HYANNIS It was 70s night at the Cape Cod Melody Tent on Saturday, as two longtime friends whose voices were a big part of that decades soundtrack kicked off a summer long joint tour.
Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald evenly split the bill, each playing a 75-minute set heavy with their hits, but with nods toward the genres theyve recently favored. The crossover artists are both described as blue-eyed soul singers on their Web sites, but McDonald veered into Motown when he went beyond his Doobie Brothers standards, while Scaggs favored a New Orleans flavor.
Both were in strong voice, despite McDonalds jokes about reaching AARP status (Scaggs just turned 65; McDonald is 57). The musicians McDonald behind his keyboard, Scaggs on guitars were each backed by six-member bands that included outstanding female vocalists. Scaggs offered bluesy numbers and a more laid-back mood, while McDonalds segment was more hard-driving.
McDonald started the night, with his mane of white hair grown out since his role in the He Needs a Kidney parody in the 30 Rock season finale. He relied heavily on Doobie Brothers standards, starting with Real Love and It Keeps You Runnin and moving through What a Fool Believes. Highlights of his 14-song set, though, were his yearning You Dont Know Me, and a rousing Motown medley.
Scaggs brought the crowd to its feet with Lido Shuffle after slower-tempo, sometimes torchy versions of hits like Georgia, Lowdown, Slow Dancer and Look What Youve Done to Me. Vocalist Ms. Monet stopped the show with Until You Come Back to Me and Scaggs seemed happy to yield her the floor.
Scaggs and McDonald will be at Bank of America Pavilion in
Boston on Thursday.
Copyright © Cape Cod Media Group, a division of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you are the site owner, please renew your premium subscription or contact support.