Hall & Oates

70's Dynamic Duo Perform The Classics

Daryl Hall and John Oates wrote a good portion of the songs that my generation grew up with, so it was no surprise that their performance at the Choctaw Event Center left everyone smiling and feeling nostalgic. Their unique mixture of pop, rock, and soul has been extremely influential to a lot of today's musicians, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year just solidifies their legendary status.

Even though they didn't play any material that was written after 1984, every song sounded as fresh and current as when I first heard it. Opening with fan favorite "Maneater" and a fiery guitar-rock version of "Out of Touch" set the tone for the evening, but it was their 70's material that dominated the set. Daryl Hall stood with his guitar for the first half of the show, but finally sat down at the keyboard to play "She's Gone" from 1973's Abandoned Luncheonette followed by the classic "Sara Smile" from 1975's Daryl Hall & John Oates. The highlights of the night included an intense rendition of 1984's "Adult Education," which had all of the cheesy 80's effects removed, and an eight-minute-long "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," which included solos from all of their accompanying musicians. Jazz saxophonist Charlie DeChant nearly stole the show several times with his fiery solos, but the beautiful vocal harmonies from Daryl Hall and John Oates kept reminding us why we were there.

The first encore, with the timeless "Rich Girl" and a more upbeat version of "You Make My Dreams," finally got the mostly older crowd on their feet, but the second encore had everyone clapping, singing, and doing their worst 80's dancing to "Kiss on My List" and "Private Eyes."

Hall and Oates are as passionate about these songs as they were thirty and forty years ago, and it's fascinating to hear how they've made a few changes to some of their material to take the age out of it, yet every song is still instantly recognizable. These guys deserve every bit of their Hall of Fame recognition, and as we've seen on Live From Daryl's House, they're loved by everyone from younger artists like Butch Walker and Minus the Bear to rock legends like Billy Gibbons and Joe Walsh. Their influence on music will be heard long after they're gone.