Friday, September 11, 2009
Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa
Cabazon, California

The bearers of the new and trendy brand of pop, Emo, are quick to name-drop John Hall and Daryl Oates as heavy influences. Tweeny bopper bands such as Fallout Boy, Deathcab for Cutie and Gym Class Heroes have all candidly spoken about their admiration for the songwriting craft of Hall & Oates. As the Los Angeles Times recently put it in a Sept. 2, 2009, article, “A new generation of listeners has latched on to (their) exceptional songwriting and still dazzling vocal abilities.”

Aside from the inherent quality of the music itself, H&O have managed to place themselves, if not in the media spotlight, then in the media heat lamps. In the past year alone they’ve made appearances on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and performed on "Dancing With the Stars." If that wasn’t enough to lure a new audience and demographic, then having their popular song "You Make My Dreams Come True" featured in the sleeper hit movie of the summer "(500) Days of Summer" had the effect of cornering an audience and nudging them into exploring their music.

So it came as no surprise to as this writer approached the concert pavilion at Casino Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, I noticed such a wide array of beautiful people, both young and old, shuffling into the venue to watch a duo that’s been together more than 35 years. The Morongo entertainment pavilion offered a breath of fresh, 68-degree cool air compared to the hot, summer winds blowing outside.

The eight-man band promptly took the stage to thunderous applause and they immediately broke into a fan-fave, "Maneater." From there, they went on to play other hits such as "Private Eyes," "Out of Touch" and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)."

Although photography and dancing were discouraged, by the time Hall & Oates came out for the first of two encores, the crowd, especially those up front, threw caution out the door (and into the hot wind) as everybody collectively stood up and danced and snapped photos. At the sight of this, Daryl Oates remarked that it was his “First time here. What a nice place to play. You guys are wonderful!”

But it was they who were wonderful. So polished were the songs that they just seemed to swing with soaring harmony and wonderful, well-timed solos, so that everybody in the band, not just John and Daryl, had their moments to shine.

Since my photographer was reduced to his naked eyes and memory, I feel entitled to describe the scene as it appeared. First and foremost, there was Daryl’s hair: crisp, voluminous, and bouncy, just like the band’s tunes. Second, there was John playing his Fender and smiling his infectious smile while lead guitarist, T-bone, reminded me of an elder Stevie Ray Vaughn in both appearance and sound.

Saturday's show was to be their last before the release of their four-disc box set, "Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates," scheduled for Oct. 6, and they certainly played like religious missionaries: wanting to make converts out of everyone. This reporter is very grateful for the opportunity to attend the show and wishes to thank everyone at Casino Morongo for putting on such a great event and making it enjoyable for all.

For more about Hall & Oates, click here.

For more about Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa, click here.