Daryl Hall's tour rolled into D.C. suburb Oxon Hill, Maryland last night to showcase his new solo collection, Before After, his web series, Live From Daryl's House, and his friendship with Todd Rundgren. Sets from each artist revealed a few surprises, while pleasing fans.
Todd Rundgren took the stage first, using most of Daryl Hall's band, to deliver a varied collection, ranging from the big hits like "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw The Light", to more exapnsive numbers like "Real Man" which gave the band room to jam. Adding in a few covers, Rundgren succeeded on some ("Ooo Baby Baby") and stumbled on others ("I Want You"). It's not that Todd's better suited to Smokey than Marvin, but that his delivery style still seems a better fit to pop than soul. Still, the concert hit a few highs, with the classic "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" being one of them.
Daryl Hall took to the stage with "Dreamtime", his Beatles-y hit from 1986's Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine. It was wonderful hearing that received by the apprecitative audience as the cut's always felt like an overlooked gem to me. A few audio hiccups promoted a fun run at "Rich Girl" from Hall, as he switched to the keyboards. Later, "Everytime You Go Away", a Hall & Oates number made a hit by Paul Young in 1985, seemed like a masterpiece of songwriting still, even as "Sacred Songs", from 1980's Fripp-produced album of the same name proved Hall's bonafides in terms of risk-taking and artistic stretching. A cover of Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again" seemed too sad for the room, though I've always hated the original, while "Sara Smile" worked a charm, as always, as did "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", an epic last night.
To close out the evening, Todd Rundgren returned to join Daryl for stabs at "Wait for Me" from Hall & Oates, and "Can We Still Be Friends" from Todd's back catalog. Both were sublime, the duo appearing to be not just friends but talents suited to the other's sensibilities. A cover of "Expressway to Your Heart" from Philly's Soul Survivors was a crowd-rouser near the end, before Daryl's solo "You Make My Dreams" sent everyone home on a real high.
Daryl Hall's tour will pick up on the West coast soon. More details on the tour, Before After, and the upcoming season of Live From Daryl's House via livefromdarylshouse.com/
[Photos: me, 2022]
