Steely Dan is once again joining forces with the legendary Steve Winwood for a 2020 summer run. Returning to the road together for the first time in four years, the tour kicks off on June 2nd in Portland, Oregon at Veterans Memorial Coliseum and winds down on July 11th at Bethel, New York's Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The tour hits both coasts, the South, the Midwest, with a single stop over the border in Toronto. The tour's public on sale is set for Saturday, January 25th at 10 a.m. local time.
Donald Fagen explained a while back that Steely Dan was actually one of the most unlikely bands to gain traction on the road: “We actually ended up as a touring band by accident, really. I'm talking about my partner Walter Becker and I. Certainly I became a frontman by accident, I know that. We just couldn't find a singer that we felt could convey the attitude we we're looking for. And it became obvious that I was probably the one to do it, even though I had very little experience. Our model for songs was more literary or short story-like than being a model from popular music.”
Although back in 2018, Steve Winwood wrapped a sold-out solo theater tour, we asked him if he's at all worried that his solo gigs will be overlooked after becoming the go-to-guy opening act for such A-list peers as Rod Stewart, Santana, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers — and once again, Steely Dan: “It's interesting. Y'know, I think there's something to be said for both. And then of course before that I was out with the Tom Petty tour, which was a success. But I think it was . . . I think it worked in conjunction with my shows. I wouldn't like to think that that was the only thing I was doing. I still like the idea of doing my shows as well. So, I think it sort of broadens the view of my music, I should think.”
