Early Tours

The Can't Buy a Thrill Tour and the Countdown to Ecstasy Tour, also known as the 1972 and 1973 tours respectively, are the first two tours Steely Dan went on. As of late 2020, no audio of footage of these tours have ever been found. Many hardcore Steely Dan collectors view any recordings of concerts from these eras as a holy grail.

Can't Buy a Thrill Tour
The first concert from the 1972 tour was somewhere in October of that year. It was performed in Glendale, California at The Ice House. Other venues the band commonly played at included Max's Kansas City, the Bijou Cafe, and the Whiskey A Go Go. The band would also open for other artists such as Frank Zappa. During this tour, the band played selections from Can't Buy a Thrill. This draws in many collectors and archivalists due to the fact that songs like "Fire in the Hole" may have only been played during this tour.

A bit of information about songs played on this tour have been spread around. According to issue 8 of the Steely Dan fanzine Metal Leg, "Fire in the Hole" was played. The magazine notes that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter played "scorching lead work on "Fire in the Hole"" and "w[as] as accurate and soaring as on the album". Metal Leg also states that Bodhisattva was played during 1972 shows as a way of teasing their next album. A rumor regarded this tour claims that "Change of the Guard" was played as an encore.

As well as album songs, three songs known as "Take My Money", "Hellbound Train", and "Megashine City" were performed on this tour. These songs were performed specially for David Palmer to sing. A studio version of "Megashine City" did surface in 2015 on the 1972 Demo Reel. "Megashine City" was also considered for the Gaucho album, although with slightly tweaked lyrics and under the name "Talkin' 'Bout My Home". Take My Money has never been heard audibly, however a sheet with lyrics to the song was sold during Julien's Auctions Walter Becker auction. "Hellbound Train" is only known as a title, and lyrics or musical info have never surfaced. Some have speculated it was a cover of Chuck Berry's "Hellbound Train", but that is a stretch.

Countdown to Ecstasy Tour
A year after the Can't Buy a Thrill tour, Steely Dan carried on touring, primarily opening for other bands. Along with the songs from last year's setlist, songs from Countdown to Ecstasy were added. As well as those, another song was added as an encore. When the band had female backup singers tour with them, those backup singers would join together to sing a cover of The Angels' song "My Boyfriend's Back".

A song only known as "Make It Shine" has appeared on setlist websites as being played during the 1973 tour. The source for this song besides those websites is a newspaper article published after the song was played. Fans speculate if "Make It Shine" is a misheard Megashine as in "Megashine" City from the 1972 tour. Other rumors state this is a misspelling of the Fagen and Becker song "I Mean To Shine" written for Linda Hoover and covered by Barbra Streisand in 1971. The final two rumors are simple, either being this is a downright mistake and a song known as "Make It Shine" doesn't exist, or that this is not a mistake and is a different song entirely.

To collectors, this tour is a bit less interesting than the 1972 tour due to the fact every song from Countdown to Ecstasy has been performed live. This tour is still held on the same pedestal as the 1972 because the only performances of Countdown to Ecstasy songs fans have from the 70's are "Bodhisattva", "The Boston Rag", "Show Biz Kids", "My Old School", and "King of the World". This leaves "Razor Boy", "Your Gold Teeth", and "Pearl of the Quarter" only being found in modern performances. Collectors also strive to obtain the girls' backing version of "My Boyfriend's Back".

Songs
Here are two lists of songs played in 1972 and 1973, one list for each tour. Songs in bold are only rumored to have been played. Songs in italics next to their name have not been played since the 1972 / 1973 tours.

Can't Buy a Thrill Tour songs

 * "Do It Again"
 * "Dirty Work"
 * "Kings"
 * "Midnite Cruiser"
 * "Only a Fool Would Say That"
 * "Reelin' in the Years"
 * "Fire in the Hole"
 * "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)"
 * "Change of the Guard"
 * "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again"
 * "Take My Money"
 * "Hellbound Train"
 * "Megashine City"

Countdown to Ecstasy Tour songs

 * "Do It Again"
 * "Reelin' in the Years"
 * "Bodhisattva"
 * "Razor Boy"
 * "The Boston Rag"
 * "Your Gold Teeth"
 * "Show Biz Kids"
 * "My Old School"
 * "Pearl of the Quarter"
 * "King of the World"
 * "Make it Shine"
 * "My Boyfriend's Back"

Can't Buy a Thrill Tour shows

 * October 1972: Under the Ice House – Glendale, California
 * October 27, 1972: Trinity University – San Antonio, Texas – opened for The Kinks
 * October 28, 1972: Houston Music Hall – Houston, Texas – opened for The Kinks
 * October 29, 1972: University of Texas – Arlington, Texas – opened for The Kinks
 * October 31, 1972: Auditorium Theatre – Chicago, Illinois – opened for The Kinks
 * November 1, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 2, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 3, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 4, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 5, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 6, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 7, 1972: Max's Kansas City – Manhattan, New York – opened for Black Kangaroo
 * November 8, 1972: Bijou Cafe – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – opened for Loudon Wainwright III
 * November 9, 1972: Bijou Cafe – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – opened for Loudon Wainwright III
 * November 10, 1972: Bijou Cafe – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – opened for Loudon Wainwright III
 * November 11, 1972: Bijou Cafe – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – opened for Loudon Wainwright III
 * November 19, 1972: Guthrie Theatre – Minneapolis, Minnesota – opened for Taj Mahal
 * November 21, 1972: Humpin' Hannah's – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * November 23, 1972: Ambassador Theater – St. Louis, Missouri
 * December 2, 1972: Cowtown Ballroom – Kansas City, Missouri – opened for Frank Zappa
 * December 3, 1972: Pershing Auditorium – Lincoln, Nebraska – opened for Frank Zappa
 * December 6, 1972: Whisky-A Go Go – Los Angeles, California – opened for Woodpecker
 * December 7, 1972: Whisky-A Go Go – Los Angeles, California – opened for Woodpecker
 * December 8, 1972: Whisky-A Go Go – Los Angeles, California – opened for Buddy Miles
 * December 9, 1972: Whisky-A Go Go – Los Angeles, California – opened for Buddy Miles
 * December 10, 1972: Whisky-A Go Go – Los Angeles, California – opened for Buddy Miles