Daryl Hall and John Oates Rock The Joint

Friday night going to The Joint is quite an obstacle with all the road construction right now, but once inside; what a great new music venue they have at the Hard Rock Casino. With the beautiful lighting, comfortable seating and with the rock-n-roll memorabilia; we were all settling in for a sold out night with the legendary Daryl Hall and John Oates.

As the band took the stage, a real sense of honor filled the air just being in their presence. John Oates came out first; smiling and waving at the adoring fans. Then right behind him came Daryl Hall and the crowd got even louder. With his leather jacket, sunglasses and flowy blonde hair, the resemblance to Denis Leary was uncanny. I don’t know, maybe that was just me.

No soft intro for this show, they started off with their #1 hit, Maneater.  This was definitely a “sing-a-long” night since the hit songs they were performing are mostly from the 70’s and 80’s.  Before singing “She’s Gone” (released as a single in 1974 from their album, Abandoned  Luncheonette),  John mentioned that after all the years, this song still feels like it’s suppose to feel.  And to that, they gave a stellar performance of the song.

It is fair to say that Daryl Hall and John Oates have the most entertaining percussionist any of us have ever seen for the “Do What You Want, Be What You Are” 2010 Tour.  Everett Bradley adds so many flavors to the live show with the energetic vibe he displays throughout the entire night. Dancing, singing, playing glowing tambourines over his head along with the bongos and other percussion instruments, this guy was infectious the whole night.  It’s like percussion on steroids.  Everett was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

It was great hearing favorites such as “Out of Touch”, “Say It Isn’t So” and “Rich Girl”.   Daryl Hall and John Oates have been playing together since the late 60’s and sound every bit as good as the radio versions from back in the day.  Just because people get older, does not mean they lose their talent or singing voice. Just like fine wine, these guys have gotten better with age.

After doing a very heart-felt performance of “Sara Smile”, Hall and Oates ended their set with “I Can’t Go for That”.  They were very gracious to the crowd and thanked everyone for coming to see them.  A show is never over without an encore. Not only did they have one, but two encores that pleased everyone.

When ending the first encore and performing “Dreams come True”, the entire band went in to a Blues Brothers style jam-fest at the end.  Everyone was dancing and singing; for a moment it felt like we were all gettin’ down in a Black Gospel Church.  This portion of the show was loved by all. As they went off the stage and the lights did not come on, the roar of the crowd became louder as the guys came out for the final encore of the night.

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

A Hall and Oates show cannot be complete with “Kiss On My List” and “Private Eyes”.  This ended the magical night at The Joint on a high note; everyone seemed more than happy with the entertainment for the evening. There are just not enough words to give appropriate praise to Daryl Hall and John Oates and of course to their incredible band.  It really doesn’t get any better than this.