hall 2 is fab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Wow, thanks for the review, Seb! It was great to meet you. I have to say that The Sage is one of the best venues we play. The staff can't do enough to help you, and the acoustics are great. Plus a lovely warm crowd. Apologies for missing out 'Do It Again', but we always look at previous set lists and decided to put 'IGY' in instead. BTW, that version of 'Showbiz Kids' can be found on YouTube with Mike McDonald guesting on lead vocals. I decided to make the most of my 5-string and play the bass part an octave below. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAO3fr5Q4c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAO3fr5Q4c[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceman Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='591594' date='Sep 6 2009, 07:20 PM']Wow, thanks for the review, Seb! It was great to meet you. I have to say that The Sage is one of the best venues we play. The staff can't do enough to help you, and the acoustics are great. Plus a lovely warm crowd. Apologies for missing out 'Do It Again', but we always look at previous set lists and decided to put 'IGY' in instead. BTW, that version of 'Showbiz Kids' can be found on YouTube with Mike McDonald guesting on lead vocals. I decided to make the most of my 5-string and play the bass part an octave below. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAO3fr5Q4c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvAO3fr5Q4c[/url][/quote] No need to apologise Pete, I'd take IGY any day over Do It Again. Hopefully I'll be catch up with you soon so might have my chance there. That's rather a cool version, I'm pretty sure that's how the 'Dan played it when I saw them live back in June. I think your slap bass fills made a more noticeable difference in driving the song forward but maybe Freddie Washington is banned from using these techniques by Donald and Walter, or maybe his P-Bass with flats isn't the ideal slapping machine (hides ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 [quote name='sebpayne' post='592431' date='Sep 7 2009, 08:29 PM']No need to apologise Pete, I'd take IGY any day over Do It Again. Hopefully I'll be catch up with you soon so might have my chance there. That's rather a cool version, I'm pretty sure that's how the 'Dan played it when I saw them live back in June. I think your slap bass fills made a more noticeable difference in driving the song forward but maybe Freddie Washington is banned from using these techniques by Donald and Walter, or maybe his P-Bass with flats isn't the ideal slapping machine (hides )[/quote] I've posted your review on the Nearly Dan website forum. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Arise, ancient thread! I got the Sage brochure through the post the other day. Flicking through... suddenly, BAM. Pete's grinning up at me from the bottom of the page. Nearly Dan, Saturday 10th September, Hall Two. Hope I might be able to make it along this year. Shame you're up against Brian Wilson in Hall One on the same night though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='1283941' date='Jun 27 2011, 12:15 PM']Arise, ancient thread! I got the Sage brochure through the post the other day. Flicking through... suddenly, BAM. Pete's grinning up at me from the bottom of the page. Nearly Dan, Saturday 10th September, Hall Two. Hope I might be able to make it along this year. Shame you're up against Brian Wilson in Hall One on the same night though. [/quote] Brian Wilson? Who's he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='1283953' date='Jun 27 2011, 12:22 PM']Brian Wilson? Who's he? [/quote] If I do make it down, I'll be sure to wear a Burberry cap so you can pick me out of the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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