Daryl Hall

SXSW showcase reviews

Live Shots
Photo by Gary Miller

Daryl Hall

SXSW Live, Austin Convention Center, Wednesday, March 12

A recent Pitchfork interview with Daryl Hall pinpointed the appeal of Hall & Oates, namely with indie rockers who grew up in the 1980s listening to them on the radio. The crowd that showed up for his set, however, was testament to his generational appeal, middle-aged to middle school. Hall, backed by a fivepiece band, welcomed us to "his house" and offered versions of "You Make My Dreams Come True," "Everything Your Heart Desires," and "Cab Driver" that were steelier and more soulful than the pop-fed originals. "I Can't Stop Dreaming," "Someone Like You," and "It's Uncanny" simmered, the latter winding into a soul-funk breakdown. Hall's voice is still in fine form, and he broke out the whoo-whoos and skiddly-bops with ease. He was in a fine mood, too, veering off into a VH1 Storytellers tangent with his acoustic guitar, talking about how his last Austin appearance was canceled because he was diagnosed with Lyme disease ("The ticks got me!") and even taking a soft jab at former partner in crime John Oates. Then, a reggae version of "Maneater" that sounded like gold, and it didn't even need a sax solo.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
Court of Appeals Sides With SXSW in Insurance Lawsuit
Court of Appeals Sides With SXSW in Insurance Lawsuit
Reverses previous decision in insurance company's favor

Carys Anderson, March 26, 2024

Short and Sweet: The Rainbow Bridge
Short and Sweet: The Rainbow Bridge
Dimitri Simakis on his new short and the state of the industry

Richard Whittaker, March 20, 2024

More Music Reviews
Paper Cuts: No Desire's Agile Debut and Five More Songs
Paper Cuts
New Austin music picks from francene rouelle, variety

Carys Anderson, Jan. 26, 2024

A Saucy, Seven-Course Musical at Boggy Creek Farm
A Saucy, Seven-Course Musical at Boggy Creek Farm
Jade Fusco’s activist interactive recruited members of Ley Line, BluMoon, and more

Carys Anderson, Nov. 24, 2023

More by Audra Schroeder
SXSW Interactive Conference Quick Cuts
The Signal & the Noise
Statistician Nate Silver on more data, more problems

March 15, 2013

SXSW Film
SXSW Film Reviews: 'Kiss of the Damned'
Daily Reviews and Interviews

March 15, 2013

KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

SXSW

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle