John Oates On Hall & Oates’ Return, Favorite Clubs, Hoagie Nation

– Bigger Than Both of Us:
After 54 years Daryl Hall & John Oates are more popular than ever. The duo kicks off their 25-date run of amphitheaters and arenas on Aug. 5 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass.

A few days before Daryl Hall & John Oates’ first show in a year and a half kicked off on Aug. 5 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass., Pollstar caught up with the inimitable guitarist, singer and songwriter John Oates, who penned and performed some of the greatest, deepest-grooved, pop classics known to humankind. Here, the iconic 73-year-old superstar discussed returning to the road, how he stayed hyper-productive during lockdown, his favorite clubs and, of course, HoagieNation.

Pollstar: It’s a privilege to speak with you, where are you now?

John Oates: I’m in Providence, R.I. We’re rehearsing for the tour that starts on Thursday. I’m sitting in a hotel room having a cup of coffee. It’s very weird because I haven’t been in a hotel room in a year and a half. It used to be my second home, these hotel rooms, but now they feel like a foreign land.

What was it like being off the road for this long; what did you miss most?

It was a totally unexpected and foreign experience because, honestly, there’s not been a year, or even a month in my entire professional career, starting back in the late ’60s, early ’70s, where I haven’t traveled. It took me a long time to accept that this was going to be a new reality that might last longer than expected. Then I began to embrace it once I realized there wasn’t going to be a tour.

Daryl and I did a warm-up show on Feb. 26, 2020, then we sold out Madison Square Garden on the 28th. I’ll never forget that date because it was an amazing show. The vibe was incredible. We put a lot of work into the production and the show itself. We thought it was really one of the best things we had ever done. And all of a sudden, the rug gets pulled out from under us.

I was blown away by all that you’ve done: you collaborated with British superstar Jack Savoretti, put out your Arkansas blues album, recorded songs in Spanish for a film, did a cover of “Maneater” with Saxsquatch, who performs in a Bigfoot costume.

Yes, he does, he’s amazing. My wife found him on Instagram and said, “You got to check this guy out.” We saw he was real. It took me a long time to come to grips with (being at home) and then I began to embrace it and realized the joy of being at home with my wife. I began to write on Zoom and collaborate with people around the world. I took on projects I never would have had time for had I been on tour.

My wife and I put together this amazing streaming benefit for Feeding America where we managed to generate 450,000 meals. I made phone calls to a lot of friends and people who I’ve known over the years, and it was just beautiful to see how they responded. None of this would have happened had our normal touring schedule been going on in 2020.

Terry Wyatt / Getty Images – Man On A Mission:
John Oates, who hasn’t performed since Feb. 28, 2020 when Hall & Oates played Madison Square Garden, said the last year and a half is the longest he’s gone without performing in five decades. Seen here performing in 2020 at Nashville’s Station Inn, one of his favorite clubs.

One of the things we learned was that one of the top things people missed and cherished most was live performances. The government gave more than $16 billion, the largest arts grant ever, to independent clubs.

I have a great, great respect and concern about the small clubs, because when I’m not working with Daryl, I have the Good Road Band in Nashville,

and we tour in the smaller venues, and play clubs and small theaters. It’s the heartbeat of music in America, and it’s critical that those venues stay operating and stay alive.

What’s your favorite club?

The place where I recorded the Live in Nashville album was the Station Inn in Nashville, one of my favorite places to play. One of my thrills in life was to play the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It’s so legendary. When you walk on that stage, you’re standing in the footsteps of legends and ghosts of the past, and it’s an amazing experience to be a part of.

Where was your first gig?

The first place we played was an art gallery in Philadelphia called World Control Studios, which was kind of funny because it was this tiny place that holds 15 people.

Did you ever play CBGBs, the Troubadour, or 9:30 all the iconic clubs
Yeah, we played our first show at the Troubadour in ’72 with Harry Chapin.

“Cat’s In The Cradle,” did you get a lot of press for that gig?
We actually did. I remember distinctly we got an amazing review from that show. They talked about the fact that this opening act is someone you’re going to hear from in the future. In the ’70s, we were kind of underground darlings. We weren’t the big pop kings of the ’80s that we became. We were eclectic and unusual. Every album was different. We didn’t fall into any categories, it was two different careers, really.

Was it like that Elton John Troubadour moment where you played and the buzz started?
Well, not as much, because we were opening for Harry Chapin. We weren’t headlining. But we did come back and play, obviously headline the Troubadour. Then we went back and did a live DVD there a few years ago celebrating, the 50th anniversary year. We played The Roxy and we played all over the place.

Your memoir, “Change of Seasons,” was based on handwritten journals so you probably have a good recollection of some of your live touchstones. Do you recall some?

It seems like I remember every show we’ve ever done. There’s the classic touchstones I think any performer would mention: The Madison Square Gardens, the Hollywood Bowls, the Wembley Stadiums, the Budokan in Tokyo. But really, it’s the smaller shows in the heartland, the smaller cities around the world where people have an appreciation for coming to see us.

Did you play the Electric Factory in Philly?

Yep, that was in the late ‘60s. That was a classic rock club. There was a smaller place called the Bijou Café, we played the

first show with Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. That’s going way back.

Michael Ochs Archives Getty Images – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow:
Daryl Hall and John Oates, who have sold more albums than any other duo in music history, circa 1971. The RIAA recognized them as the No. 1 selling duo in music history and they’ve been inducted into both the Song- writers Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I read a preview of your upcoming show that said when Hall & Oates came in the aughts they did a 3,000-seater; your Aug. 5th show at the Xfinity Center is a 20,000 seater. You guys get hotter as time goes on, how did you do that?

There was no master plan. It was just a lot of hard work, professionalism, dedication, and passion. That’s really the key to everything in life. You have to care about what you do and love what you do, and you have to work your ass off. I think that summarizes what Daryl and I have been about. And the songs are really the propellant, they’re the fuel.

They’re some of the greatest songs in the pop music canon.

It’s my biggest source of pride. People always ask about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the success we’re having now, and I always bring it back to the source: It’s about those songs. When we were inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame prior to the Rock Hall, to be mentioned in the same breath with the great American songwriters, the Cole Porters, the George Gershwins and the Brill Building legends, that to me is the most important thing.

It looks like in 2008 you played in Chile, Brazil and Argentina, how were those shows?
We played a small soccer stadium, which we never expected in a million years. People were going crazy and it was a amazing. You never know until you actually get there and play. It was an incredible experience.

What is this Hoagie festival presented by Daryl Hall and John Oates?

Well, we used to make a joke, whenever we’d enter the New Jersey-Philadelphia area, we’d call it “Hoagie Nation” because it’s the only place on Earth where the hoagie is the regional delicacy. And when they talked about us doing a festival we named it HoagieNation, kind of a tongue and cheek thing. But it was cool too because we turned it into a food festival, a celebration of local foods and things like that as well.

This will be the third year – we didn’t do it in ‘20. And we’ve had a very eclectic group of people. We had Marty Stuart, Sharon Jones, our co-headliners. Squeeze will be on this year. We had Train and Tears for Fears. We put on a lot of Philadelphia-centric artists giving them a chance to perform.

Who’s your agent?
Peter Pappalardo.

From AGI, how long have you worked with him for?
Quite a while now. I can’t remember exactly how long, but we’ve been with a number of agencies over the years. A little-known fact, Daryl and I were the first artist ever sign to CAA.

Really!?
When CAA started, we were the very first music act they signed. Rob Light was our original agent way back then. When Mike Ovitz started the agency, we were the first music artist to sign. And then over the years, we’ve been with a lot of different agencies.

The age of today’s touring musicians seems to be going up, lthe Stones are pushing 80 and they’re going out next month, you guys are in your 70s, what’s it like hitting that age and being on the road?
I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I get paid to leave my house, get on a plane, get in a bus, and sleep in a hotel. That’s what I really get paid for. The music, I do for free. I will play my guitar for free any day of the week, and sing. So that’s the joyful part. That’s where the passion comes in. But honestly, it’s not an easy life. It’s not as glamorous as some people might think. And there’s a lot of waiting around and a lot of killing time, and that’s how it is. You get used to it after a while. It’s definitely a readjustment now, having not done it for a year and a half. But then once you get back, I guess it’s kind of like getting back on a horse. All of a sudden it just seems like normal again.

These days, you see a friend you haven’t seen in a while and it’s incredibly emotional. Things feel more precious given all we’ve gone through. What’s it going to be like for you when you get out on the stage and hear fans roar?
It’s going to be exciting; there’s no doubt about it. I’ve heard reports from friends who have been doing shows, and they said there was a definite emotional charge and some of them were really not prepared for it. They were like freaked out and like, “This is like crazy and unbelievable.” Music should be a joyful experience on every level, and hopefully when we get out there, we’ll feel the same thing, and we’ll give it to the audience and they’ll give back to us. And that’s the magic of playing live and being on stage.