Daryl Hall Thrilled a Capacity Stifel Theatre Crowd Thursday
–By Vicki Lee and Randy Thompson
–Photos by Sean Derrick/Thyrd Eye Photography
Todd Rundgren and Daryl Hall appeared at the Stifel Theater in downtown Saint Louis on Thursday evening. Rundgren was the opener and WOW, what an opening it was. He is a veteran, superstar musician with solid credentials and over fifty years of experience as a singer, songwriter and producer under his guitar strap.
He opened his set with a strong rendition of the song “Real Man”. His crooning skills were on display early in the concert with “Love of the Common Man” and “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference”. Rundgren maintains a strong and powerful vocal style, hitting the low notes with precision and effortlessly carrying off a falsetto voice as well.
He was backed up by Daryl Hall’s band and they supported him flawlessly, especially when he picked up the guitar and rocked some of his more experimental pieces like “Buffalo Grass”. Rundgren was fluid, moving around the stage as he sang and engaging with his many, devoted fans. He ended his set with the upbeat “The Want of a Nail” leaving the audience exhilarated and wanting more. Just what Daryl Hall was about to give them.
Todd Rundgren and Daryl Hall are close friends, and their sets were integrated in many ways. They are talented singer/song writers with soul, style, and a love of music. They engage their audience in a personal, yet lighthearted manner as well.
Daryl Hall, the main act, is well known primarily for his partnership with John Oates in the Hall and Oates band. But Halls credentials involve a much larger catalog of music as shown in his new album set, Before/After. Many of Thursday’s selections came from this “alternate world”. He started his set with “Dreamtime”, one of his biggest solo hits. The music he presented tonight was a strong mix of R & B, and Soul, with several of his “Hall and Oates” rock hits like “Sara Smile” included in the set. Hall moved easily from the guitar at the beginning of the set to the piano in the middle and ending on the keyboard during the encore, his musicality undeniable. Hall played “Babs and Babs” that Robert Fripp had produced and a whole string of Philly soul music, such as “Problem with You” and “Cab Driver”. Although many of the hits were anticipated by the audience, he threw in pleasant surprises such as a piano and guitar duet of “Here Comes the Rain Again”, a cover of the Eurythmics hit song.
In another of his alternate worlds, is the band that backed him (and Rundgren) tonight. The muscians from his web show, Live from Daryl’s House. They are a tight, talented group featuring on bass, Klyde Jones; the rhythm guitarist, Shane Theriot; keyboards, Elliot Lewis; drummer, Shawn Pelton and a percussionist/backup singer, Porter Carroll, not to mention a magnificent saxophone player, Charles DeChant. The longtime multi-instrumentalist who has played with Hall (and Hall and Oates) since 1976 stepped up to showcase his skills with some amazing solo work.
The audience was enthusiastic and appreciative of everything that Daryl Hall and his band did on stage tonight. At one point, the crowd rose to their feet and danced along to the song “I Can’t Go for That” and they stayed on their feet throughout the encores, especially when Todd Rundgren joined Hall on stage to sing ”Can We Still be Friends” and “Expressway to Your Heart”, Rundgren left the stage and Hall closed the night with “You Make My Dreams”.
It was clear that both performers tonight meshed well with their band and each other and especially with their enthusiastic audience. They brought magic to the stage along with some humor, even starting to do a rough version of jingle Bells. It was a wonderful evening of soul, rock, and R&B presented by two enthusiastic and extremely talented legends.
Be sure to check out the full gallery of photos after the setlists below.
Todd Rundgren setlist
Real Man
Love of the Common Man
It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference
We Gotta Get You a Woman
Buffalo Grass
I Saw the Light
Black Maria
Unloved Children
Hello It’s Me
Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Feel
I’m so Proud
Ooo Baby, Baby
I Want You
The Want of a Nail
Daryl Hall setlist
Dreamtime
Romeo is Bleeding
Say It Isn’t So
Problem with You
I’m in a Philly Mood
Cab Driver
Everytime You Go Away
Babs and Babs
Here Comes the Rain Again
Sara Smile
I Can’t Go for That
Encore (With Todd Rundgren)
Wait for Me
Can We Still Be Friends
Expressway to Your Heart
You Make My Dreams
Sounds like I should have been there! Great review though. Thanks for posting.