Joe's Review

MANCHESTER 18 JUNE 2001.

We saw the Eagles in this venue back in 1996 and the sound quality and set was excellent so we had no hesitation going to see them there again.  This time we we’re taking two of our daughters, Eleanor (8) and Jennifer (6), who had been too young last time around.  They are Timothy B Schmit fans (as we used to sing “All I Wanna Do” as a lullaby to them when they were babies and they already know all the tracks on “Feed The Fire”) so they are obviously looking forward to two songs from the set.

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the concert reviews on the Fastlane to see what’s in store for Manchester – Joe on top form, Glenn doing all the talking and singing falsetto, the sound quality that starts off poor and improves after 6 or 7 songs.

I also read on Timothy’s site that he’s signing CDs at Tower Records in London so I arrange the afternoon off work and make the 300+ mile round journey to get my four CD covers autographed.  While queuing outside, we are told that TBS will only be signing two items as he has been giving interviews all day.  I put my four CD covers on the table anyway and he signs all of them.  I mention that the older ones are difficult to get and that I had to import “Timothy B” from Japan.  He said that he only had 14 copies of this – I wonder how many copies he has of the others?  The person behind me got him to sign an Epiphone Les Paul copy – I wonder when that will appear on Ebay?

Back to the concert.  We picked the kids up from school and made our way to Manchester, a journey of about 70 minutes.  Fortunately there is a McDonalds right by the entrance so we get something to eat there while we wait for the doors to open at 6:15.  Ticket touts are out in force but everybody seems to have their tickets – HA!

Programmes cost £8 and are excellent as already described on the Fastlane.  Prices for some of the merchandise is exorbitant - £10 for a key ring!  £200 for a leather tour jacket (a bell should go off back stage alerting the Eagles that one is about to be sold at which point they should turn up and sign the said item and buy the purchaser a drink at the bar).  I thought that the Eagles cigarette lighter was a bad idea – are they promoting smoking?  They could also have been a bit more imaginative and had things like Eagles mouse pads, sets of plectrums – something a bit different.  The Hotel California Lithograph fell into this category but at £30 a piece, I didn’t see any being sold.

The concert started spot on time with the lights being dimmed five minutes before the set as a warning.  They start the set with “Seven Bridges Road” so I’m immediately expecting the second set to start with “Hotel California”.  The sound quality isn’t fantastic – I’m wondering whether the sound manager is also responsible for the camera directing the camera shots on the big screens and if this is the reason for the time taking to get the sound right – Any answers? 

You know the set list so I won’t go into that so I’ll give my impressions of the various Eagles.

Joe Walsh really is on top form.  He’s hitting all the high notes and his guitar playing is excellent – is the latter due to the departure of Don Felder.  Jennifer was looking through the programme before the start and noticed that Joe Walsh has more albums than the others and announced that probably means he’s got more brains!

Don Henley’s voice is a bit croaky at first but he soon gets into his stride.  Would have loved to hear something off  “Inside Job” as he didn’t come to UK to promote this.  “Sunset Grill” was absolutely astounding.  The horn section and guitar solos were amazing.  Steuart Smith Impressed on this.

I’m a bit worried about how Glenn Frey will perform with the reports of his voice.  Soon I’m not concerned at all as he puts everything in to his vocals, except where it comes to “You Belong to the City”.  It starts off great, but part way through, he goes into Falsetto mode which for me, does not suit the song at all.  TBS is putting out this strong pumping bass line which needs the strength of Glenn’s voice as it sounds on CD and indeed how it sounded live 5 years ago.  Singing in falsetto makes his voice sound softer and weaker and gives the impression that he’s singing in a different tempo.

There’s no doubt that the Eagles gauge their success from the reaction of the audience, but I’m pretty certain that, if not they, but a member of their crew, goes to the fastlane to get pretty fast feedback on these concerts.  So if you’re reading this, I’d drop “You Belong To The City” and replace it with “Long Hot Summer” or “Strange Weather” – This brilliant album is very sadly overlooked in my opinion.  This is not a criticism of Glenn, rather I noticed that when he wasn’t singing falsetto during this song, his throat did seem to be hurting (he had to move away from the microphone to cough while Joe was doing his fantastic guitar solo).  But what do I know – This turned out to be one of the kids’ favourites.

When TBS sang “Love Will Keep Us Alive” in 1996, you could hear the intake of breath and see the dropping of jaws as people realised that his voice is just as beautiful live.  In 2001, the sound quality didn’t do him justice.  The sound seemed to be distant and echoey.  This was also true of “I Can’t Tell You Why”.  Is there any reason why this cannot be fixed?  Surely they do sound checks.  Also, Timothy has 4 solo albums to his name now – the same as Glenn and Don.  Surely he has the right and we deserve something off  “Feed The Fire” in the set.  Several of these tracks wouldn’t sound out of place on a bona fide Eagles album.

Steuart Smith – He’s a competent guitarist, but he’s not Don Felder.  His solo on “I Can’t Tell You Why” was not fluent to these ears and on “Love Will Keep Us Alive” it sounded too different.  I would like to see Joe and Glenn take more of the lead guitar work.  Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Glenn play Lead on “One Of These Nights” in 1996.

Big surprise of the night was opening the second set with “Witchy Woman” – brilliant.  From memory, “All Night Long” was dropped from the set.

“Hotel California” was left for the first encore.  Up to this point I was wondering whether they were going to drop it and to be honest, I wouldn’t have been too disappointed.  However, it brought the house down as usual, but I really would have loved to see it being played on Don Felder’s twin neck guitar.

In conclusion – Yes it’s still the Eagles and they’re still worth the money with their 3 hour sets.  But guys, if you’re reading this, give Timothy a solo song; Glenn – Strange Weather is your best album and sorely overlooked; please do something about the sound quality (if somebody could send me a soundboard copy of the concert I’d be happy to analyse in more detail!!!!  Please?!); Joe – Great voice and guitar playing; and Don – Sit down with Glenn AND Timothy AND Joe and get working on that new album.

Would I go and see them again? – Just bought 4 tickets for Birmingham on 20 July.  We’re in block 12 near the front of the upper tier.  Be sure to give us a wave or leave the back stage passes at the box office!

Derek's Review

Having been a lifelong fan of the Eagles but never been able to see them live, last night was a dream come true for my wife Janice and myself (Derek).

Would the 30 year wait be worthwhile? You bet it was. We are looking enviously at the rest of the tour dates to see where we can go to catch them again.
 
Joe Walsh said he was recovering from a cold and commented if he couldn't hit the high notes with his voice we should just treat it as an instrumental version. His voice held out for 'Life's Been Good' which was one of the highlight of the show for us.

3 hours and 3 encores later, they were already gone but never ever forgotten.
 
We found your excellent site browsing for some pictures from the tour. Thank you, it's definitely on our favourites list now. 

James' Review

This was my dream come true at last but as the four of them trotted onto the stage, and bunched together for a miraculous, mercurial rendition of Seven Bridges Road I could barely believe the reality. It was only as the lights came up and the thudding, rousing drumbeat announced The Long Run, almost as soon as the last thrilling note of Steve Young's semi-acapella perished, that it all began to sink in and I could let it all wash over me. This was sung magnificently, Henley clearly on top form, and from the outset Smith proved that he could blend effortlessly into the Eagles' end-product. This is not my favourite Eagles track by any means, but this was by far the most soulful, gutsy and cheerful version I have heard.

Glenn then introduced two songs from the HC album, New Kid In Town (which IS one of my favourites) and Wasted Time (which is a super-favourite). Both renderings were flawless, New Kid In Town benefitting from Don and Tim's stratospheric harmonies (eg. 'I don't wanna hear it'...."ahhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhhhh....") which made the soaring Eagle motif all the more credible, and any accusation of Glenn suffering from a decline in vocal talent were proven completely unfounded as he breezed through it effortlessly and classily (not nearly as impressive though as his Lyin' Eyes later on). Wasted Time, and its short and sweet Reprise, were delivered with sensitivity and grace from the surprisingly small (never realised how small) Mr Henley, on a night where they chose NOT to play The Heart of the Matter (in their infinite wisdom I am sure!). I cannot say this was the greatest version I have heard as I could with The Long Run, but it was equal to HFO and numerous bootlegs I own (I am of the opinion that the brooding mood created by the studio version still reigns supreme in my 2nd favourite Eagles song). 

Peaceful Easy Feeling was beautifully played, although strangely placed, sandwiched between two HC songs, again Glenn showing his country roots with an affectionate attitude almost to the lyrics, but this was one of the few songs on the night to be slightly unmemorable a few hours later. The problem with this performance was not that anything was wrong with it, but that it was surrounded by truly outstanding ones that put it in the shade. The same cannot be said for ANYTHING Joe Walsh did last night, he is incapable of mediocrity it seems. His voice is never going to be a super-clean, pin sharp as his colleagues', but he makes up for that in raw emotion (an injection of which perhaps Don could JUST have done with last night) and Pretty Maids, always one of my top 20 tunes, was sung so that you couldn't help but sway in time and empathise with the experiences that went into making that truism of a track (which replaced the complicated genius of Wasted Time and Victim of Love with its pure simplicity on the studio album).

Love Will Keep Us Alive added yet another mercurial element to the show - the stunning lead vocals of the man whose backing and steady bassline had help make the prior numbers so scintillating. His voice matches Henley's in my opinion, even if the song is not in I Can't Tell You Why's ballpark, the power and belief that goes into his efforts made me and I'd imagine others around me, shudder. In a possible departure from the Sheffield concert, The Boys of Summer was the high point thus far (indeed from here the gradient of impressiveness climbed steadily), accurate as it was to the studio version (as everything seems to be, but this more noticeably) but Henley really gave vent to his emotions, impossible not to given lyrics like "I thought I knew what love was, what did I know / Those days are gone forever / I should just let 'em go". The guitar 'solos', especially the end one which is so redolent of summer freedom, were beautifully handled by two-gun Smith and Weston (or is that Walsh?!)

What I was saying about high points just getting higher is proven by the next track which before the show I would have found most contentious. I don't know if Randy Meisner gets any money from these tours if his songs are played, and I know that Jackson Browne's, Jack Tempchin's and Steve Young's songs are all also played so perhaps you might ask why am I so bothered by this one. I was bothered because Take It To The Limit is Randy's song, it was him through and through, he came to be defined by it during his spell on tour in the 70s, I guess I feel that there are plenty of Eagles tracks to choose from without plundering that of the member they got rid of. However, I was on my feet for the first time by the end of the song. It was stunning. Glenn gave it everything (without Randy's capabilities it MUST be said) but the instrumental backing (close to the studio version but with an extra live fuel injection) and harmonies just made it the defining moment of the night. All was forgiven and The Boys of Summer was already knocked off its perch as the night's high point.
After that number, it was always going to be difficult to follow it, and The Best of my Love has never been my favourite song (I would place it about halfway down my all time list of Eagles songs) and with Don giving it a faithful rendition without really sparkling with emotion it was a slight downturn. I also don't think this song works as well as some others live. The 'oooohh sweet darling's fall a little flat somehow. However, Glenn then took to the microphone to dedicate, hilariously (though its not funny at all at the moment, for the Europeans - especially the Swedish it seems - let alone for the Americans) Already Gone to George 'Dubya' Bush in 3 years time. Pray to God. That hilarity aside, this was equally good as Take It To the Limit, but in a different way. It rocked harder than The Boys of Summer, and captured live the feeling of carefree youth that was so powerful in the studio version (this worked so well why no Good Day In Hell or On The Border?! Joe would have fun on the solos on the former and perhaps with Glenn's old voice parts on the latter) - one of the clearest, most honestly delivered lyrics of the night was "So oftentime it happens that we live our lives in chains / And we never even know we have the key / But me I'm already gone."

In The City, again not one of my favourites purely because it doesn't really SAY much about the city very clearly, I initially thought was blighted by Joe's decision to crank up the guitar volume, though I got used to the heavier rocking sound as the night went on. I know the lyrics backwards of course (night another, night another stay can't I :)), but if I didn't then I would have struggled to hear what he was singing, so maybe he JUST went overboard with the volume on the amps. A quick return to form though followed with One Of These Nights, which happens to be my 3rd favourite of all time, blue eyed soul at its finest. Henley once again was on that level of 'genius singer without really trying' which was inspiring at the same time as it made me wonder what he would sound like if he DID really try for us. It was the old Felder (there, mentioned him, dammit) solo which was beautifully rendered by Steuart Smith, without perhaps the lawsuited one's infinite grace and poise, which made the song stand out as it so often does - "I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself, I've been searching for an angel in white / I've been waiting for a woman who's a lil o' both..." Pure bloody genius, and it has that relaxed (yet I am sure, deceptive) air of being easily written in those glory days of '75.

After a breather which barely gave me time to take in all I had seen, like an extra in a film version of Dante's Paradiso, the band took to the stage with Witchy Woman, which was thunderingly delivered as it has to be given the Native American vibe, and if anything a little more ferociously sung by Henley than he had done so far, the harmonies, as with EVERY song, spot on and glorious to close your eyes and revel in. For me, Lyin' Eyes was the defining moment for Glenn vocally, backed by violin as it has been for some time now instead of country guitar, he sang like an angel, full of emotion, especially such lines as "Did she get tired or did she just lazy / She's so far gone she feels just like a fool". Again the high points kept on coming though, with Tim making a long overdue return to the front for his masterpiece I Can't Tell You Why, which was sung with his usual divine innocence but was backed by another of Felder's old solos given an imperious treatment by the now spotlit Smith, who played with precision and delicacy that most mellow solo ever.

It was all change as the placed rocked again for Walk Away, and although the same problems blighted Joe here as In The City, this is a far better song, and so perhaps with me he gets away with it a bit more. Its also a nice segue from Tim's song, almost synonymous and certainly juxtaposed when you think about it. I don't remember too much about Tequila Sunrise, which isn't the best of signs, but its position in the set list, like Peaceful Easy Feeling, is questionable. It is so 'themed into' the Desperado album that its true meaning is lost when played out of its original order, though it is still an achingly gorgeous song. 

Sunset Grill was Henley's high point for me, vocally. He managed to make that extra effort to put some original slants on his existing lyrics, some pauses and inflections which made me think he was truly living the song instead of just singing it, a la The Best of my Love or Wasted Time last night. It also bridged the gap between ballad and rock song beautifully. It would have gone so effortlessly into the Hotel California album and not been overwhelmed by its company - it is staggeringly underrated:

"Maybe we'll leave come Springtime, meanwhile have another beer - what would we do without all these jerks anyway...?" You Belong To The City was one of the most original treatments of the night, turned as it was into a sort of duet with Tim, and Glenn allowing his voice (rather than experiencing problems as previously thought) to go all 'afterhours' and bluesy. Its not in the same league as some of the other songs, and where Dirty Laundry, Boys of Summer and Sunset Grill blend into the canon, this one doesn't! Its a good song with plenty of horn (that'll be the Teen King then ;)) and a solid helping of the blues, and like some other songs played tonight it was lost on the (far from knowledgeable) audience majority
. 
It was lift the roof off time for what was in hindsight, the highlight of the evening. Is it not the ultimate irony that amid the perfect harmonies and delicate solos, complex lyrics and sparkling soul, it should be a joke song like Life's Been Good that makes everyone go wild? Joe's legendary improvised lyrics failed on him ("...sit in the back / I lock the doors and....(helpless shrug)....sit in the back.") although "They write me letters / tell me I am getting kinda old" was hilarious...didn't hear much of a reaction from THIS audience, who quite probably didn't know the original lyric unfortunately! The man played like he was not 'sane' as he claims in the song, far from it, but it was an absolute roof-lifter, his voice this time plenty loud enough to hear over the guitars.

 

Derek's Review

Two days on from Sheffield and now it was the turn of Manchester’s 17,000+ Arena turn with ‘the band that wouldn’t die’. Another Northern city full of the ‘working people’ that Glenn felt at home with. Tonight’s seats didn’t seem as good as Saturdays (19th row) but in many ways turned out to be very good because the sound was much better – sharper, tighter, and really cranked up in the second half. The set was as for Sheffield with a couple of notable changes – Seven Bridges Road opened up the concert, but the second half started with Witchy Woman (a nice surprise) and Hotel California took pride of place as 1st encore. That allowed it to be enjoyed in all its glory rather than get a bit lost opening up the second half.

From early in the evening it was clear that both Glenn and Joe were feeling better, and the whole band seemed more into it. Feeling better, Glenn was a lot more talkative between songs saying how they intended being around for a few more years and new songs were on their way. Lyin’ Eyes was for his first wife – plaintiff, he dedicated Already Gone to George W Bush, and the bands confidence was really shown when after songs featuring Glenn, Joe, & Timothy in turn on vocals Glenn said ‘so many lead vocals, guitar solos, and changes of tempo for one band to do – but we can. As they say in Texas, ‘when its telling the truth, it ain’t bragging !’

Joe was definitely up for it tonight and admitted as much ; ‘the other night I couldn’t hit the high notes, but if I miss them tonight just think of it as an instrumental bit !’ Joe and Steuart  (heck of a guitarist) gave it plenty in the second half showing their full range and ability on the songs.

Hotel California 1st encore, then Rocky Mountain Way, finally Take It Easy and Desperado to finish. For me , the overall concert was even better tonight – better sound, happier (& healthier) band. The only downer was seeing some people leaving DURING Hotel California (sacrilege) and then some more after Rocky Mountain Way (even though the house lights were still down) – can you believe it ! With the price of the tickets not exactly cheap you would think that, even if you were not a major fan (as the man in front of me clearly wasn’t as he virtually sat on his hands all night) you would get your full money’s worth. For me, a  FANTASTIC night. I first saw the band back in ’77, then in ’96, and now twice in 3 days in ’01. If the band aim to be around for a few more years I look forward to seeing them again “You can check out any tine you like, But you can never leave.”