Nothing makes me happier than watching people with private box seats dance like no one’s watching. That was the kind of party we got at Monday night’s Daryl Hall and John Oates show at the Majestic Theatre. This was no quiet retrospective, either. Spirits were high, and celebration was in the air during the sold-out performance, the duo’s second stop on a U.S. and European tour.
Hall walked on stage wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses, flanked by Oates in black jeans and an unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt, as the eight-piece band kicked off the show with “Maneater.” Against a backdrop of faux crushed velvet, they were as hot as ever.
By song two, “Out of Touch,” a woman in a skin-tight animal print dress, sporting long hair and bangs, was at the foot of the stage dancing like it was prom night. The band continued with “Say It Isn’t So” and the lesser-known 1978 single “It’s a Laugh,” which Oates told the house had always been one of his favorite songs.
“And while we’re at it, I love you, too,” Oates said.
“You don’t want to start those rumors again,” shot back a cool-as-ever Hall.
This was a night of reliving only the hits: “It’s Uncanny,” “She’s Gone,” “I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)” and “Las Vegas Turnaround,” to name a few.
For all the energy on stage, the sound was a bit rumbly with an unnecessary amount of delay on Hall’s vocals. But the band was unflappable; it had the audience taking over the chorus to “Sara Smile” and on its feet for not-one-but-two encores that included “Rich Girl,” “You Make My Dreams” and “Private Eyes.”
Equal parts people-watching and best-of revue, Daryl Hall and John Oates’ show was a night to remember when.
