This blog is an archive of all of Don's solo shows from 2004-2005. If you click on the dates to the right, you'll be able to access newspaper previews, reviews and interviews. There are also a ton of fan reviews. Thanks to all who helped cover this tour. It's not too late either...you can still add your comments and reviews.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, MS on July 1st. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Beau Rivage Casino on July 2nd. Tickets are available from the casino. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Casino Rama on July 7th. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Foxwoods Casino on July 10th. Tickets are available from the casino. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Soaring Eagle Casino on July 6th. Tickets are available from tickets.com and starticketsplus.com. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Mizner Amphitheatre on June 28th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Chastain Amphitheatre on June 30th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at Harrah's Casino on July 4th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Borgata Casino on July 9th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at Ravinia on July 12th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don will be appearing at the Embarcadero Marina Park South on July 25th as part of the Bayside Concert Series. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Orange County Fair on July 29th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Ruth Eckard Hall on June 26th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Dodge Theater on July 27th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 31st. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Mountani Winery on August 3rd. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the St. Michele Winery on August 5th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Maryhill Winery on August 6th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don will be appearing at the Star of the Desert Arena in Jean, NV on July 24th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets.
Don Henley will be appearing in Kelona, British Columbia on August 8th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets for this show. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing in Calgary, Alberta on August 9th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets for this show. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing in Anchorage, Alaska on August 13th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets for this show. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing in Fairbanks, Alaska on August 14th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets for this show. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on August 29th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets for this show. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Flying solo
After four years of touring with the reunited Eagles, Don Henley just wants to be himself for a while, starting with a concert tonight in Clearwater.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published June 26, 2004
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Don Henley hasn't recorded new material in four years, but that doesn't mean he has been sitting around doing nothing.
He has toured the past four years with the Eagles, to rave reviews from fans. As a founding member of the Recording Artists Coalition, he has lobbied government officials about the threat of music industry and broadcast monopolies to artists; in February, the Washington Post published an article he wrote on the subject. He has raised money for environmental organizations he founded. He is working to restore historic buildings in the small Texas town where he grew up.
Today, he begins a two-month solo tour with a concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.
Why tour after finishing 13 gigs with the Eagles in May when he's not trying to sell an album?
"I want to work some more. I want to do some of my solo stuff. I want to not be an Eagle for a while," Henley said this week by telephone from his home near Dallas.
Henley also said he wants to perform while the performing's still good.
"I don't know how much longer this is going to go on," he said. "I'm going to be 57 years old next month. I don't want to be doing this into my geriatric years.
"Right now, I'm healthy, I'm in very good shape, and I want to go out and play."
A portion of proceeds from ticket sales goes to the Walden Woods Project, an organization he founded in the mid 1980s to protect the place in Massachusetts where Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, which contains the author's now-famous theories on conservation.
Henley also established the Caddo Lake Institute in 1993 to preserve 30,000 acres of wetlands on the Texas-Louisiana border surrounding a lake near his hometown of Gilmer, Texas.
Henley said all the lobbying and fundraising makes him feel like the people he loves to skewer in his songs.
"I'm just like politicians who don't have time to do their jobs because they're always out fundraising for the next election," he said.
Henley declined to talk about politics.
"I have a lot of opinions and a lot of information," he said. "I subscribe to almost every political publication, even some very right wing publications."
But, he said, he'd rather not make anyone angry right now.
Two of his classic songs have become particularly relevant in the past year. Pop-punkers the Ataris last year made The Boys of Summer a hit single for the second time. And with the death of Ronald Reagan, fans remembered that Henley referred to the former president as "this tired old man that we elected king" in his poignant The End of the Innocence.
"People are still attracted to myth and illusion in this country. That's why they go to the movies," Henley said. "Ronald Reagan and the people around him were very good at bringing the Hollywood illusion to the public, and the public bought it, hook, line and sinker."
Don Henley performs at 8 tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. Tickets are $70.50-$90.50. (727) 791-7400 or toll-free 1-800-875-8682.
Don will be appearing at the FleetBoston Pavilion on September 1st. Tickets go on sale July 9th.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published June 27, 2004
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CLEARWATER - Don Henley kicked off his summer solo tour at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Saturday with a career retrospective focusing largely on his work without his Eagles bandmates.
Henley, who handles drumming duties for the Eagles, spent the show at center stage, armed only with a guitar, microphone or tambourine. His slightly raspy voice was in top form, ranging from smooth to sweet to soulful.
Dressed in an untucked plaid shirt and drab olive pants, Henley started out with Dirty Laundry, bringing the 2,100-plus fans in the soldout theater to their feet.
After three solo tunes, a fan yelled out a request for Hotel California, and he answered: "Let me take care of this right now. Do you really think I'm going to do a concert and not do Hotel California?"
He did, however, make the crowd wait until the end before performing the 1970s classic, along with Life in the Fast Lane.
On the way there, he unleashed a slew of solo hits true to their recorded versions: Sunset Grill, his paeon to small towns; The End of the Innocence, an anthem to disillusionment; and Heart of the Matter, a romantic ballad that dissects the emotions that linger after a relationship ends.
Halfway through the set, Henley covered two songs by Paul Simon and Randy Newman, who he said were a couple of his favorite songwriters. Before playing Newman's Political Science, a campy number that proposes blowing up every country on earth except Australia, which would be turned into a theme park, he said, "I like to envision this as a duet by Bush and Cheney . . . Broadway style, with top hats and canes."
He followed that with Simon's American Tune, which laments the crushing of American idealism.
There were no surprises in this show. The band, featuring Stuart Smith on guitar, who also toured with Eagles, and Rob Ladd on drums, displayed the polished musicianship and perfectly blended backing harmonies one would expect to accompany an artist of Henley's stature.
And Henley gave the people what they wanted: reliable readings of numbers they knew and could sing along with.
Quirky folk guitarist Jill Sobule, promoting her new album, The Folk Years, opened the show with a 20-minute. She clearly won over the audience, most of whom seemed unfamiliar with her, with her sweet-voiced love songs that alternated between achingly tender, goofy and vicious.
Don started his summer tour in Clearwater, Florida tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall, which has some of the best acoustics in the country. He was in a good mood, joking with the crowd all night long. At the beginning of the show some guy kept screaming for Hotel California and Don said, “let me take care of this right now. Do you think I’d ever do a concert without Hotel California?”
The set list was as follows. Just might not be in the exact order, since we wrote it on the back of the ticket and writing in the dark isn’t so easy.
Dirty Laundry
Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat
Everything Is Different Now
Sunset Grill
Taking You Home
Said he brought his son with him on this tour and that he was in Orlando “riding everything over there”. Said his wife was crying one night when Will was playing the drums and said she was upset because he was so good and he was going to be in the music business and women would be throwing themselves all over him, to which Don said, “works for me”. Then quickly changed it to “wrong tense, I meant worked.”
Witchy Woman
New York Minute
Last Worthless Evening
I’ll Be ______ Lovin’ You
Before this song commented on Ray Charles and how bad the music they called country these days was. How the “hat acts” hadn’t been as close to the rear end of a horse as him. Some lady in the audience said he looked like a cowboy in his western shirt. He said he looked more like a cross between a cowboy and some military crap. Said he’d been considering doing a country blues album for some time.
Political Science
Said he envisioned this song as a duet with Bush and Cheney. It was written by Randy Newman and talks about dropping bombs on the rest of the world and making them American.
So Far From Home ?
By Paul Simon
Boys of Summer
Life in the Fast Lane
End of the Innocence
Kind of acoustic with Steuart playing some little instrument, didn’t really look like a mandolin.
All She Wants to Do Is Dance
I Will Not Go Quietly
Hotel California
My Thanksgiving.
No Desperado!!! Before My Thanksgiving, he introduced the band and said they were “all good fellers. Because when you’ve been on the road for 40 years you don’t travel with assholes.” Then said, “well, maybe, never mind”. Wonder who he meant?
We were so happy that Scott Crago was the drummer this time. The rest of the band was Steuart Smith, Mike Thompson, Will Hollis, Lance (bass player) and Frank Simes.
Definitely one of Don’s best solo performances!
Jamie & Tressa
By Charles Passy, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
It's a wise artist who knows the subtle difference between singing a song and placing yourself within it.
To accomplish the former, all you need is a set of chops. To accomplish the latter, you need to wrestle with the entire context -- words, music, the arrangement -- and understand that the song is larger than the singer.
Judging from his Monday night performance at Mizner Park Amphitheatre, Don Henley is a very, very wise artist. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's got a great catalog at his disposal -- songs from both his time with the Eagles (Life in the Fast Lane and Hotel California) and his solo career (Sunset Grill, In a New York Minute, The End of the Innocence and The Boys of Summer).
And it doesn't hurt that Henley's voice -- a pliable, country-meets-rock tenor with a perfect hint of falsetto -- is an expressive tool all by itself. At 56, Henley keeps it in remarkably limber shape; he sounded even stronger than when he appeared in South Florida with the Eagles a year ago.
But what came across throughout Henley's 90-minute-plus set was how he kept that voice in check, working carefully in tandem with a band of smart, veteran sidemen (too bad they weren't credited). Henley didn't show off -- at least not by conventional classic-rock, pedal-to-the-metal standards.
What Henley offered instead of sizzle was a potent seriousness. He put his interpretive skills to the test, letting his songs -- even the lightweight ones such as All She Wants to Do Is Dance -- emerge from the shadows and grab a listener almost by surprise.
A case in point: Sunset Grill. Henley made you realize the song is not about a burger joint. It's about a sense of time and place, a California of a bygone era. But the highlight of the evening turned out to be a segment devoted to what Henley referred to as "O.P.S." -- that is, Other People's Songs. For an artist known for his firm liberal beliefs, Henley let the music do the talking on this night, singing a trio of tunes -- by Leonard Cohen (Everybody Knows), Randy Newman (Political Science) and Paul Simon (American Tune) -- that offered a different view of America. More hopeful in one sense, more grounded in another.
When Henley followed that with his own The Boys of Summer, it was easy to hear that song in a political light as well -- a tune about staying true to a cause and waiting for those conservative "boys" to finish their desperate run. Perhaps it's a reach, but Henley's not one to toss out a number casually.
And when Henley finally wrapped things up on a note of nostalgia -- with Hotel California -- he seemed more determined than when the evening started. By the song's end, Henley was shaking a set of maracas -- he's a percussionist, after all -- fiercely working the song's Spanish-flavored rhythms, a man contentedly living inside the music.
Don will be appearing at the Jerome Duncan Ford Theatre in Sterling Heights, MI (Detroit) on August 26th. Ticketmaster is handling the tickets. If you have questions, want to hook up with other fans attending the show or post a review, just hit the comments button below this post.
I spent 2 hours in heaven yesterday evening - sitting in the 4th row of the theatre at Casino Rama (Orillia, Ontario) watching Don Henley in concert. I had seen the Eagles in Toronto last October, but this was my first Henley concert. To say he was awesome doesn't come close - the man is amazing.
Although a little hoarse when speaking, his singing voice was still strong, with that range from sweet to raspy to soulful. It's possible that the hoarseness made his raspiness even better!
After singing Everything is Different Now, he said "That song is about getting married - everyone's done that once or twice right?" Someone yelled out "Yeah, and got divorced too!" Don laughed and said, "We'll save that one for later!" He introduced Taking You Home as the song he wrote when his daughter was born. He said "She's now 8 1/2 going on 31"!
Before singing Witchy Woman (great song!) he explained how he'd written it in a fever-induced delirium. He also told the story behind Sunset Grill and how he's upset with the new owner for still using his name. He said, "So if you're ever in L.A. - don't go there!"
He only did one cover (or OPS - other people's songs - as he calls them) Political Science by Randy Newman - he said to imagine the Bush/Cheney duet "if you can stand it"! The crowd went crazy when he sang "And Canada's too cold" and appreciated his cabaret-style leg kicks towards the end of the song!
At the end, he thanked everyone and said "Take care, and be nice to each other", took a rose from a girl in the audience, waved to the crowd and left the stage.
My memories of that night will stay with me forever. I feel very privileged to have been there, mere feet from this rock legend, to hear him sing all his hits and more. Thanks Don - you were awesome!
The Beach Boys return to Tunica next week, performing 8 p.m. Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday at Horseshoe. Tickets are $35 and $40. For details call 525-1515 or (800) 303-SHOE, or check online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.horseshoe.com.
Eco-rock star Don Henley is flying in a comfort zone reserved for swan songs and cable TV concert specials.
No one's saying he won't be back for countless more tours -- both solo and with the Eagles -- but Henley's brimming concert last Thursday at Horseshoe felt like an episode of "VH1 Storytellers."
Don, dressed in his Eddie Bauer lumberjack plaid and drab olive cargo pants, mingled personal zingers and political salvos among the myriad platinum and gold nuggets from his catalog.
Henley's well-earned reputation for professionalism was evident in his voice. A country-battered rock and roll tenor with a dash of falsetto soul, he hasn't switched over to the gravely sounds so many of his contemporaries sound like.
Henley, who hasn't had a new solo album out in a few years, tapped into his band's repertoire with songs like "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Hotel California."
Henley lauded Ray Charles in a song "Too Far Gone" (which he rightly dedicated to many in the adoring crowd), and criticized country radio before launching into "Desperado."
"The Boys of Summer," "Sunset Grill," "In a New York Minute," "The End of the Innocence," "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," (with fake horn section) were all included, as was the politically charged Randy Newman number "Political Science."
Saw Henley's show at the Borgata last night and I gotta tell ya that THE MAN is the best darn singer out there today. He absolutely nailed every song and, furthermore, he certainly was in a "chatty" mood last night. I'll try to tell you as much as I can remember but I know I'm gonna forget some stuff because he had so very much to say. I've seen him in concert many times before but last night was definitely the most talkative I've ever seen him. OK, here goes.......1st I'll mention the band, tho not by individual names because that has been done by other reviewers already. Let me just say that they were fantastic also & that Stuart Smith was particulary fantastic on "Hotel California"----other than Don Felder, Stuart does absolutely the best job on HC than anyone else I have ever heard play it. I've heard some bad versions of HC in my day, but Stuart knows how to do it right, thank heavens. OK, now for the "fashion mavens" out there, let me say that Don looked really relaxed in that tan plaid shirt that he has been photoed wearing several times during the tour (I wonder who is doing the laundry, I know that I WOULD VOLUNTEER FOR THE JOB IN A MINUTE IF I KNEW WHERE TO APPLY). He was wearing a pair of great looking blue jeans and, of course, those same old brown boots. I've been going to Henley concerts for over 10 years and he has been wearing those same brown boots for the whole time, I'm figuring they have been worn so much now that they could get up and dance off the stage by themselves by now. Anyway, on to the setlist, because it seems to have changed a bit since the early concerts of the tour:
1. Dirty Laundry----at 8:15 Don came on stage and started the audience rockin with DL, there was no warm-up act which suited me just fine because, when I come to see Henley, I only want to see Henley. He is, after all, THE COOLEST MAN ALIVE!!!!
2. Everybody Knows----Don might have said something after this one, but I don't remember what it was.
3. Everything Is Different Now---Don't remember what was said here either.
4. Sit Down Your Rockin the Boat----Alot of chatter was going on among the band members, but Don didn't make any comments to the audience.
5. Sunset Grill---OK, this is where Don REALLY started to talk up a storm. He said that SG was about a real place in LA where the owner (I believe that he said that his name was "Joe") really cared about his customers and made an attempt to call them all by name. Don said that we need more places like that today and that it is really a shame that, when a person goes to a store or eatery today, that the people who wait on you don't seem to really care about the customers. In fact, they act like it is a pain in the butt to wait on the customer. Oftentimes, the workers would rather talk among themselves and they act like it is an inconvenience to stop their conversations to actually wait on the customer. Don also said that one of his true loves is a really good burger and that Joe made a great one. He said that Joe didn't use swiss or chedder on his burgers but that he would just cut off a big chunk of Velveeta & slap it on the burger. Don said that he really misses that old Sunset Grill and that it has been torn down and a new "glitzy" Sunset Grill was built on the same site. Don said that if anyone goes to LA to not bother going to the Sunset Grill now because its not a very good place to eat.
6. Witchy Woman ( I LOVED this one because it isn't usually done, in fact, I've been to about 15 Eagles concerts & arount 10 Henley concerts and I don't believe I've ever heard it done before). Let me tell your, DON NAILED THIS ONE----I am in absolute awe of the man. How the heck can he hit those high notes that sound like they could shatter glass. Gosh, his voice is still crystal clear, ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!! ---Don really talked alot about this one. He started out by saying that it was one of the first songs that he & Glenn wrote together and that he (Don) got the idea for WW while he was sick with the flu. He said that WW was a cross between Zelda Fitzgerald and several women he had met at bars in LA. He said that witchcraft was popular at the time and several women he met were practicing the craft. He had met several ladies who, at various times, invited him back to their homes because they claimed they had potions made of special herbs & spices that could cure "whatever ailed you". Don said that he was suffering with a bad back at the time and, thus, told them "Yeah, I'll go home with you and see if you can cure my back". He didn't say whether the cures worked or not but he did give the impression that he rather enjoyed going home with those "Witchey Women". I figure that he must have since he wrote a song about them.
7. New York Minute----No comments from Don on this one.
8. Last Worthless Evening----This was a crowd pleaser and I believe this is the first song where he got a standing ovation afterwards. Let me say here also that it was almost a sell-out crowd and that Don had said early in the concert that he was glad to be visiting the Borgata for the first time.
9. Heart of the Matter---Oh my golly-gee, THIS IS MY FAVORITE HENLEY SONG and he sung it beautifully last night. From the reaction around me, I'm not the only one who loves it, there were about 10 or 12 of us who sang the whole song right along with Don, just an absolutely beautiful song that I'll never tire of hearing, so very beautiful.
10. Political Science---Don said that he didn't often do other peoples songs but that this song by Randy Newman just made him thing so much of Pres. Bush and V.P. Cheney that it made him chuckle everytime he sang it. Don said that he could picture them doing it in top hat and tails with each talking turns singing parts of it. The song has a really bouncy tune but the message is quite clear that it is a song about how certain political people are out to dominate the world. I, for one, was really glad that Don did this one because several of the "hard core" Republicans in the audience must have taken offense to this one and got up in the middle of it and stormed out. Thus, I got to move up from my 10th row seat to a 3rd row aisle seat---FANTASTIC VIEW OF MY MAN DON FROM THE 3RD ROW!!!! During the song, Don started doing the Can-can, really funny to watch, Mr Henley sure is loosening up in his "mature years"----a beautiful thing!!!
11. Boys of Summer----Another crowd pleaser.
12. Life in the Fastlane---The house REALLY started rockin on this one. The crowd seemed to range from mid 20's ish to mid 50's ish and this song got everybody up on their feet and some mean dancin was goin on I wanna tell ya.
13. End of the Innocence---Don might of said something here, too, but I don't remember because I was "winded" from all that dancing on LITF.
14. All She Wants To Do Is Dance---The place went nuts, they were dancing in the aisles. Security was fighting a losing battle here. I tried to stay in my seat but its impossible on ASWTDID---I danced like a crazed women (yep folks, this ole gal might be in her mid-50s but she can still dance up a storm to ASWTDID).
15. I Won't Go Guietly----Don motioned for everyone to stay on their feet and he said "Yeah folks, keep on dancing". Kinda a jab at security I'm thinkin.
This is when Don waved bye and left the stage-----way, way too soon in my opinion. In fact, thats my only complaint, the concert was too short (probably a function of being at a casino, Don even commented that he had to keep it short so that folks could get back out and do more gambling). The crowd was having none of it, they started yelling and stomping and several people lit matches and it worked cause Don came back out and sang....................
16. Hotel California-----It couldn't be a Henley or an Eagles concert without HC. The crowd wend bonkers, everyone stood and cheered like crazy.
17. Desperado---Yes folks, ITS BACK!!!!! Looks like Don gave up on the idea of "My Thanksgiving" as a closer and when back to everybody's favoite song "Desperado". Of course we all sang along and Don held out the mic at the end to let the crowd help him finish the song. Don waved goodbye and left the stage. This is where security took the upper hand because they held the crowd back and there was no chance for anyone to hand Don anything or to shake his hand.
The crowd yelled for more, but that was it. The concert was over. It lasted almost exactly two hours and the time absolutely flew. That man is magic, I love and appreciate him more each time I see him. My advice to everyone is---go see Don Henley live, you'll be on a "natural high" for days to come. DON HENLEY IS THE COOLEST MAN ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BY JEFF WISSER Staff Reporter
\"I don't sleep very much."
So says Don Henley, family man, activist, Eagle and solo artist. Oh, and multitasker. When he titled his 1982 solo album "I Can't Stand Still," he wasn't kidding.
Henley's calling from his hotel room before an afternoon soundcheck on his current solo tour, which brings him to the Ravinia Festival tonight. Having been up until 6:30 a.m. the night before working on his myriad projects, which include his celebrated preservation of Henry David Thoreau's Walden Woods and several preservation and restoration projects in and around his native east Texas hometown of Linden, Henley is knocking back a quick cup of afternoon joe before he heads over to the show.
Runnin' down the road? Check. Loosening his load? Hardly. Taking it easy? Forget about it.
It was simpler in the bad old days, it seems, those heady times when Henley, Glenn Frey and their band conquered America and the world with their country-inflected SoCal rock.
"Back in the old days, in the '70s, when Glenn and I were both single men and our lives were completely our own and we were completely self-absorbed, it was just much easier to get together and write songs. Every time we began an album, we would rent a house together. We'd go out at night and have dinner and visit local clubs and bars and you, know, smoke cigarettes and drink and chase women. And then we'd go home and write about it. Get up the next morning, have a breakfast of beer, smoke a cigarette, turn on the football game and sit there and write all day.
"Life is very different now."
Not that he's complaining.
"I enjoy doing all this. I enjoy the turmoil, the chaos. I enjoy accomplishing things and working with other people. And there's a lot to do."
But with so much to do and so little time, how to choose worthy causes?
"I'm extremely interested in the common good, because it's being trampled and it's being forgotten about. And it's being maligned and relegated to the back of the bus. ... Everything that I do is connected in one way or another to the common good or what I see as the common good, and my own spiritual evolution. That's how I pick them.
"To me, the environment and the preservation of this planet as an ecosystem is the most critical problem that we face today. And with all the other distractive and destructive things that are going on, some of the basics get lost.
"You hear a lot of talk about freedom. You know the word freedom and the word America ... they've almost rendered them meaningless. They've become buzz words, catchwords, political words. Our freedom, more than anything else, is tied to our ability to live in a nondestructive way on this planet so as to perpetuate this planet's ability to sustain life. And if we wreck that, then all the dictators in the world aren't going to matter. There are certain core issues here that I think take precedence over everything else. And potable water and arable land and breathable air are really the foundation of our lives and our economy."
In some ways, then, the drummer/singer/songwriter's multiplatinum music is a means to these ends.
"The music is what makes the activism possible. I mean, I couldn't get in the door if it weren't for the music. Celebrity, no matter what kind it is, goes a long way in this country. And sometimes it's unfortunate. But the music and the reputation of this band provide me access. And I don't mind using it for that."
Make no mistake, however. The music is much more than a foot in the door to the corridors of power in Texas, Massachusetts or Washington, D.C. To this day, Henley maintains the love of song that took root on those hot nights in Linden when he would pick up broadcasts of R&B and country from Louisiana and Nashville. And he counts his blessings that he's able to pursue that love with the Eagles and in solo settings.
"The Eagles," he explains, "provide a great comfort zone for me. Sometimes I can only take so much of being a solo artist and being the man out front, being the only face and the only voice and the only mind to confront the outside world. After so many weeks of that, I get the urge to retreat back to my position as a cog in a bigger wheel, with more people who can divide the duties and do interviews and take the lead onstage. And I can just sit back there and be a team player, you know? I've always been a collaborator and I do that best. I can't really operate as an island. And I don't particularly like to.
"Having said that, though, I do have a great band, my solo band, and I enjoy working with them. There is, to some degree, less drama and conflict when we tour solo because I basically make all the decisions. But again, that becomes a burden after awhile. I'm always reminded of that Randy Newman song ['My Life Is Good'], where he's speaking to Bruce Springsteen, and Bruce says, 'Hey Rand, how would you like to be the Boss for a while?' "
And so it is that Henley's life, a life lived in a previously unimagined sort of fast lane, is good indeed. On the solo side, he'll be on the road until the fall, when he and the Eagles will head to the Far East to continue the sarcastically titled Farewell I tour through November. At a planned band meeting in January, they'll discuss what comes next. Sure to be on the agenda is a long-delayed album of new music.
"Oh, Lord, we've been working on that for four years," he laments. "That's just sort of been relegated to the back burner for now."
On the solo side, he's planning a country blues album and what he refers to as "a modern standards album" featuring works from artists including Newman, Leonard Cohen, Jesse Winchester, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach.
"We don't need another album [of baby boomers singing] 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'What'll I Do' and that stuff. Those are great songs, but they've just been done to death. I maintain that there are new songs ... that are the new generation of standards that perhaps have darker and more biting lyrics and perhaps are more sophisticated in some ways. But they're the next generation of those songs that Rod Stewart and Linda Ronstadt and everybody in between have covered."
Family life. Country blues album. Preservation of Caddo Lake in Texas. Eagles tour and possible CD. Walden Woods. And album of new standards. Restoration in Linden, Texas. Oh, and maybe some work on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, with whom he has worked closely over the years to help save Thoreau's beloved piece of nature.
Looks like Henley won't be exceeding his average of five to six hours' sleep each night anytime soon. But that's just fine with the sleep-deprived former denizen of the Hotel California.
"I could've done more albums and written more songs had I not been so involved in activism. But I don't know if the quality of those songs or the content of those songs would be as meaningful, at least to me, as it is. My activism informs my work. And I think it feeds my brain. I think it makes me a more mature person, a more humble person, and I like to think that all that comes out in the music."
Not that he's losing any sleep over it or anything.
Juggling the Eagles with a solo tour and a second career in environmental activism, Don Henley's living in a different fast lane
Table talk from the Sunset Grill
Don Henley on:
Chicago: I like Chicago because it has the cosmopolitan aspects of New York and L.A. without so much of the snobbery. To me, anyway, it feels a little more like the South in terms of hospitality and the general feeling of the city. It's not as aggressive as New York and it's not as arrogant as Los Angeles.
His perceived high seriousness: I've got as warped a sense of humor as anybody. But I have to, because of the way people see me. I sort of have to be careful about how I dole it out. There are a lot of really wry, funny, sarcastic comments in some of my songs and they often go right over people's heads, which is somewhat disappointing to me, but that's the way it is.
His fellow Eagle Joe Walsh: I'm thinking much differently about [his gonzo stage act] now than I did, say, in the '70s. Now I realize that it's a very crucial part of the act and that people like to see it and that it provides a balance and a contrast to what has been called my seriousness or Glenn's semi-seriousness. I realized that all the different personalities in the band need to come out in order to build a balanced whole. And I also realized that people really love to see Joe do that stuff. And it works like a charm. I mean, he brings the audience to its feet every night. But at the same time, while he's acting goofy, he's also playing some amazing guitar. He's playing better than ever, as a matter of fact. ... There was a list in Rolling Stone of the 100 or 50 greatest guitar players and he wasn't even on it ... [which] was pretty stupid.
The modern music industry: I think the industry is much too focused on urban areas and new so-called music that has a shelf life of about six months. Somebody said to me the other day, 'Try to name one group or one artist today that will be around as you guys are around 32 years after they began. Try to name someone whose songs people will still be singing and humming and buying repackaged versions of [laughs] this far down the road.' And I couldn't think of anybody. So I think the record industry could learn something from that. It's instant gratification and disposable art. We throw away art like we throw away used razor blades. ... The industry has been going through quite a long period of myopia and it's cost the industry dearly. And all the consolidation and globalization in the world isn't going to fix this because at the end of the day, it always comes down to music and the quality of the music and the quality of the performer. We're still around because we can play and sing and we can do it live and we can write and record memorable songs that mean something to people.
The Ataris' punk-rock cover of his "The Boys of Summer": There was conflict within that group about covering that song. I think someone from a record company encouraged them to do it. And then when they had an enormous hit with it. They would go play concerts somewhere, and all people would call for was that song. And the lead singer felt that they weren't being appreciated in their own right, that they had made albums and songs before. He was very much resentful of the fact that they were now known for a Don Henley song. I had a couple phone chats with the bass player, who seems to be the level-headed person in the group, who sort of offered apologies for the behavior of the lead singer and said he was a very emotional guy and he didn't mean any disrespect and blah blah blah. They're young and I wish them well. They obviously have not reached a plateau of being comfortable in their own skin yet. I told the bass player to remind the lead singer that given the way things work in the record industry now, this may be the only big hit they ever have and they should enjoy the moment.
Don will be appearing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ on August 31st. If you have questions, want to hook up with other fans attending the show or post a review, just hit the comments button below this post.
Don will be appearing at the Harbor Center Amphitheatre in Portsmouth, VA on Setpember 3rd. If you have questions, want to hook up with other fans attending the show or post a review, just hit the comments button below this post.
Don will be appearing at the Honey Horn Plantation in Hilton Head Island onSeptember 4th. If you have questions, want to hook up with other fans attending the show or post a review, just hit the comments button below this post.
Don will be appearing at the Horseshoe Casino Riverdome in Bossier City on September 10th. If you have questions, want to hook up with other fans attending the show or post a review, just hit the comments button below this post.
Blog Lines
Don Henley will be appearing at the Concrete Street Amphitheater on Septmber 11th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at The Backyard on September 12th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Texas Music City Theatre on Septmber 14th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Texas Music City Theatre on Septmber 15th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the Brady Theater on Septmber 18th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
Don Henley will be appearing at the SMSU Student Center on September 19th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message.
By GENE STOUT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER POP MUSIC CRITIC
It was hamburgers -- not politics -- that almost got Don Henley in trouble Thursday night at Chateau Ste. Michelle.
"I love burgers," the Eagles frontman told a near-capacity crowd at the Woodinville winery.
"If I offended any vegetarians, just throw your drinks in the air and have me removed from the stage. And then the press can exaggerate the whole thing," he said.
Henley's comments were in jest, of course, an oblique reference to the uproar surrounding Linda Ronstadt's recent performance at a Las Vegas casino where she praised filmmaker Michael Moore's anti-Bush movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11."
Henley's tale of hamburger lust was part of a longer story about a beloved burger joint on L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard decades ago, an experience that inspired the Eagles' hit "Sunset Grill." The story introduced a flawless version of the famous song, which has always sounded more ominous than an ode to a favorite hangout.
Backed by a six-piece band, Henley entertained a festive, summer-night crowd with Eagles' classics interspersed with his own songs and a few choice covers, including Randy Newman's wonderful late-'60s song "Political Science," which Henley had more recently envisioned as a soft-shoe, Broadway-style duet featuring Bush and Cheney in top hats and canes.
The song was meant as a commentary about the Bush administration, but it came across as more entertaining than political.
"We do this song just to check the polarization of the audience," Henley said, as concertgoers happily clapped and sang along.
Henley, wearing blue jeans, a plaid shirt and a darkly colored shirt jacket, opened his show with the classic "Dirty Laundry," whose keyboard sound was updated with a modern dance-floor groove. A delightful "Witchy Woman" was preceded by an affectionate story about living in the Hollywood Hills with fellow Eagle Glenn Frey and writing the song in a flu-induced delirium. The crowd rose to its feet for "The Last Worthless Evening" and grooved to "The Boys of Summer," with its famous line about "a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac."
Opening the concert was singer-songwriter and jewelry designer Juliana Raye, who performed her song "Holding All My Love for You," from the soundtrack of the Kevin Costner film "Open Range." Raye performed with a clear, captivating voice.
Hearts of the matters
Henley show a nostalgic affair as old songs take on new meanings
8/2/04
By JOSEF WOODARD
NEWS-PRESS STAFF CORRESPONDENT
There's no question that Don Henley's songbook is a historical vehicle, resonating with a strong sense of time, place and state of mind. The very sound of his voice takes listeners magically back to the 1980s and, via his group The Eagles, their mid-'70s prime.
But, as a songwriter with something on his mind and a bold and identifiable voice to deliver it, Henley also has a gift that keeps on giving in the present tense, as he proved again Saturday with one of his periodic visits to the Santa Barbara Bowl.
A measure of the worth and prescience of his songwriting comes through the fact that many of his songs, from his heyday of the '80s, have seemingly gained in meaning over the years.
In the ripest example, the band opened up the show with the bumptious groove of "Dirty Laundry," and Henley dedicated it to "one of the most dangerous men in the world .Ê.Ê. Rupert Murdoch," before launching into the famed anti-media anthem. It has a whole new relevance now in the age of corporate-ruled mass media than it did when it first hit the radio 15 years ago, or even when Henley last played here two years ago.
At the Bowl, Henley showed up in regular guy attire, flying flannel over a T-shirt and jeans, playing a blonde Telecaster -- or at least leaning on it like a prop. The former drummer is still not the most comfortable of frontmen, using tambourine and maracas as security blankets to avoid the empty-handed singer syndrome.
But the proof is in the pudding. He still has a great rock voice and actually earned his best rock vocal Grammy Awards with his smoky, high voice. Plus, he enjoys the confidence of working with an impeccable band.
Most importantly, there's an active brain attached to the voice and a rich song catalog from which to draw. This night, Henley ventured all the way back to the seminal Eagles hit "Witchy Woman," one of his sillier ditties, but also a good career spark.
He can have fun in greatest hits mode, cheekily announcing "let's go to the beach" before kicking off "Boys of Summer," the '80s hit given new radio life recently through the "mall punk" cover version by Santa Barbara's The Ataris.
You get the sense that Henley has trouble giving into unqualified fun, "going to the beach" and leaving his mental churnings at home. That's why we love him.
As enduringly powerful and literate as his old songs are, from predictable concert favorites "Life in the Fast Lane," "Hotel California" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," Henley's shows these days are inherently nostalgic affairs. That's partly because of the crowd's obvious hunger for familiar old songs, and also partly because of his own diminished creative output, having released only one album of new songs in the last 15 years, 2000's "Inside Job."
And he barely dipped into that album, but for the effectively moody "Everything Is Different Now," with Henley working up in range from a growl to a soar. We naturally crave new material from a songwriter as gifted as Henley, especially in an age of limited intelligence in pop.
In performance, Henley's persona is that of one both grateful for the support of fans over three-plus decades, but also a grumbling annoyance at the tendency of his audiences to bask in hit-lust and not pay attention to the art of the matter. He scolded the crowd for not showing audible love to cultural figures he deems important, including Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave, who appeared on his song "You're Not Drinking Enough," the most countrified song at the Bowl). When few in the crowd appeared to acknowledge the name F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henley played the miffed schoolmaster, irritated by the illiteracy of his charges: "See, that's why we're in the state we're in."
Henley chooses his cover songs carefully, with an ear for quality and content control. Two years ago here, he did a luminous version of Paul Simon's "An American Tune."
On Saturday, he gave a fresh reading of the brooding doomsday-evoking tune "Everybody Knows," an octave or more higher that Leonard Cohen's original, and cleverly couched in a party-like backbeat-driven version.
The loaded moment of the evening came when he sang Randy Newman's classic "Political Science," (key lyric: "Let's drop the big one and see what happens"), a brilliant satirical song about American arrogance whose renewed significance -- 35 years after it was written -- is spooky. Henley came at the song in fighting mode, mentioning the recent plight of his friend Linda Ronstadt, who was booed and booted from Las Vegas' Aladdin after she dedicated a song to Michael Moore.
With Henley's mention of that incident, there were some token boorish responses from the Bowl crowd, and Henley noted the "polarized response" and muttered, "Just throw your drinks in the air and have me escorted from the premises."
He inserted an ironic image in our minds by adding, "I imagine this song as a duet between Bush and Cheney "doing it in a soft shoe."
As if to soften the blow or fleeting wind of controversy, Henley then immediately played his bittersweet hit "Heart of the Matter."
The song's quest for understanding and renewal after a failed romance, with the gospel-like refrain of "forgiveness, forgiveness," suddenly resonated on a larger scale. Henley is an activist and a provocateur, but he also is an optimist, seeking to build bridges rather than to blow them up.
During his generous encore section, Henley called up "The End of Innocence" and "I Will Not Go Quietly."
Fittingly, he dedicated the rowdy number to fellow Texan Lance Armstrong, but the song could also be a tidy, personal statement of purpose for Henley. Now, if only he'd get busy writing more songs
Boom goes Orange County
Review: Don Henley becomes the latest singer to ignite controversy with onstage comments.
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register
Less than two weeks later, it has happened again. Perhaps not resulting in the same level of outrage that Linda Ronstadt's recent in-concert remarks drew. But close.
Virtually overnight, it seems Ronstadt has become as much a pariah in some quarters as Michael Moore; it's to the point where old friends can't even utter her name without inadvertently provoking a heated reaction.
Note how Don Henley tried - and failed - Thursday night during his performance at Pacific Amphitheatre.
Early on he attempted to make light of Ronstadt's much-publicized incident at the Aladdin in Las Vegas. After declaring his love of all-American hamburgers during his introduction to "Sunset Grill," Henley apologized to any vegetarians in the audience, dryly joking that those upset by his comments "can throw your drinks in the air and storm out, and I'll be escorted off the premises."
There were appreciative laughs and cheers, but you also could sense a bit of tension in the air - as though some attendees were wondering if Henley would spout off further, while others (who arguably know the artist's activist history better) simply wondered when it would happen.
That inevitability arrived nine songs into his nearly two-hour show, when Henley announced he next would perform a number by "one of the most underrated and misunderstood songwriters," Randy Newman. "Given what my good friend Linda Ronstadt "
That's as far as he could get with that thought. What few cheers went up were quickly drowned out in waves of boos that grew larger and louder.
Unflappable Henley initially backed off: "Whoops Orange County." Once the ensuing hometown hooray waned, however, he made his point. "We used to be able to agree to disagree. We used to be able to have civil debate in this country.
"Not anymore," he concluded.
Then came the song: "Political Science," a wickedly satirical yet increasingly relevant statement on American imperialism that dates back to the Vietnam era. Henley: "I've imagined it as a duet between Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney."
And so it begins: "No one likes us / I don't know why / We may not be perfect / But heaven knows we try / But all around / even our old friends put us down / Let's drop the big one and see what happens."
And later, as Henley and his band indulged in some comical step-kick-step-kick dancing: "Boom goes London, and boom Paree / More room for you and more room for me."
There were scattered boos. Streams of people walked out - though considering the multitudes still on hand by the time he offered strong versions of "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," I think most merely went for beer. Henley's final response: "To quote another Eagles song, get over it."
Better yet, get re-accustomed to it, as our divided times and persistent crackdown on dissent is bound to produce more artists speaking their minds on stage - especially those who once did so regularly in the '60s and '70s.
In my initial review of Ronstadt's show, I opted not to choose sides. The old-hat argument that "I paid to be entertained, not to listen to political speeches" holds little weight with me, but I concede that an evening of Ronstadt singing standards is an unusual forum for social commentary.
But Don Henley? People, you've got to be kidding. If you were there, were you really paying attention to his other songs? "Dirty Laundry," about sleazy TV news coverage. "The End of the Innocence," about disillusionment amid the Reagan era ("this tired old man that we elected king"). Even "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," a deceptively playful tune about willful ignorance in the face of political wrongdoing.
Thus, applying the just-entertain-me complaint to Henley is misguided; his longstanding criticism of American policy has always been intrinsic to his form of entertainment. To expect him to shy away from making comments about the current administration is as far-fetched as, say, the '72 Dylan playing a pro-Nixon rally.
But Henley himself realized he had lost some of the crowd. Just before concluding his show with a gorgeous reading of "Desperado" - one of more than a dozen valiant performances that provided plenty of entertainment alongside his outspoken remarks - the Hall of Famer thanked his fans for sticking by him for 32 years, "even when we disagree."
Then he fittingly broke into the chorus of "If You Don't Know Me by Now."
"I gotta work that one up," he noted.
"Do it right after that 'Political Science' thing."
It's not often you feel sorry for multimillionaires. (Other than Anna Nicole Smith, that is -- my poor angel, she's so terribly misunderstood.)
But last night, it was hard not to record even the tiniest twinge of pity for Don Henley, who failed to sell out even the smallest seating configuration of the Saddledome for his latest tour.
A tour it should be noted that is to support ... his condor egg habit, I guess, considering how long it's been since his last solo album.
In fact, if Henley wanted to be entirely honest with his 4,000 or so fans, he should have required them to leave their money on bedside tables located at every exit of the 'Dome.
But before I can be accused of -- to paraphrase the solo hit Dirty Laundry, which he opened his how with last night -- kicking him when he's down, let me point out that those who showed up were actually treated to a relatively entertaining oldies arena rock show.
Henley, clad in the Canuck/grunge uniform of red plaid shirt and blue jeans, and backed by a talented but unassuming sextet, was enjoyable and engaging.
In the first 15 minutes alone, he had spoken more words to the modest crowd than he and his band the Eagles did during their entire most recent farewell tour -- dubbed by some The Mannequin Tour.
Henley didn't seem to be completely going through the motions, although his showmanship may have been on automatic pilot.
Previous reviews of this tour reveal a commonality between what he said and what he played, but the 57-year-old actually seemed to be in the present tense.
In reference to those obnoxiously vocal fans who were calling out song titles and other monosyllabic comments, he joked early on that this was obviously an interactive evening, "So yell out whatever is on your tiny little mind."
That in itself was probably enough to gain the audience's goodwill, but Henley went even further by stacking his setlist with familiar hits -- be they his own, the Eagles' or songs by others.
So as it was, you had a nice, tight version of Sunset Grill, a suprisingly not-embarrassing cover of Leonard Cohen's Everybody Knows, and the classic Witchy Woman.
It certainly wasn't a show for the ages, but neither was it something that anyone -- be they the icon onstage or those few who forked out their hard-earned coin -- should be embarrassed about being a part of.
Opening the show was Canadian Natalie MacMaster, perhaps the only human being capable of making me even pretend to care about fiddle music.
Like an East Coast answer to Jenna Elfman, the incredibly bubbly and gifted performer made the most of her 30 minutes, turning in a whirlwind set of stompers and steppers.
The energy MacMaster expends is entirely infectious, giving those that showed up early reason to thank themselves that they did -- I mean, a reason other than those bouncy Celtic calisthenics.
From the Edmonton Sun
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