Hall & Oates’ funk holds up to fan mix
Hall & Oates opened the outdoor concert season Saturday at the sold-out Stage AE playing to an awkward mix of fans.
There were a good many middle-aged people (and up to their 70s) dressed more for the Benedum and looking a bit out of place on their feet. And then there were the more rowdy 20-somethings who picked up on Hall & Oates at the bars and gyms.
John Oates wasn’t kidding when he said they draw all ages, and that’s a testament to the duo’s blue-eyed soul and ’80s funk holding up over the decades.
They started with the funk, bouncing right into workout song “Maneater,” showing off a seamless band more than willing to take off into fluid jazz flights.
Daryl Hall, sporting long blond hair and a black leather jacket, looked great and did a masterful job of running around the high notes. He’s strong in the middle range but when it comes to hitting the climax of a “She’s Gone” … well, it’s not like it was the ’70s. But Mr. Oates joined in on those moments, as did the joyful fans.
“She’s Gone” was part of a soulful midsection, with “Las Vegas Turnaround” and “Sara Smile,” that hit the early and best era of Hall & Oates, at least for listening at home.
They varied the set from three years ago by adding two cuts from 1976’s “Bigger Than Both of Us”: “Back Together Again” and “Do What You Want, Be What You Are,” a song better suited to a theater than a boisterous amphitheater.
They closed the main set, a mere 65 minutes long, bookending the funky start with “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).” Charles DeChant, the band’s silver fox and secret weapon, introduced it on flute and then switched to saxophone for the very long jazz outro, handling both beautifully.
It’s easy to picture an intimate, storyteller theater show with Hall & Oates. This was more of a mixed party jam.