Steely Dan tour pays the rent with summer ‘Party’ dates in U.S.

Acclaimed jazz-rock duo Steely Dan will launch the first in a pair of U.S. tour legs next week. The first round of the Rent Party ’09 trek kicks off June 9 at Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC, and wraps up June 19 at Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach, AL.

During the second leg of the U.S. tour, the touring band will hit the stage for more regular concert dates through September 5 at the Sound Board Theater in Detroit, MI. However, the trek also features multi-night engagements in four cities, where the band will perform classic Steely Dan albums in their entirety.

Extended stays are set for July 22, 24 and 25 at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA; July 28, 29, 31 and August 1 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, NY; August 21, 22, 24 and 25 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA; and August 31, September 1, 3 and 4 at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL.

Records getting the cover-to-cover treatment are “Aja,” “Gaucho,” and “The Royal Scam,” which will be performed in that order over the first three nights of shows in New York, Universal City and Chicago. The final night in those cities will be “Internet Request” nights, dedicated to other songs from the Steely Dan catalog, as chosen by Dan fans online.

That performance pattern will face slight alterations for Dan’s three-night stand in Boston. “The Royal Scam” will be dropped from the lineup, allowing the third and final night’s set list to remain open for requests.

Original Steely Dan members Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) and Walter Becker (guitar) will be joined throughout the summer touring season by an eight-piece band. The U.S. tour will also feature a trio of backup singers comprising Tawatha Agee, Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery and Catherine Russell.

Tickets for the band’s single-night shows are currently available for most nights on the tour. Public onsales for the concerts in Boston, New York and Chicago begin June 6, followed by June 13 onsales for the Universal City performances.

The Steely Dan tour will hit a total of 17 cities in the U.S. over the course of the summer. The eclectic rockers are also scheduled for the Left Bank Holiday Tour of Europe, booked for a dozen cities from late June through early July.

Steely Dan itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)