Yesterday, Donald Fagen announced that he would be canceling the final dates on his ongoing tour with solo project The Nightflyers, stating simply that the cancellations were “due to illness.” The cancelled concerts include their scheduled Seattle performance last night, their Saratoga, CA show on Friday, and their San Francisco date on Saturday. There’s no word yet if Fagen and the band will embark on a planned tour of Japan set to begin next week. Steely Dan returns to the road for their first tour without Becker on October 12.
It’s been a rough couple weeks in the Steely Dan Universe. Following the death of guitarist Walter Becker on September 3rd, fellow founding Steely Dan member Donald Fagen wrote a touching tribute to Becker, which ended with a promise: “I intend to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band.” Little more than a week later, Fagen made good on that vow, confirming his run of 8 North American shows as Steely Dan, causing many fans to wonder if the move was “too soon.”
Steely Dan Announce Fall Dates Following The Death Of Co-Founder Walter Becker
The upcoming tour won’t be Steely Dan’s first performances without Becker: In July, an unspecified health issue forced Becker to miss Steely Dan’s “Classic East” and “Classic West” concerts, with Fagen performing without his longtime collaborator. Becker last played with Steely Dan on May 27th, 2017. However, with this recent cancellation, and the uncertain status of Fagen’s health, the future is surely up in the air for Steely Dan.
To stay updated with the status of Donald Fagen and Steely Dan’s upcoming performances, or to purchase tickets to any of the dates still on the books, head to Steely Dan’s website.
[h/t – Ultimate Classic Rock]
[Cover photo via Billboard/Getty/Kevin Mazur]