Hi all - Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. Ours was quite good,
and ended on a very pleasant note...free tickets to see the Eagles last
night. When the show was announced Sue's company scooped of 50 of the
finest reds they could find, and as luck would have it we were given two
exceptional tickets. I wasn't feeling all that well yesterday - struggling
with (another) head cold, but the price was right!!!
Don't believe the Gazette review...believe this one. Why? We stayed for the
entire show - the Gazette reviewer did not.
When one purchases a ticket for an Eagles concert, one should know what
they will be getting for their money. The band has made no bones about the
fact that they are milking the "musical nostalgia cash cow", just like
every other successful band from that era. Let's face it, these guys
haven't been musically relevant in over 30 years, not counting the
occasional solo hit. Certainly the steep $125.00 ticket price is a lot to
ask for a trip down memory lane, and I'd be the first to lambaste the band
if they didn't deliver the goods, but they delivered on every count. The
musicianship, the harmonies, the sound, the use of video - it was all
there. It was a late start, but they promised to play their entire show,
and they did just that. They played twenty seven songs, 18 of them genuine
Eagle hits, with the occasional foray into the solo careers of Glenn Frey,
Don Henley and Joe Walsh. The band (Henley, Frey, Walsh and Timothy B.
Schmidt) were supported by 8 other musicians, including a killer 4 piece
brass section. They didn't have the guitar virtuoso's of Don Felder, or
especially Bernie Leadon of their early days, but they had a young lad
named Stuart Smith, who was likely in diapers when "Take It Easy" first hit
the airwaves. As a guitar player, and a critical one at that, I was very
impressed with Smith's playing. His deft touch and almost anal attention to
detail was impeccable, every solo played note for note, with the occasional
flourish just to remind you that he had his own chops to share.
The band started with "The Long Run", and Henley's voice was in fine form -
he was probably the strongest vocalists of the evening. They brought things
back immediately with some of the more softer material until they unleashed
Henley's classic "Boys Of Summer" - a definite highlight of the evening.
They used a series of video screens behind the band to display some great
video, and this accompanied by some great lighting/strobe effects made the
song even more powerful. Joe Walsh continued the mood with a rousing
version of "In The City". By all rights, this man shouldn't be walking the
planet - the amount of drugs and alcohol he has consumed is legendary, but
a few years of sobriety have served him well. He can still make a guitar
sound like a wild animal. A very short intermission and then they were
back. They kicked things off in low gear, a small little acoustic set that
included the abysmal "Hole In The World". To these ears, this song is the
musical equivalent of a chain-saw enema, but in a live setting it came off
far better, almost enjoyable ;-) The second set was generously sprinkled
with solo material, with Joe Walsh getting the lion's share of stage
time...and rightly so. If you want to end your show on a party note, he's
the man to hire. He started his stuff with "Walk Away", a song likely only
familiar to a handful of fans, but it paved the way for a rollicking
version of "Life's Been Good". He said that he first started writing this
as an "industrial love song", but it began to take on a life of it's own.
He also wore the "helmet cam" for this number and wandered around the stage
while visuals of the audience were transmitted from his helmet to the video
screen. Henley followed with a KICK-ASS version of "Dirty Laundry" -
another tune that benefited from video imagery and great lighting, not to
mention the remarkable solo's from Joe Walsh. Walsh returned with "Funk
#49" (a personal favorite) and ripped the arena apart. They closed their
second set with "Life In The Fast Lane" and they played like they truly
were enjoying every minute.
The first encore was predictably, "Hotel California". Unfortunately, at
least to my ears, the song didn't come off as hoped, largely due to the
fact that the studio version has 1/2 dozen guitars layered into the mix.
Still though, the closing guitar solo between Walsh and Smith is what
'arena-rock' is all about...and they delivered the goods. The second encore
started with THE arena rock song, "Rocky Mountain Way", and again Walsh was
the party animal. Not to be outdone, Henley delivered "All She Wants To Do
Is Dance", and the band pulled out all stops, including a rather spirited
dance from Glenn Frey. The final encore brought "Take It Easy" and
"Desperado", perhaps the two best known Eagle tunes, and both delivered
with the appropriate demeanor.
The sound of the show was great, save for the bass. You could see Tim
Schmidt play the instrument, and you could feel the vibrations, but
discerning different notes was an impossibility. The drums sounded amazing,
and naturally all the guitars were crystal clear. Most impressive though,
was the trademark vocals...flawless in every case.
Below is the set list for those who are interested.
Rob
The Long Run
New Kid In Town
Wasted Time
Peaceful Easy Feelin'
I Can't Tell You Why
One Of These Nights
Lyin' Eyes
Boys Of Summer (Henley)
In The City
Already Gone
INTERMISSION
Tequila Sunrise
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Hole In The World
Take It To The Limit
You Belong To The City (Frey)
Walk Away (Walsh)
Sunset Grill (Henley)
Life's Been Good (Walsh)
Dirty Laundry (Henley)
Funk #49 (Walsh)
Heartache Tonight
Life In The Fast Lane
First Encore - Hotel California
Second Encore - Rocky Mountain Way (Walsh)
All She Wants To Do Is Dance (Henley)
Third Encore - Take It Easy
Desperado
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| 9 1/2 Guitar Picks out of 10 |
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