Daryl Hall & John Oates, Train and Kandace Springs bring rock 'n' soul to Honda Center in Anaheim

File photo of Daryl Hall, left, and John Oates.
Photo: Kelly A. Swift

A night of feel good rock 'n' soul delivered via two established hit makers and one rising newcomer made for a full night of fun at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday night (May 6, 2018).

Performing a 90+ minute set stacked with audience favorites, Daryl Hall & John Oates delighted the Honda Center from the moment they took the stage, opening with the infectious "Maneater." Backed by a terrific six-member band, the famed duo offered their parade of hits with versions that were at times mostly-faithful to the radio versions but more often provided extended and playful extended takes bolstered by the instrumental firepower of the musicians on stage. So with "Maneater," an early standout was a dueling lead solos between Oates on electric guitar and long-time sax player Charles DeChant.

File photo of John Oates, left, with sax player Charles
DeChant. Photo: Kelly A. Swift

The lush vocal harmonies and more intricate guitar work and Hall's obvious talents as a soulful vocalist enhanced "Out of Touch." An especially potent version of the duo's 1983 hit "Say It Isn't So" featured some of Hall's most affecting lead vocals of the night; the track ended with an artful blend of Hall, Oates and Shane Theriot all offering up lead guitar work together.

A wide view of Daryl Hall & John Oates show during the
performance of "She's Gone" on May 6, 2018.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

Material spanning from the early '70s to 2018 was featured this night. The duo's delightful cover of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" (recorded by Hall & Oates in 1980) with both singers sharing lead vocal duties, and "She's Gone" (originally featured on the 1973 album Abandoned Luncheonette) were other early highlights of their set.

Reaching beyond their biggest hits, the duo reached back to their third album (1974's War Babies) to perform the rousing jazz-meets-rock track "Is It a Star?" Featuring all kinds of cool atmospheric guitar work and smooth sax textures, it was a definite sharp addition to the set list.

One of the things that has really set this summer tour apart was how Hall & Oates have really embraced the spirit of Hall's "Live from Daryl's House" TV series in the concert setting. Train's Pat Monahan (a previous guest on the popular series in 2010) joined the duo onstage for a mini-set that was an audience favorite. 

Recent file photo of Daryl Hall.
Photo: Kelly A. Swift

Kicking off this mini-set with their recent collaboration "Philly Forget Me Not," the single was even more impressive live with the mix of vocals than on the new recording. Next came the beautiful "Wait For Me," a lovely ballad featuring Monahan and Hall sharing lead vocals, with Hall's work on the grand piano anchoring the song. Finally, Hall introduced "Calling All Angels" acknowledging it as one of his favorite Train songs. The selection was powerful, complete with the sharing of voices and big choruses (locals love the song; "Calling All Angels" is played with a video montage of key moments in the team's history before every home game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim).

Then it was Hall & Oates and company in the limelight for several of their biggest hits including the dance-minded "Kiss On My List" and equally catchy "Private Eyes." The encore provided more highlights ("Rich Girl," "You Make My Dreams") for the enthusiastic audience.

Train performing "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" at Honda Center.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

Train opened for Hall & Oates with a 65-minute set featuring some of the band's greatest hits, a forthcoming single ("Call Me Sir") and a faithful cover of Led Zeppelin's "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)." Among the best performances was the rollicking old-styled rocker "Save Me San Francisco, breezy folk rocker "Angel in Blue Jeans" and "Meet Virginia." Train closed out their set with the propulsive dance-rock track "Drive By" and introspective "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)."

Opening the night was rising singer-songwriter-keyboardist Kandace Springs, who blended R&B, jazz, pop and soul over 30 minutes. A guest on "Live from Daryl's House" in 2015, Springs delivered an impressive set of material where she was backed by a drummer and bass player. In addition to her own soulful songs, she offered up poignant covers of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" and Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Learn more about Springs at her official site.


Daryl Hall & John Oates and Train are on tour now through the summer. For more information, visit the official Hall & Oates website here.

Review by Robert Kinsler

Hall & Oates thrill crowd at Fantasy Springs Resort

Hall & Oates in August 2013. Photo: Kelly A. Swift

What wasn't to love about Hall & Oates' terrific concert at Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio on Friday night (March 7)?

Over the course of 90 wonderful and fast-moving minutes, Daryl Hall and John Oates –backed by a solid 6-man band – offered up rousing takes on not only most of their most beloved and essential hits from the 1970s and '80s but a few rarely-heard gems too. With Hall & Oates set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month, the legendary hit makers seemed especially amped up throughout the concert. Indeed a sold-out crowd of 3,500 or so seemed to love every minute of it too.

Opening with an energetic version of "Maneater," the song's infectious groove and catchy choruses were not the only attraction. Hall's smooth vocals were strong from the start, and the dynamics extended to an effective climax to the song when Oates' lead guitar leads mirrored Charles DeChant's sax lines for a sonic jolt that kicked off the show with plenty of firepower.

With Hall and Oates playing guitars (along with lead guitarist Shane Theriot), the group's sound in Indio definitely boasted a powerful edge, which was apparent on "Out of Touch," which Oates unleashing some distinctive work on his lead guitar to close the song.

Hall & Oates' concert was a lesson in offering up songs that, while mostly faithful to the studio versions, were enhanced in the live setting via artful solos, vocal breaks and harmony vocals (notably "Say It Isn't So") that never failed to work their magic.

Among the under-the-radar material highlighted by the duo was "Did It In A Minute," "Alone Too Long" and "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)," the latter two '70s gems featuring Oates on lead vocals.

Hall & Oates' distinctive blend of Philly soul, pop, rock and R&B is timeless, and their best songs continue to connect as powerfully as the era when they were released. From the soaring "She's Gone" ("It always feels good, no matter how many times we play it," Hall acknowledged in his introduction) and beautiful "Sara Smile" to the funky "I Can't Go For That" and pop-infused "Kiss On My List," the sense of joy and sheer joy of music making is embedded in the pair's DNA.

Hall & Oates ended the winning night with an infectious and dance-minded "Private Eyes," yet another reminder to the sheer number of superb songs recorded by popular music's number one dynamic duo.

Robert Kinsler