Fan Review: Jeff from Green Bay

The Long Run has been a good one...

I'm writing this review knowing that this was probably my last time seeing the guys together, based on their comments and interviews in recent months. It sounds, from where I'm standing, that they're done after this tour. They're not sure if they have one more album in them and they don't want to tour again without a new album. Sounds like a Catch-22 for the fans.

The Eagles came back to our fair city of Green Bay, WI. Green Bay is a TINY market. We're 260th in rank of U.S. cities by population. How we earned the right to have the Eagles come back and visit us for a second time in five years is beyond me. What was disappointing was that the arena was not sold out. Large patches of empty seats were all around the upper ring and down on the floor. That was depressing. However, the guys showed up with the professionalism that is The Eagles. Suits, full stage set-up, and almost the entire set list. (They eliminated the first encore).

Regarding the show? Fantastic. I certainly did miss "Wasted Time," "The Last Resort," and "All She Wants To Do Is Dance." The guys were in perfect form and fantastic harmonies. The jokes were canned, but they did give the impression that they loved Green Bay. Don commented about the beautiful area and lovely barns. Glenn cracked a few jokes. Joe had a cheesehead mounted with a camera. It was good to hear that when he Green Bay, he doesn't need to lock the doors for fear of attack. He goes to Lambeau to cheer on the Pack.

The fans? A crowd in great spirits for a Monday night. What was interesting were the number of people around me asking if they were going to sing "Seven Bridges Road." Many disappointed faces when they didn't. Some folks said that was the one song they wanted to hear.

Loved the new songs. In fact, it was amazing how many of the fans that were singing along to the Eden tunes. Many, many folks knew all of the lyrics. That made this a lot of fun.

So - in closing - I guess this is it. I finally believe them during "Take It Easy" saying that they "will never be here again." It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the memories and the return visit.

Review: Eagles deliver sweet nostalgia

By Kendra Meinert
Gannett Wisconsin Media

Two songs into what would become a marathon set Monday night at the Resch Center, Glenn Frey told the crowd, “Check your ticket stubs. This is the Eagles’ Assisted Living Tour. And we’re the Eagles, the band that wouldn’t die.’’

At least he got it half-right.

Not battling egos, not 28 years between studio albums and not even apparently hell freezing over have been able to stop the long run of the ’70s kings of California country-rock. But as for any signs that somehow time is starting to catch up with Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit – all hovering near 60 – there were virtually none to be found during a show that goes down as the most expensive ticket in Resch history.

Twenty-eight songs. Two hours and 45 minutes. Four frontmen all in fine voice. One stunningly spare “Desperado’’ to end the night. Not only did the Eagles give 6,494 fans their $177 worth, but they looked like they were having a better time doing it than they did during a rather frosty performance in 2003.

On a stage that resembled the Hollywood Bowl with a massive arched video backdrop, the foursome in black suits, white shirts and ties actually broke from their standard wall-of-singers formation to share mics, trade guitar licks and get about as playful as the Eagles get.

Goofy caricatures of themselves floated around in an animated aquarium video behind them during “Funk #49.’’ Walsh – always the life of the Eagles’ party – strapped a “helmet cam’’ on a Cheesehead during “Life’s Been Good’’ and stalked the crowd with the lens as he slipped in alternate lyrics: “I go to Lambeau, root for the Pack.’’ And was that actually a smile from Henley behind the drums on “One of These Nights’’ as the group revisited its arena-rock roots during a looser, faster finish to the night?

Perhaps they were revitalized by having new music to serve up (and by a terrific four-piece horn section). They played generously from “Long Road Out of Eden,’’ their first studio release since 1979’s “The Long Run,’’ opening with four of its tracks. They came back after an intermission to do another string of three acoustically on stools, including a poetic “No More Walks in the Wood’’ a cappella.

The new album’s title track, Henley’s 10-minute think piece on the U.S. involvement in Iraq, came later – the grittiest performance of the night with monster guitars, a marching drum beat and war footage. If that song didn’t remind the crowd he remains the Eagle with the best voice, “Boys of Summer’’ and “Desperado’’ no doubt did.

It was the classic hits that lured those mostly boomer fans to shell out as much as $177 a ticket to return to the soundtrack to their youth. Whether it was Frey – still looking the California cool cat -- effortlessly leading on “Peaceful Easy Feeling’’ or Schmit’s trippy mellow of “I Can’t Tell You Why,’’ the lush harmonies that have been the group’s signature since the early ’70s still feel like warm sunshine on your face.

So no wonder when a room-commanding trumpet solo opened into a well-worn “Hotel California’’ just five songs in, the crowd couldn’t help but get to its feet. Nothing feels as good as sweet nostalgia delivered like it was just yesterday.

Posted at 06:29 PM in 09/29 Green Bay, WI | Permalink | Comments (1)

Scan of Tribune Photo

Thanks Lynn!

Posted at 12:04 PM in 09/24 Chicago, IL | Permalink | Comments (0)

Life's Been Good (Minneapolis Preview / Joe Interview)

The Eagles: Life's been good

By JON BREAM, Star Tribune

September 25, 2008

Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh is the anti-Eagle. Make that the anti-ego.

You know about the big shots in the Eagles -- Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Purposeful singer-songwriter Henley is the band's conscience; free-spirited singer-songwriter Frey its heart. Bassist Timothy B. Schmit, the quiet one, brings a peaceful, easy feeling. And Walsh, the loud one, brings much-needed humor, energy and personality.

Take, for instance, when Walsh phoned recently from Texas. Hurricane Ike had forced cancellation of the band's show the night before in Houston.

"I'm in Dallas, which is the first place the hurricane's going after it hits Houston," he said. "I don't know why we're here. I think it's our own personal hurricane and it's going to follow us wherever we go."

When stormy weather and the Eagles are mentioned in the same sentence, it usually refers to the inability of Henley and Frey to get along. Remember that classic quote from the acerbic Henley when the group broke up in 1980? He said they'd play together "when hell freezes over."

After reuniting as a touring act in 1994, the Eagles finally released an album of new material in October 2007, reestablishing themselves as a viable artistic entity, not merely a lucrative business arrangement between fractured friends. "Long Road Out of Eden," a two-disc, 20-song epic, quickly became a big seller, topping 3 million in sales -- a blockbuster by today's standards, but a shadow of the 29 million copies sold in the United States of "The Eagles -- Their Greatest Hits 1971-75," the biggest selling album of all time.

"We are getting along better than ever," said Walsh, whose band returns to Target Center on Tuesday. "We've just really settled down."

How's that?

"We're just really comfortable around each other now. We're all sober. We've discovered sleep," said Walsh, 60. "There's a different feeling when you've played with musicians for 30 years. A lot of stuff doesn't even need to be said, especially onstage. We just read each other so well. We're like the 'Grumpy Old Men' movie. We're like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon -- except there's four of us."

Walsh, known for his work with the James Gang and solo recordings, joined the Eagles in 1975 as a replacement for co-founder Bernie Leadon. He knows his role.

"It truly is Don and Glenn's band," the guitarist said. "I knew that when I joined, and it hasn't changed. They call the shots and decide policies. I think the world of them as a team. So that's OK with me."

Here's how the Eagles fly, according to Walsh: "Don usually has an overview of a concept or a complete statement. Glenn helps him turn that from abstract to a real thing. My job is to feed that input and put some kick-ass guitar on it and try to keep them sane and focused."

Not that Walsh is afraid to speak his mind. For instance, he doesn't dig the stage outfits for this tour -- black suits, white shirts and black ties.

"I don't know exactly why we're doing it. I guess Glenn came up with it," said Walsh, who had grown accustomed to wearing whatever he wanted onstage. "You feel a certain way with a suit and a tie on. My problem is my tie gets stuck in my guitar strings and all of a sudden my guitar doesn't work anymore. I've got to get a tie clasp, but I never get around to it."

Dancing with Wal-Mart

Not that the Eagles ever play it straight. Besides the suits and ties, the most conservative thing these left-leaning Californians have done is give Wal-Mart the exclusive retail-store rights to "Long Road Out of Eden."

"That was pretty much a business decision," Walsh explained of allowing Big Blue to sell the CD for $11.88. "We found Wal-Mart to be a fairly green company and at least open to dialogue on some of their policies. It was kind of a bold step. It worked pretty good. It may open the door for a bunch of frustrated artists to distribute new material as an alternative to iTunes. And it's a pretty darn good deal; if it was [done via] a record company, [the CD] would have cost twice as much."

Of course, the Eagles, especially the outspoken Henley, are still critical of the Bush administration. It's obvious in the 10-minute title cut on the new album, which the band will play in concert. It's a song about U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq.

"We tried to do that through the eyes of the guys who are over there. They're gung-ho when they get there and as time goes on, they don't really know why they're there," Walsh said. "Without ever talking about revolution and getting down too much on anybody, we were trying to say 'We're in a big mess.' "

The album features other social commentaries ("I Dreamed There Was No War," "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture," "Do Something") as well as songs about relationships ("Busy Being Fabulous," "What Do I Do with My Heart," "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance").

Of course, slow-working, perfectionist Henley wasn't totally happy with "Eden." "Egos must be fed," he told the Houston Chronicle this month. "Objectivity and perspective can go right out the window. Art suffers. For better or worse, survival often depends on placing egalitarianism, diplomacy and compromise above all else. That is the reality of group dynamics."

Is that true?

"Yeah, pretty much," said Walsh, who, like Schmit, gets to sing lead on two tunes on the new album. "Left to our own devices, we'll never be done. There were some compromises that everybody had to make."

Life in the seniors lane

At first, the Eagles tried to reinvent themselves by exploring new sounds that might be more compatible with contemporary radio, Walsh said. Then they decided to just be themselves, except their approach to recording this time was different. It was no longer "lock ourselves in the studio for three months and stay up for most of it. Whatever that was, we released and called art," Walsh said. "We're sober now and we all have families and obligations of being senior citizens. Oh, that's hard to say. We have grownup responsibilities. We used to all live in the same car."

Walsh, like his bandmates, welcomes the new songs. The Eagles were "getting frustrated" regurgitating the hits "like a Vegas show or like the Beach Boys," he admitted. "We knew we had another album in us. It was a painful birth. But it's great to have new material."

Also a bit painful is this year's tell-all book by fired Eagles guitarist Don Felder, "Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001)," in which he writes about trashing hotels, abusing drugs and suffering the wrath of Henley (who once chewed him out for wearing the wrong shoes onstage) and Frey (who teased him about his bald spot), who railroaded him into taking a smaller part of the lucrative pie in the band's latter years.

"To be honest, I've tried not to worry about it too much," Walsh said of the book. "We couldn't say anything for a long time because we were in a lawsuit with him. Down deep, I like him. He was fun to stand next to and play with. A bunch of that [what Felder wrote] didn't concern me because some of the tension came from events before I joined the band."

But is the story true about Walsh throwing a grand piano out a hotel window?

"Not the whole piano went out the window," he recalled of his pre-sober days. "But a lot of it -- the legs and the lid and a bunch of the keys and the pedals. I wouldn't want anybody to think the wrong thing."

Posted at 11:43 AM in 09/30 Minneapolis, MN | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles Take Spotlight in a Show Heavy on Hits (Southtown Star Review)

Eagles take spotlight turns in a show heavy on hits
(http://www.southtownstar.com/concerts/1185125,Eaglesreview.article)

September 25, 2008

BY STEVE METSCH, Staff Writer

The Eagles is "the band that would not die," Glenn Frey jokingly told their United Center audience Wednesday night.

In fact, they are not only alive and well, but in fine form, too, knocking out 30 songs over the course of their three-hour concert.

Frey and his bandmates - Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and the irrepressible Joe Walsh cruised through songs from their 2007 release, the two-CD "Long Road Out of Eden," and dug into their 1970s catalog for huge hits, before turning their second set into an episode of "Joe Gone Wild."

The four core Eagles members were joined by nine backup musicians, including a four-man brass section that brought new sounds to familiar songs.

The band opened with their big "How Long" and three other new songs, giving each a chance to tackle the lead vocal slot. An attempt to soothe egos in a band famed for its fighting? Who cares? They all sounded terrific.

Besides, time heals.

Frey, 60, called Henley "my friend since 1971," and talked in glowing terms of how they wrote "Lyin' Eyes" in two days. "Now," Frey said, "that would probably take two years."

Noting how the band began 37 years ago, Henley introduced "The Long Run" as "our theme song" and invited fans to sing along.

The first set was heavy on ballads, including "I Can't Tell You Why" and "I Don't Want to Hear Any More," both featuring Schmit's beautiful vocals. Yes, Schmit, 60, still effortlessly hits high notes. And, yes, he still has his trademark flowing locks.

The first set offered hints of what was to come when Walsh grabbed the spotlight with a fun new song, "Guilty of the Crime," and a rollicking version of "In the City" that had him playing solos off the bold brass section.

After a lengthy break - maybe the band was watching the White Sox and Cubs games as many fans were in the concourse -- the Eagles returned -- with the lovely harmonies of "No More Walks in the Woods." These guys may disagree, but they sure sing well together.

A few songs later, it was time for Walsh to steal the spotlight with sizzling solos on "Long Road Out of Eden," Henley's biting political criticism of the war in Iraq. Then it was time to unleash Walsh. As always, the life of the party was up to the task.

The band went way back into Walsh's musical history with "Walk Away," a 1971 release from his James Gang days. Frey tried to match Walsh, 60, note for note at the start of "Funk #49," another James Gang song, before playfully tossing up his hands and conceding.

Among the night's many highlights was "Life's Been Good," Walsh's solo hit from 1978. The amusing indictment of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle was made even more enjoyable with video clips of the band through the years, and with his "the helmet cam," a videocamera mounted atop a hard hat that took shots of the audience that were beamed to three video screens.

Walsh's enthusiasm and superb playing seemed to inspire the entire band to rock a bit harder. "One of These Nights" never sounded better.--The same goes for "Heartache Tonight."

Henley took the spotlight with a dead-on takes of "The Boys of Summer" and "Hotel California," and his poke at the media, "Dirty Laundry." The Eagles had fun with that song, showing real tabloid headines along with phony magazine covers featuring stories like, "Monkey Sues Joe Walsh" and "Don Henley Solves Global Warming."

Frey handled most of the banter, telling fans -- "Lyin' Eyes" was "about my first wife, 'Plaintiff,'" leading the horn section through some funky dance steps, and calling "Take It to the Limit" the band's "credit card song." He sounded best on "Peaceful Easy Feeling." You could almost feel the warm California breeze.

After finishing with a hard-rockin' "Life in the Fast Lane," the band returned for its first encore: Walsh's Chicago classic rock radio staple "Rocky Mountain Way," and Henley's "All She Wants to Do is Dance," complete with a dazzling light show.

The second encore was all-Eagles: the timeless "Take it Easy," with Frey on the lead, and "Desperado," powered by Henley.

My only beef?

I know bands have to sell new product, but it would've been nice to hear them rock out on "Already Gone."

The good news is tickets are available for tonight's concert in what Frey jokingly called "the Eagles' Assisted Living Tour."

Posted at 11:37 AM in 09/24 Chicago, IL | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joe Walsh Injects Fun, Energy into Staid Eagles Concert (Chicago Tribune Blog)

Joe Walsh injects fun, energy into staid Eagles concert

More Joe Walsh, please. Even “The Dude” would’ve loved him Wednesday, the opener of a two-night Eagles stand at the United Center.

The Dude is the bathrobed, bearded hippie in the Coen brothers movie “The Big Lebowski” who hated the Eagles, in part because their mellowness was so inescapable in the ‘70s.

The quintessential California band ruled that decade as one of rock’s greatest commercial forces, and in the years since not much has changed. The reunited juggernaut is still selling lots of albums (their 2007 comeback release “Long Road out of Eden” has sold 7 million units) and their ticket prices (topping out at $185, plus service fees) are still hefty (who can forget – or forgive – the Eagles for breaking the $100 ticket barrier on their 1994 reunion tour?).

But Walsh doesn’t fit the Eagles peaceful-easy-feelin’ mold. For a good part of the three-hour show, he was on his best behavior. All due respect to Don Henley and Glenn Frey (in photo above), the band’s cofounders: They’re craftsmanlike songwriters, but they’re not much for showmanship. Even the between-songs patter was canned, and the concert felt about as stiff as the matching black suits the band wore, as if outfitted for a wake.

Steuart Smith expertly re-created the ousted Don Felder’s essential guitar parts, and the core quartet, abetted by nine musicians, precisely re-enacted their studio recordings. When Frey added an extra word to a line from “Lyin’ Eyes,” it was a big deal.

Then late in the evening, Walsh took over with frisky versions of his old James Gang hits “Walk Away” and “Funk 49” and his solo goof “Life’s Been Good,” complete with a mini-cam attached to his helmet. “Life in the Fast Lane” lived up to its title; even Henley hit the drums with extra oomph. For the first time, everyone looked like they were having fun.

The fans paid to hear the hits, and the band delivered with a set list heavy on ‘70s favorites, plus a sprinkling of “Eden” songs and solo tracks. The best of their songs deserve their status not just as hits, but as cultural touchstones, especially the Spanish-flavored decadence of “Hotel California.”

But it was the goofy, unpredictable guitar player who transformed this night from a nostalgic recital into a concert. Like The Dude, Joe Walsh abides.

greg@gregkot.com

Set list

1. “How Long”: The four core members --- Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh --- line up across the stage in a show of black-suited solidarity.

2. “Busy Being Fabulous”: Four guitars at work, but not much traction for this “Long Road out of Eden” track.

3. “I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore”: Schmit sings what sounds like an Air Supply outtake.

4. “Guilty of the Crime”: Walsh’s slide-guitar work raises the energy in the room considerably.

5. “Hotel California”: Ushered in with a trumpet solo, and finishing with Walsh and Steuart Smith (standing in for the song’s author, Don Felder) trading guitar lines.

6. “Peaceful Easy Feeling”: Everything “The Dude” Lebowski ever hated about the Eagles in one supremely catchy, supremely mellow song.

7. “I Can’t Tell You Why”: Schmit’s fragile falsetto and Smith’s replication of Felder’s distinctive solo still resonate on this ballad.

8. “Witchy Woman”: Sing-along time, with Henley doubling on lead vocals and drums.

9. “Lyin’ Eyes”: Frey’s epic soap-opera script embroidered with fiddle and piano.

10. “Boys of Summer”: Henley’s solo hit remains a bittersweet keeper.

11. “In the City”: Walsh’s slide-guitar showcase, with gratuitous horns.

12. “The Long Run”: Still wonder how the Eagles got away with ripping off the great Memphis R&B song “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You” (as originally popularized by Chicagoan Otis Clay).

2nd set

13. “No More Walks in the Woods”: Nice sit-down opening with a cappella harmonies by Henley, Frey, Schmit and Walsh.

14. “Waiting in the Weeds”: Henley sings, Frey on guitar, Smith later joins on mandolin.

15. “No More Cloudy Days”: The sound of stasis.

16. “Love Will Keep Us Alive”: A thoroughly unmemorable track from the “Hell Freezes Over” reunion disc, sung by Schmit.

17. “Take it to the Limit”: Just as the show starts to lose steam, a crucially timed visit to the Eagles first “Hits” album, which has sold 25 million copies.

18. “Long Road out of Eden”: Epic but ponderous title song from Eagles latest album.

19. “Somebody”: The band strips off their black suit jackets to reveal matching white shirts. Otherwise, the song’s a snooze.

20. “Walk Away”: Walsh cracks a smile in midsolo. That’s a first for what has been, so far, a professionally dour concert.

21. “One of These Nights”: Henley proves he can still hit the falsetto notes.

22. “Life’s Been Good”: Walsh dons a helmet and trains a mini-cam on the crowd. It took a while, but suddenly the audience feels part of the show.

23. “Dirty Laundry”: Henley continues his love affair with the media, and sets it to a dance beat.

24. “Funk 49”: More James Gang-era rock from Walsh.

25. “Heartache Tonight”: The horns add to the R&B flavor.

26. “Life in the Fast Lane”: Another Walsh guitar showcase.

Deadline beckons, and I have to split as the band walks off before the encore.

Posted at 11:35 AM in 09/24 Chicago, IL | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reunited Eagles Could Use Bailout (Sun Times Review)

Reunited Eagles could use bailout

CONCERT REVIEW | Guitarists shake up performance that's on the brink

Comments

September 25, 2008

BY MARK GUARINO

With corporate governance crumbling financial markets and with pension plans and home mortgages on the brink of near ruin, perhaps it's a sign of economic recovery that the board of directors at Lehman Brothers gathered together to sing Eagles songs at the United Center on Wednesday.

No, wait, upon closer inspection, those were actual members of the Eagles standing onstage singing actual Eagles songs at an Eagles concert. Dressed in ill-fitting black suits, crisp white shirts and matching black ties, the Eagles performed nearly three hours of familiar hits, and some new songs, with the joie de vivre of a quarterly shareholders teleconference.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. The first of two nearly sold-out nights continued this second life of the famed California country rock band, which quit in 1980 but has since embarked on periodic reunion tours that have meticulously assigned every note, tone and verbal quip with strict governance. As each return has illustrated, the Eagles are committed to consistency.

For longtime fans, enthralled by music engineered as if by robotic gears, this became a golden opportunity. The Eagles, accompanied by five sidemen plus four horn players, presented their songbook as the institution it has become. "Hotel California," the highlight of the first half, was greeted because it was familiar; the band's performance did not wrest from it anything new.

Yet there is a factor that makes this latest regrouping a lot more special than previous tours: a new album, "Long Road Out of Eden" (ERC II). This meant the Eagles had new songs to play, which they did at the start of the night's two divided sets. These were built with the same architecture of past Eagles songs -- multiple harmonies, mid-tempo choruses, bittersweet worldviews -- but they lacked melodic integrity. Don Henley, one of rock's greatest lyricists, traded caustic for catatonic on acoustic dross like "Waiting in the Weeds."

For a band so famously governed at the top -- Henley and Glenn Frey -- the show might have fared better if it was the domain of guitarist Joe Walsh and lead guitarist Steuart Smith, who replaced original member Don Felder, fired in 2001. On fare like "In the City" and "Guilty of the Crime," a new song, the guitarists unhinged the band from its tight screws. Slight but thrilling, these moments helped shake up a tour that Frey earlier said could be subtitled "assisted living."

Posted at 11:32 AM in 09/24 Chicago, IL | Permalink | Comments (0)

Patty's Little Rock Photos

Posted at 11:23 AM in 09/16 Little Rock, AR | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bob V's St. Louis Photos

Bob V got some great closeups! http://eaglesfans.typepad.com/photos/bob_vs_st_louis_photos/

Posted at 11:17 AM in 09/20 St. Louis, MO | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tim's Houston Photos

Tim got these cool shots in Houston! Click to see them bigger!

Posted at 11:01 AM in 09/09 Houston, TX | Permalink | Comments (0)

Julie's Milwaukee Photos

Julie got some amazing shots in Milwaukee: http://eaglesfans.typepad.com/photos/julies_milwaukee_photos/index.html

Posted at 10:52 AM in 09/21 Milwaukee, WI | Permalink | Comments (0)

Henley Q and A (Houston Chronicle)

Can't Cut and Paste This one...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/5992391.html

Posted at 06:38 PM in 09/09 Houston, TX | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles: One Show, Two Reviews (Houston Chronicle)

The Eagles: One show, two reviews

Reviewing the legends -- like the Eagles -- can be tough business. Take Bruce Springsteen, for instance. He got a glowing review back in April that still managed to draw ire for various reasons, not the least of which was the suggestion that Springsteen wasn't immortal. One commenter suggested the format below for a review:

Why can't you just write the facts? Here is what I would like to find out from reading a concert review:
-Venue
-Opening act(if any)
-Start time
-Attendance vs Capacity
-Complete set list
-Encore set list
-Names of band members
-Discription of stage and set-up
-Show highlights
-End time
Then throw in your opinion and anything else you feel you need to add.

For you, my friend, here is an Eagles review. I hope you're reading . . .

Toyota Center
No
8:21 p.m.
19,300 vs. 19,300 (according to one venue rep)
Set list:
How Long
Busy Being Fabulous
I Don't Want to Hear Anymore
Guilty of the Crime
Hotel California
Peaceful Easy Feeling
I Can't Tell You Why
Witchy Woman
Lyin' Eyes
Boys of Summer
In the City
The Long Run
(Intermission)
No More Walks in the Wood
Waiting in the Weeds
No More Cloudy Days
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Take It to the Limit
Long Road Out of Eden
Somebody
Walk Away
One of These Nights
Life's Been Good
Dirty Laundry
Funk #49
Heartache Tonight
Life in the Fast Lane
(encore)
Take It Easy
Desperado

- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, others
- The stage was flat. There were lights. The backdrop often had video that pertained to the song at hand. So if there was a lyric about a spider, there'd be a picture of a spider.
- Highlights: Anytime Joe Walsh opened his mouth, anytime the guys harmonized, the surprising inclusion of Boys of Summer, an excellent Hotel California at the front of the set.

- 11:25 p.m.

As a bonus, here's a photo:

Bill Olive for the Chronicle

Frey and Henley: Stuck in the middle with you.

There ya go. If anybody would like to read more, click below.

Loved and loathed, the Eagles are, I believe, more than worth talking about at length. The fellow who recommended the above review format also suggested I save long-form musings for my "novel" (huh?). He can skip this part.

"We were the band that wouldn't die," Frey said two songs into the band's sold out set at the Toyota Center Tuesday, the first of two shows. And that's true. But the Eagles were MIA during some crucial years. Breaking up might have been easy to do in 1980 when the members would hardly speak to each other. In doing so, the band protected the Eagles brand. Say what you will about the Eagles, but they weren't putting out lousy, synthy albums that got ignored in the '80s and '90s. A disappearing act left their legacy in tact while also generating wanting. There's also the fact that 28,999,999 people other than me own their Greatest Hits album. And many of them had kids who heard it on road trips throughout childhood.

The crowd -- more parents than kids, but not without kids -- was one hungry baby bird.

So let's start with the loving and then get to the loathing. It's easy to see this band's appeal. The Eagles have always had an easy way with a gorgeous harmony. The show occasionally had the feeling of a guitar pull with each of the four Eagles needing a turn at the mic every few minutes. But regardless of who took the lead, the harmonies in and around the choruses continue to whisper through like a back porch breeze. Opener How Long is among the best of the songs from the band's latest, Long Road Out of Eden, a countrified stomper that could've snuggled up next to Already Gone three decades ago. The structure of the band's first set was air-tight. Each Eagle took a crack at one new one (Walsh's Guilty of the Crime was also a standout) before a trumpet solo announced a spine tingling Hotel California.

It could just be a sign that I'm getting old, but after a good 15 years or so of having rock 'n' roll thumb its nose snobbily at the notion of a guitar hero, I found the hair on my arms standing up just a little as Walsh and guitarist Stuart Smith did an old fashioned guitar duel on California's exciting and prickly outtro.

Favorites then started to fall from the sky. And it wasn't just the harmonies that sounded clear. Not all rock guys get to their sixties with their voices in tact, but all four Eagles, particularly Henley, were in fine voice. Frey's run through Peaceful Easy Feeling retained the song's beautiful melancholy. Though it felt a little odd given the band's Reservoir Dogs attire. Just as there would be no mustaches, there would be no flannel. Black coats, white shirts, black ties. Lyin' Eyes retained its sweet chorus, while Henley's Boys of Summer was a pleasant surprise. Though Henley suggested first set closer The Long Run was the band's theme song, Boys of Summer kind of fits even better: It captures that uneasy truce between nostalgia and progress.

So there are a few of the scores of reasons people love the Eagles. So why do others have such a violent dislike for them? I'm not even talking about Mojo Nixon, who's declaration about the necessity of Henley and Frey's demise was really a joke. But they're a constant target of music snobs. Obviously success makes you an easy target. Hippies have been fair game for years now, and while the Eagles were technically post-hippie, there's still something of a stoner aura about the peaceful, easy feeling days. Or could it be that people resent the fact that the band got together and made millions despite the fact that its members seemed to not get along at all.

Well as for the argument that punk rock was a reaction to the Eagles, that's fine and all, but you still need the Eagles for that to happen. If everybody sounded like the Ramones in 1975 then Bread would be the rebels. And not getting along? Well that's a time-honored rock tradition. The Eagles singers aren't siblings, but they get the sibling harmony thing down, from the singing to the squabbling.

Anyway, at the risk of getting too long winded, the second set was a little less rewarding than the first. It felt less fluid, though it followed a similar path. The band started out sitting, as they did when Hell first froze over in 1994. This batch of songs seemed to rely on the choruses for some oomph, but Take It to the Limit perked things up, though even then fans had to step up and hit the high notes at the end since nobody on stage cared to.

Things started to feel a little jarring after that, as though the band wanted to make sure its arena rock cred was confirmed. Henley's title track from Eden was a strong entry, with him cutting loose on a barbed political song. Frey's Somebody, on the other hand, felt a little shouty. By the time Henley did another solo track (Dirty Laundry) and Walsh dusted off the James Gang's Funk #49 the set had the feel of a free for all.

An encore of Take It Easy and Desperado was nicely restrained, contemplative and gorgeous.

That said the silence that followed was disappointing. Presumably the reason people sacrifice money and eardrums and babysitter money and brain cells and whatever else for these concerts -- as opposed to sitting at home and playing the hits albums -- is for the shared experience. The lights were down after Desperado and they stayed down. Admittedly this is me playing fantasy baseball here, but Seven Bridges Road, done a capella, seemed inevitable -- sort of their harmony masterpiece.

Only problem was the seats were empty and the aisles were clogged. The dark remained for several minutes and then the house lights went up. If there was more, it wasn't going to be for a 25% capacity crowd.

Still unless a set list surfaces, that's just a phantom quibble in my mind. Or maybe it'll happen Thursday. Or the next time Hell freezes over.

Posted at 06:37 PM in 09/09 Houston, TX | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Eagles Test Fans With New Hits, Classic Tunes (Dallas Morning News)

The Eagles test fans with classic hits, new tunes in Saturday show

07:45 AM CDT on Monday, September 15, 2008

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com

The Eagles are responsible for more hits than the Gambino crime family. But instead of just doling them out, one by one, they took a big risk Saturday night at American Airlines Center by playing nine songs from their latest album, Long Road Out of Eden.

JASON JANIK/Special Contributor

Joe Walsh and his bandmates took risky chances Saturday.

Most boomer bands wouldn't dare test fans with that much new material. But the wily old Eagles pulled it off, thanks to their sterling harmonies and top-notch songwriting.

Eden's title track, an angry Don Henley rant against big wigs "bloated on entitlement and loaded on propaganda," held its own with such classics as "Hotel California." "Busy Being Fabulous" was cut from the same caustic cloth as "Life in the Fast Lane."

Looking like four CEOs in their matching suits and ties, the Eagles opened the show with four new tunes in a row. But as patient as the near-capacity crowd was, fans didn't really cut loose until the parade of hits began. In a 30-song show that clocked in at three-and-a-half hours including a brief intermission, the band covered every base from "Take it Easy" and "Desperado" to a half-dozen solo hits by Mr. Henley and Joe Walsh.

The Eagles are famous, some say infamous, for replicating their hits note-for-note onstage. But they ad-libbed more than usual on Saturday, slowing down tempos and funking things up with a four-man horn section. It didn't always work, but when it did like in "Heartache Tonight," it made for a much livelier show than the band's AAC concerts in 2001 and 2003.

The band rehashed several jokes from past tours. Glenn Frey's quip about "Take It to the Limit" being his wife's credit-card motto is getting old, as is Mr. Walsh's helmet camera during "Life's Been Good."

Also Online

Blog: Did you see The Eagles at AAC? Tell us about it.

But Mr. Frey did come up with a few good new ones. He said "Lyin' Eyes" "has a lot of meaning in D-FW" – a jab, perhaps, at ex-Carrolton mayor Becky Miller, who got in hot water this year for claiming she was once engaged to Mr. Henley (she wasn't).

And he dubbed the show part of "The Eagles' Assisted Living Tour," saying "We are the Eagles, the band that wouldn't die." Like cockroaches and Keith Richards, the Eagles are apparently on this earth for the long run.

Posted at 06:33 PM in 09/14 Dallas, TX | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Blogger's Review

From Focused Distortion:

The Eagles
Alltel Arena
North Little Rock, AR
9/16/2008

The legendary California country-rock band, which still features Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, came rolling back into town for the first time in years on the strength of a recently released the double-album, Long Road Out of Eden, the first album of new material since 1979's The Long Run. Do they still have it? Well, the faces look a bit older, the hair is thinner and they dress a bit more like they're going to the old folks home to pick up dates but musically and vocally... it's the same as it ever was.

People come to an Eagles show to hear classics, and they want to hear them played like they remember them. The Eagles know that and that's what they deliver, with the occasional offshoot into the current CD. A little something old, a little something new... makes for a nice 3-hour night of music.

It's a bit odd for me to look around and notice that I'm probably one of the younger people in the crowd for a change. I'm used to being at shows like Korn or some other equally loud and obnoxious metal band and I've sort of become used to being the NARC guy, or in the oldest range. This time it's a much older crowd for sure, but there still are quite a few younger fans as well. I actually sat next to a young lady in her late 20s who was there with her mother and her mother's mother. They all 3 sang along to the majority of the hits. How cool is that? That's the Eagles I guess, they've touched many generations. Also as a note... there wasn't any moshing or crowd surfing. Probably be a lot of backs thrown out if that did happen to break out.

8:16 PM... The lights go down and out comes the band in suits and ties with white shirts, while the back-up band (which consisted of anywhere from 4-8 guys at times) was dressed the same except they had on black shirts. Seemed a bit odd at first to see the 4 old guys in the same outfits, sort of like N'Sync might look at the nursing home, but they did look sharp at least. The stage is large with a huge screen behind it in a circular shape and 2 wide screens to the sides.

As the spotlights hit center stage and the 4 members of the Eagles are standing there, all with guitars in their hands, they start the set with How Long, from the new CD. The vocals sound fantastic and the harmonies are amazingly clear and beautiful. It's really a perfect song to start with for these reasons plus the guys take turns on lead vocals, so it's a pretty good starter all around. They didn't just start the set with 1 song from the new CD though, they played 4 right in a row.

* How Long
* Busy Being Fabulous (lead vocals Don)
* Don't Want To Hear Anymore (lead vocals Timothy)
* Guilty of the Crime (lead vocals Joe)

The songs were well received as each guy took his turn on the mic and the crowd was warmed up and ready for some Eagles classics by this point, and they begin to deliver. The opening chords of Hotel California hit and the place goes wild as the cover to the album lights up the big screen behind the stage. Don Henley is now sitting at the drum kit, not missing a beat as he does spot on vocals to the first classic of the night.

* Hotel California
* Peaceful Easy Feeling
* I Can't Tell You Why
* Already Gone
* Witchy Woman
* Lyin' Eyes
* The Boys of Summer (Don's solo work)
* In The City
* The Long Run

At this point they take an intermission for about 20 minutes. They come back out to the opening music for No More Walks In The Woods, from the new CD. It's another song that has a lot of great harmonies, and at this point the 4 members are sitting in chairs playing acoustic guitars. They do a short all-acoustic set that include new stuff and some great sing-a-longs.

* No More Walks In The Woods
* Waiting in the Weeds
* No More Cloudy Days
* Love Will Keep Us Alive
* Take It To the Limit

Take It To The Limit easily gets the biggest, loudest sing-a-long of the night going as it seemed the entire arena of 15,000+ was singing right along with them. By this point as they're playing songs the video screens to the sides are of course showing the band from many angles. The video screen behind them is showing clips of all sorts of stuff in relation to whatever song they're playing. It's a pretty good show all around with all this going on in addition to just the great music.

The chairs are removed and guitars plugged back in and they play a long version of the political Long Road Out Of Eden song while showing lots of imagery on the screen. They're starting to pick up the pace a bit and the place is beginning to jump.

* Long Road Out of Eden
* Somebody
* Walk Away (James Gang)
* One of These Nights
* Life's Been Good (Joe's solo work)
* Dirty Laundry (Don's solo work)
* Funk #49 (James Gang)
* Heartache Tonight

Oddly, the James Gang song Walk Away probably got the crowd fired up more than any. When Joe hit that opening riff it was like somebody spiked the Geritol as people we dancing in the aisles and their seats. Most of the guys in the band are very competent musicians still, but Joe Walsh seems a notch above with his still very solid guitar skills. Throughout the night he rips into some great solo and plays with a lot of heart. He still can rock, which surprised me a bit. During a great version of Life's Been Good, he dons a hat-cam and shows the audience from his point of view on the big screen and has some fun.

After a short break, as the crowd was going bananas for an encore, they finally rewarded us as they returned with the high energy crowd pleaser Life In the Fast Lane before finally having Don stand center stage, back in full suit and jacket, and do a heartfelt version of Desperado that had ever single person in there singing along enough to make Elaine Benes proud.

* Life In The Fast Lane
* Desperado

11:26 PM.... 3 hours and 10 minutes after we first saw them take stage.

Helluva great show from some old dudes who can still really entertain a crowd and have a great catalog to choose from. There's not a lot of banter with the audience, it's pretty much just one song after another. They do introduce the band and make a few quips here and there, but it's minimal.

Maybe I missed a few songs here there, hell I don't know and I don't have a photographic memory. I do know they didn't play New Kid In Town or Tequila Sunrise, both which I'd loved to have heard. But that's just being greedy now. Hell we got 2 James Gang songs, a Joe Walsh solo track, 2 of Henley's solo tracks and 8 tracks off the new CD in addition to all the classics. That's enough to fill the 3 hour 15 minute set easily.

Posted at 06:31 PM in 09/16 Little Rock, AR | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tennessean Photo Gallery

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=DN&Dato=20080918&Kategori=TUNEIN&Lopenr=809190801&Ref=PH

Posted at 06:28 PM in 09/18 Nashville, TN | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles Deliver Solid Set At Sommet (Tennessean Review)

Head to the actual newspaper site to read the comments to this article. Apparently, some folks thought the band was lipsyncing. That doesn't go away in Nashville, does it?

Eagles deliver solid set at Sommet

By DAVE PAULSON • Staff Writer • September 19, 2008

"Check your ticket stubs," Glenn Frey of country-rock kings the Eagles told the crowd at their concert at the Sommet Center in Nashville Thursday night. "This is the Eagles 'Assisted Living' tour, and we're the Eagles - the band that wouldn't die."

Frey's self-deprecating cracks at his aging band only made the precision and stamina on display during their three-hour set all the more impressive. You could to set your watch to the well-rehearsed proceedings, sure, but the band delivered everything with finesse, power and class.

The Eagles have been touring this year in support of Long Road out of Eden - their first full studio album in 28 years - and they didn't waste any time reminding their audience of that fact. The first four songs of the band's set were from Eden, each featuring a different member on lead vocals: Frey, drummer/guitarist Don Henley, guitarist Joe Walsh and bassist Timothy B. Schmit.

While each singer held his own with the arena crowd, the most powerful moments in those first tunes came when the band's rich, unmistakable harmonies swelled to the forefront, almost as crisp and strong as those immortalized on their albums.

For a band whose history of hard-living is the stuff of rock legend, The Eagles - with three of the four members now in their sixties - remain in remarkable shape. If Frey, Henley and company didn't look quite the same as fans remember, they certainly sound like it. The heaviest hits - even the frantic "Life in the Fast Lane" - were kept in their original key at the original speed, and the band didn't miss a beat.

They soon rewarded the audience's patience through the Eden set by launching into signature tune "Hotel California," with Henley at ease in a high register and Walsh nailing the epic guitar solo.

While the Eagles have precision in spades, they're fairly static performers. Their Nashville set was song-for-song the same one they've played since starting the U.S. Eden tour in May (though Nashville did not receive a second encore, unlike other cities).

It's hard not to contrast that with Bruce Springsteen's acclaimed concert at Sommet last month, filled with surprises and spur-of-the-moment song choices. The Eagles, on the other hand, all took off their matching suit jackets at the same point in the show. The members seemed casually choreographed at points, coming in tight to trade guitar solos and sharing microphones for harmonies in all the right spots.

Still, the band came off as sincere, even charming. Walsh, in particular, was destined to steal the show, mugging for the crowd and even wearing a "helmet cam" to film the audience while performing his solo staple "Life's Been Good."

The set lost some steam following an intermission - particularly with a seemingly endless rendition of Eden's title track - but eventually picked up, closing with a string of the band's toughest tunes: "Funk #49" by Walsh's old group James Gang and "Lane" among them.

The band returned for a two-song encore of "Take It Easy" and "Desperado," which was a fitting end to a concert with few surprises but plenty of rewards.

"We read the story of the tortoise and hare," Henley told the crowd before the intermission. "And we decided a long time ago that it would be better to be the tortoise. We're still here. You're still here."

SETLIST

“How Long”

“Too Busy Being Fabulous”

“I Don’t Want To Hear Anymore”

“Guilty Of The Crime”

“Hotel California”

“Peaceful Easy Feeling”

“I Can't Tell You Why”

“Witchy Woman”

“Lyin' Eyes”

“Boys of Summer”

“In the City”

“Long Run”

INTERMISSION

“No More Walks In The Woods”

“Waiting in the Weeds”

“No More Cloudy Days”

“Love Will Keep Us Alive”

“Take It To The Limit”

“Long Road Out of Eden”

“Somebody”

“Walk Away”

“One Of These Nights”

“Life’s Been Good”

“Dirty Laundry”

"Funk #49”

“Heartache Tonight”

“Life in the Fast Lane”

ENCORE

“Take It Easy”

“Desperado”

Posted at 06:26 PM in 09/18 Nashville, TN | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hershey, PA

Eagles will be playing at the Giant Center @ Hershey Park on November 23rd. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Use the comment link below to leave your review after the show.

Posted at 06:23 PM in 11/23 Hershey, PA | Permalink | Comments (0)

Philadelphia, PA

Eagles will be back at the Wachovia Center on November 25th. Use the comment button below to post your reviews after the show. Tickets are available from Comcast Tickets and the venue website.

Posted at 06:21 PM in 11/25 Philadelphia, PA | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles May Have Aged, But Songs Are Ageless (Tennessean Review)

Review: Eagles may have aged, but songs are ageless

By DAVE PAULSON
Staff Writer

"Check your ticket stubs," Glenn Frey of country-rock kings the Eagles told the crowd at their Nashville concert on Thursday night. "This is the Eagles 'Assisted Living' tour, and we're the Eagles — the band that wouldn't die."

Frey's self-deprecating cracks at his aging band only made the precision and stamina on display during their three-hour set all the more impressive. You could set your watch to the well-rehearsed proceedings, sure, but the band delivered everything with finesse, power and class.

The Eagles have been touring this year in support of Long Road Out of Eden — their first full studio album in 28 years — and they didn't waste any time reminding their audience of that fact. The first four songs of the band's set were from Eden, each featuring a different member on lead vocals: Frey, drummer/guitarist Don Henley, guitarist Joe Walsh and bassist Timothy B. Schmit.

Each singer held his own with the Sommet Center crowd, but the most powerful moments in those first tunes came when the band's rich, unmistakable harmonies swelled to the forefront, almost as crisp and strong as those immortalized on their albums.

For a band whose history of hard living is the stuff of rock legend, the Eagles — with three of the four members now in their 60s — remain in remarkable shape. If Frey, Henley and company didn't look quite the same as fans remember, they certainly sound like it. The heaviest hits — even the frantic "Life in the Fast Lane" — were kept in their original keys at the original speeds, and the band didn't miss a beat.

Audience was rewarded

They soon rewarded the audience's patience through the Eden set by launching into signature tune "Hotel California," with Henley at ease in a high register and Walsh nailing the epic guitar solo.

While the Eagles have precision in spades, they're fairly static performers. Their Nashville set was song-for-song the same one they've played since starting the U.S. Eden tour in May (though Nashville did not receive a second encore, unlike other cities).

It's hard not to contrast that with Bruce Springsteen's acclaimed concert at Sommet last month, filled with surprises and spur-of-the-moment song choices. The Eagles, on the other hand, all took off their matching suit jackets at the same point in the show. The members seemed casually choreographed at points, coming in tight to trade guitar solos and sharing microphones for harmonies in all the right spots.

Still, the band came off as sincere, even charming. Walsh, in particular, was destined to steal the show, mugging for the crowd and even wearing a "helmet cam" to film the audience while performing his solo staple "Life's Been Good."

The set lost some steam after an intermission — particularly with a seemingly endless rendition of Eden's title track — but eventually picked up,
closing with a string of the band's toughest tunes: "Funk #49" by Walsh's old group James Gang and "Life in the Fast Lane" among them.

The band returned for an encore of "Take It Easy" and "Desperado," which was a fitting end to a concert with few surprises but many rewards.

"We read the story of the tortoise and hare," Henley told the crowd before the intermission. "And we decided a long time ago that it would be better to be the tortoise. We're still here. You're still here."

Posted at 10:27 PM in 09/18 Nashville, TN | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue Pisces Milwaukee Photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluepisces/2880968094/

Posted at 10:25 PM in 09/21 Milwaukee, WI | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles Still Exude Peaceful Easy Feeling (Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)

Eagles still exude that peaceful, easy feeling

By DAVE TIANEN
dtianen@journalsentinel.com

Posted: Sept. 21, 2008

It’s been a long road to “Long Road Out of Eden.”

It took 28 years for the reunited Eagles to come up with a new album of fresh material — last year’s “Long Road Out of Eden.” So when the “Eden” road show made its way to the Bradley Center on Sunday night, it was not surprising that the band came pushing the new stuff.

The first four tunes — “How Long,” “Busy Being Fabulous,” “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More” and “Guilty of the Crime” — were all off the 2007 double-disc set.

The good news about “Eden” is it was almost worth the wait. It certainly doesn’t reinvent the Eagles for a not-so-new century, but it does build logically upon past triumphs. “Busy Being Fabulous,” for instance, comes from the same well of betrayal as “Lyin’ Eyes,” another tale of a faithless looker trading on her sexual currency. “How Long” is a breezy rocker in the tradition of “Take It Easy” or “The Long Run.”

Of course, any time a band with the imposing history of the Eagles opens a set with four new tunes, they’re putting their audience through a kind of loyalty test. To their credit, the Bradley Center crowd passed muster, greeting the new stuff receptively. Of course, they also reserved their first standing ovation for the first oldie: “Hotel California.”

One of the interesting things about the Eagles — and that song catches it perfectly — is that they chronicled the decadence of West Coast affluence from the inside. They’re standing in judgment, but they also have a place at the inn.

Shortly after coming on, Glenn Frey introduced the show as The Eagles Assisted Living Tour. As it is, time has touched them lightly. For one thing, they were never exactly a high-energy stage extravaganza, and a few of the harder-hitting oldies like “Already Gone,” have left the set list.

What the Eagles did was create the template for the easy-flowing country rock that made people like Kenny Chesney possible. That comes across vividly now in a harmony piece like “Peaceful, Easy Feeling.”

This wasn’t the best Eagles concert I’ve seen. It didn’t have the sense of renewal and excitement that accompanied their first reunion tour. But it did have the comfort of old friends getting back together.

More importantly, it was built on the foundation of an amazing array of hits that have aged gracefully — tunes like “Take It to the Limit,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Witchy Woman” and “Lyin’ Eyes.”

In popular music, it usually comes down to the songs. Given the musical arsenal that the Eagles have at hand, they are almost a fail-safe proposition.

Deadlines made it impossible to catch the Eagles’ entire set.

Posted at 10:23 PM in 09/21 Milwaukee, WI | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles Prove They're Still Soaring (STL Post Dispatch)

Eagles prove they're still soaring

By Terry Perkins

SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH

Monday, Sep. 22 2008

For a band that followed up its huge success with a string of platinum-selling
albums in the 1970s by breaking up in the early 1980s, the Eagles are doing
just fine, thank you.

The band's concert at Scottrade Center on Saturday evening was packed with
rabid, adoring fans of the group's '70s hits. And the core group of Don Henley,
Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmidt and Joe Walsh delivered those hits with
unquestioned authority.

In the course of a three hour-plus, two-set performance, the band played more
than a dozen of their most memorable hits, with a nicely crafted balance of
tunes from their early, country rock beginnings to the elaborately produced
sound of later albums such as "Hotel California" and "The Long Run."

Each set also kicked off with a healthy dose of tunes from the band's latest
double CD, "Long Road From Eden." And on new songs, such as "Too Busy Being
Fabulous," "Waiting In the Weeds" and "No More Cloudy Days," the group proved
it still possesses a knack for cranking out tunes that fit precisely into the
Eagles formula — well-crafted lyrics built on soaring vocal harmonies and
bolstered by a barrage of strummed guitars.

Henley, Frey, Schmidt — and for the most part, Walsh — certainly delivered
those familiar, rich harmonies on "Hotel California," "Lyin' Eyes," "I Can't
Tell You Why," "Take It to the Limit," "Desperado," "Take It Easy" and other
hits throughout the evening.

There were nods to the solo efforts of Henley and especially Walsh throughout
the concert as well. Henley's 1984 hit, "Boys of Summer," was clearly a
highlight of the first set. And Walsh had plenty of opportunity to showcase his
guitar prowess on early James Gang and solo hits such "Funk 49" and "Life's
Been Good" — although the use of a "hat cam" to show shots of the crowd on the
big screens was a bit contrived.

The band had plenty of musical help cranking out its hits. The four Eagles were
backed by 10 additional musicians, including three keyboard players, a
four-piece horn section, two percussionists and especially guitarist Steuart
Smith, who joined the Eagles on the front line and cranked out an unending
stream of concise solos.

One jarring note. For a band that started out wearing faded jeans and flannel
shirts, it was more than a little odd to see Henley, Frey, Schmidt and Walsh
take the stage in black suits, white shirts and black ties. Maybe it's a
tribute to corporate bands — who are known to cover quite a few Eagles tunes.
Or perhaps its a homage to the Eagles accountants, who will certainly be kept
busy counting the proceeds from this current tour.

Whatever the suits meant, it's obvious that the Eagles still have plenty of
meaning for the dedicated fans who relished every note of the band's
performance at Scottrade.

Posted at 10:21 PM in 09/20 St. Louis, MO | Permalink | Comments (0)

St. Louis Review (Riverfront Times)

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September 30, 2008

September 28, 2008

The Eagles: Life's been good

Joe Walsh injects fun, energy into staid Eagles concert

Reunited Eagles could use bailout

CONCERT REVIEW | Guitarists shake up performance that's on the brink

September 24, 2008

The Eagles: One show, two reviews

The Eagles test fans with classic hits, new tunes in Saturday show

07:45 AM CDT on Monday, September 15, 2008

Eagles deliver solid set at Sommet

September 23, 2008

Eagles still exude that peaceful, easy feeling

By DAVE TIANENdtianen@journalsentinel.com

Posted: Sept. 21, 2008

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