When we were getting the “Come As You Aren’t” party all settled, I was just the tiniest bit disappointed that Matt Duncan had decided to cover Steely Dan. What little I knew about Steely Dan, I didn’t really care for. And really, I heard the same thing from a lot of people. Then how crazy was it that the crowd went absolutely mental for Matt Duncan’s band.

I guess the first most surprising thing was that there are actually a fair number of Steely Dan songs that people have picked up through osmosis without really being aware of it. There was “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Dirty Work” and “Deacon Blues,” all played with studio proficiency. I mean really, these guys had it down. They could take this on the road and entertain everyone’s mom’s (get your mind out of the gutter).

Maybe the best moment was during “Dirty Work,” where the crowd slowed down their dancing just a bit and yelled along to the chorus. Everyone in the band except the drummer stopped playing and led the crowd in a few choruses before jumping back in with gusto.

So much like when Wax Fang did Purple Rain, I found myself asking if it was reasonable for a cover show to enter my top 20 concerts of the year. And while it might not really be fair or make sense, I’m extremely tempted to let them do it — if nothing else, just for convincing me that Steely Dan is worth more than a second of my time.