Update: Steely Dan lead singer Donald Fagen has since released a statement apologizing to Mann. “There was a communication problem on our end. I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style,” he said in a statement to Variety. “But I can’t pass the buck. I’ll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans.” However, he denied that Mann was dropped on the basis of her gender. “The idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me,” he said. Mann then told Variety that she accepted Fagen’s account.
The Dan-Mann summer dream tour is no more: Singer-songwriter Aimee Man said Wednesday that she’s been dropped from Steely Dan’s summer concert tour schedule, and that it might have something to do with gender.
Mann, who scored a top-10 hit in 1985 with “Voices Carry” and hasn’t let up writing and touring since, posted one of her hand-drawn panels to Instagram explaining that she was on the bill to open for The Dan — one of her favorite bands — but since has been disinvited from the summer tour lineup.
“I was supposed to open for Steely Dan this summer,” Mann wrote. “I just found out that they took me off the bill. No one is entirely sure why, but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter? As it happens, Steely Dan is the one band that I 100% love, with no reservations, so it really sucks. But you know what? People are allowed to not like you, for whatever reason.”
Mann didn’t offer any further details or clarification, so it’s not clear where she got the notion about the tour’s ostensible reason for dropping her.
A representative for Mann did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Representatives for tour organizer Live Nation also did not immediately return messages Thursday. And it wasn’t immediately clear who else might be opening for Steely Dan (which lost co-founder and guitarist Walter Becker in 2017, but continues with his partner-in-crime Donald Fagen, pictured below.)
Sorry, Dan-Mann Stans, the band canned the plan!
The news was first reported by Pitchfork.