Daryl Hall and John Oates cracked wide a rock and soul time capsule on Friday night at
the Joint at the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa.
The pair took fans back to their earliest hits, including "
She's Gone," and “
Maneater,” “
Family Man,” “
Out of Touch,” “
Say It Isn’t So,” “
Sara Smile,” “
Rich Girl,” “
You Make My Dreams,” “
Kiss is On My List,” “
Private Eyes” and more.
Hall, in black biker jacket and jeans and Oates (sans ‘stache) in black vest, army green tee and jeans, wielded their guitars in unison with their 6-piece backing band.
Hall ran his hands through his mane of hair, eyes hidden behind aviator shades. They couldn't hide their smiles as they looked out over the sold out crowd.
The crowd came to them, rushing from their floor seats to raise their hands and press into the stage at their feet. Women as young as their early 20s vibrated and jumped, pointed at the pair onstage, begging the men to come closer as the women sang every word of ever song. Oates ran a beeline along the front of the stage, arm stretched out, hi-fiving and fist-bumping the men in the audience, boyish glee wiped across his face.
Though there was little between-tune banter from the band, Hall thanked the audience several times
A cheering crowd was on their feet, bodies swaying in unison for perhaps the highlight of the near hour-and-a-half concert – Hall and Oates took a back seat in an extended jam of “I Cant Go for That (No Can Do),” with saxman and guitarist noodling it out in blues rock jazz fusion.
"Wow. You are a great room!" Hall exclaimed with a broad grin. “We’ll see you again,” he added at the end of the show as shook hands with fans and thanked each one personally as he leaned over the front end of the stage.
On a personal note, I had flashbacks to my childhood and me rollerskating to "Private Eyes," clapping along to the music at an Oklahoma City roller rink. I had the "Big Bam Boom" album and it was one of the few (in fact, the
only album, as far as I can remember) that I'd carry with me for weekends spent with my dad. Before the show, a woman at the concert turned and leaned into me last night and said, "I've been wanting to see this band since before you were born." It wasn't a diss. As we anticipated our dream setlists, it was a shared moment that made us both smile.
-- By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
World Scene Writer
