There is something about getting ready to go to a show in Vegas. The whole day is magical. Getting ready in your hotel room with your sweetheart with March Madness surrounding the weekend and getting in the cab with the permanent Vegas hangover is just about as alive as it gets. Daryl Hall and John Oates performed a three-night residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. It was their first time there in five years.
This Hall of Fame best-selling duo in rock n’ roll history out of my home city of Philadelphia drew a sold-out crowd that sang nearly every word and note while breathing in the nostalgia with every song. The pair wasted no time and opened the show with a modest “Maneater,” which featured the classic 80’s sax solo by Charles DeChant. DeChant has been in the band since I was born in 1976.
After, they threw a curveball with a Mike Oldfield cover called “Family Man,” they flexed with another powerhouse, “Out of Touch,” off of Big Bam Boom. By “Say It Isn’t So,” the band hit its stride, and the vocals and music were tuned in. The band stepped back in time a bit to the late ’70s with “It’s a Laugh,” then went back further with The Righteous Brothers cover and Vegas sing-a-long, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”
Next, when the mid-set slow down ended, the fitting “Las Vegas Turnaround” played written about Hall’s girlfriend, flight attendant, and collaborator Sarah Allen. Then, “She’s Gone” really got the crowd singing at the top of their lungs.
Daryl Hall went to sit at the piano to tell a few stories, but the dedicated knew what he was doing there. The introduction to “Sara Smile” is all beautifully played on the piano. This was a highlight of the show for many. The crowd was calling for it all night, but John Oates informed them that they had a plan already. “Is It a Star” was to be next, which made sense especially after the pair received a star on the Hollywood Walk a Fame. There are few that have the hits that they do, and the last song of their set before the extended encore was one of their best, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”
As they walked off stage after that, the crowd screamed for more. After all, there had to be. There were so many hits left that people were longing for. And sure enough, as one can imagine, the combination of “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” and “You Make My Dreams Come True” sent the full venue home perfectly satisfied. The show seemed short to the younger crowd, but this was a Vegas show, and the night was young still. Most heard their favorite song, and on the way out, the lights and excitement of the city revealed that same mystique that I described on the way to the show. Overall, it was really fun to see these guys still playing the music that so many love.
