Somehow or another, after 40 years of touring the world, Daryl Hall and John Oates never played together in Ireland. But watching Live In Dublin (on DVD and Blu-ray Disc), it’s easy to see that in concert or not, they have certainly been in the hearts and minds of fans there. Recorded in 2014, just months after their induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, the performance is a marvelous reminder of just how endearing and enduring this duo is.
The historic and quite beautiful Olympia theater in Dublin is the setting for the performance, which of course features many of the monster hits from the duo’s stratospheric period the mid 1980s when songs such as “Maneater,” “Out of Touch,” “Say It Isn’t So,” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” became sonic wallpaper on radio stations and turntables alike. The songs more than hold up; living today as anthems while once serving as the soundtrack to the days when Wall Street and Reagan-era prosperity unleashed an era of slick excess (along with big hair, insider trading and shoulder pads).
But what’s also evident is just how sturdy and seductive the band’s output is from the halcyon 1970s. This is back when albums like Abandoned Luncheonette and Bigger Than Both Of Us boasted songs which often intertwined the vocals of both Daryl Hall and John Oates. Today, hearing them embrace such beautifully balanced gems as “Back Together Again,” “Las Vegas Turnaround,” and “Do What You Want (Be What You Are) is a sleek reminder that in a pre-MTV world, these guys were crafting some of the most compelling songs in pop music.
There’s long been a misconception in some quarters that Hall and Oates were some prefabricated pop concoction born of the MTV era. This couldn’t be further from the truth. By the time albums like H2O and Big Bam Boom were going multiplatinum, these guys had already honed their chops for almost 15 years, synthesizing everything from folk, R&B, soul funk and doo-wop into a kaleidoscopic array of albums that were often overlooked. Pop classics like “Rich Girl” and “Sarah Smile” earned a lot of attention for the right reasons, but listening to the full albums today, one truly gets a sense of just how hard these guys plied their craft.
The atmospheric classic “She’s Gone” stands out in particular. It isn’t just the still world-weary lyric and finely-tuned dramatic structure of the song. It’s the way it has aged and patined. Back when they recorded it in 1973, these guys were both in their mid-20s and were singing in a way that made them feel wise beyond their years. But today, the lyrics take on a new resonance. Couple that with an intensely loving crowd that sings most of the last verse on its own, and you realize that this is truly a song for the ages.
Daryl Hall and John Oates have also always been particular over the years about putting together sharp, super-proficient and inherently interesting bands to bring their craftsmanship to life. For the last several years, they have settled in with a basic lineup that also serves as the house band for Daryl Hall’s long-running and popular TV series, Live From Daryl’s House. Keyboard player Eliott Lewis, bassist Klyde Jones, drummer Brian Dunne, percussionist/vocalist Porter Carroll Jr., guitarist Shane Theriot and longtime sax man Charlie DeChant are not just a well oiled unit that can deliver the goods, they’re a fluid and inventive set of musicians that gives all the songs a new sparkle and presence.
The musical brotherhood represented by these one-time college kids that bumped into each other on an elevator almost 50 years ago represents one of this country’s most vaunted musical legacies. And there is also something charming about watching an audience host them for the very first time in their country’s history. The dynamics between audience and performer are fresh and never forced and the sparks that fly remind us once more of the true emotion that this music unleashed. Live In Dublin is a tour de force show that is both beautifully produced and performed by two men that still seem on a mission. They still do what they want, and be what they are, in short, forces of nature.
~ Chris Epting
