What an amazing show.  I have seen the Eagles several times, spanning 4 different decades, indoors and out.  THIS was their finest show yet.  For those that think they were just going through the motions, I beg to differ.  They were the most animated, most lively, and more personable than any show I have ever heard of (at least in the states).  Yes, that WAS Don Henley seen smiling with Glenn as they shared a microphone stand.  I hope the pictures turn out as well as the memories.  The hard hats for one of the encores, "Rocky Mountain Way",  was a nice salute to the construction crew.  The crowd wasn't always into the show though, and the fans around me were the most knowledgeable about the group (the couple in front of me was surprised to know that the Eagles sang "Best of my Love"!!).  The security detail, at least on the floor, seemed much more interested in not allowing ANY photographs than in maintaining any sense of order.  Funny that cameras were not stopped at the door!   It's nice to have a good time, but almost knocking someone over while dancing to a tune is a little too much fun.  It appears many in attendance were there for the shear grand opening event, and would have attended if Milli Vanilli was the band.  Never the less, it was an amazing show.  Don Henley fought through an early raspy voice, but seemed to get over that problem quickly.  Glenn was in good voice, Timothy sang his 2 numbers with perfect pitch, and Joe Walsh once again showed why everybody loves him.  He is not only an amazing live guitar player, but is still quite the clown running around the stage on a few songs.  "Life's Been Good" still brings out the funny bone.  There were sound issues inside the mammoth building, but that is to be expected for the first night.  I was glad to have been keeping track of the tour in Europe and to have a little heads-up about song selections.  This web site is far and away the best relating to anything "Eagles".   If the harmonies on "Seven Bridges Road" and the guitar licks of "Hotel California" didn't convince you that these guys were here to play, nothing will.  I only wish I had the ability to make it to the Denver show.  It will be something to see.

So as I pondered my next meal looking thru the ruins of debris left lying
on the floor, My stomach made a decision all on its own and finally my brain
had to agree, there was to be NO food for me or Thee.
But enough about the problems with the AAC. One thing they did get right was the sound system, We have been to 100's of concerts over the years and I have to say that the sound from our vantage point, upper terrace in front, was about as good as any I have ever heard. The sound was very clear and crisp, not too loud or too overbearing.

Once the lights went down and music went up I forgot about my cares and
unfinished construction, no food, no potty paper, no trash cans and dirty
floors.

The Eagles, in my opinion, are the 70's equivalent of The Beatles, few bands of any era have the quality of songs, variety of styles and singers that was on display tonight. Few bands would have the balls to walk on stage and open with an acapella, but here it was in all its splendor was "Seven Bridges Road", the only shaky number of the night was "The Long Run" with Henley sounding almost hoarse while the sound crew adjusted the bands overall mix. After that it was one incredible song after another. One observation on Steuart Smith, was while he was a very solid and capable stand in for Don Felder, he simply did not possess the finesse of Felder on so many of the songs. The biggest highlight for me personally was to hear a near perfect rendition of "Witchy Woman", this was the song that hooked me on the Eagles, all those years ago. Frey singing "Take it to the Limit" was performed with a lot of passion and was also a top notch performance.

One thing that some of my friends said about the Eagles concerts of the past was that they would still be playing the same songs they did 20 years ago and that it would be like an oldies concert. That might be somewhat true if it were Chicago or some band like that, but with the Eagles show its not only a super group, but you also have 3 bonafide superstar solo artists playing in the band. Where else could you hear "Sunset Grill", "You Belong to the City" and "Rocky Mountain Way" performed with "Hotel California", " Take It Easy" and "Pretty Maids All in a Row". What other show is there that performs for 2.5 to 3 hours, plays 28 or 29 songs and they were all hits?



The music did its magical trick and transformed the center into a mystical
acoustically correct center for the aged baby boomers who came to drift back
into the space-time continuum. The old and very few young, the rich, the
$VERY $RICH and the white trash all joined in chorus,stomping, beat
clapping,and standing ovations in awe of one of the best musical groups of
all times. For one shining moment in time amid the stress of life for all
the myriad of people, we were all together, under one roof, all enjoying the
same thing-----Perhaps that is why they call it a "Grand Opening".
 

Jamie and I, and our friend Marijon met another friend, Phyllis, and arrived
at the American Airlines venue very early, due to Doomsday-like predictions
of horrible traffic jams and parking problems.  Parking was no problem, and
we waited about an hour in and around Phyllis’ van.  We weren’t convinced
that Dallas could be any hotter than the West Coast of Florida, but we are
now believers!  Was it ever hot!  The good old Busch billboard said 110
degrees.

After cooling off in the beautiful arena, we made our way to our seats.  We
were a little sad that we could not all sit together, but the bizarre
ticketing for the event made that impossible.  Jamie and Phyllis were beside
the stage on one side of the arena while I sat alone beside the stage on the
other side of the arena.  Poor Marijon sat in the rafters, behind Jamie’s
and Phyllis’ section.  We each had a different view of the stage, and that
made for interesting discussion afterwards.

I felt really connected to the band, and thought they were very lively.  My
section had a great view of the stage, of the guitar pit area, and of the
backstage area (we could see the band as they got ready to come on).  I
always find that very interesting.  The people in my section were friendly,
and my apprehensions about being “alone” soon disappeared.  We had a blast
(as my friends can testify, I will talk to anyone at anytime).  People were
there from Boston, and other parts of Texas.  Marijon (this was her first
Eagles concert) agreed that the band was wonderful.  She was also amazed at
the length of the show, much longer than many other groups.  On the other
hand, Jamie felt as if the band members weren’t into the show.

The band opened with Seven Bridges Road, and sounded great.  I was very
apprehensive about the concert, because I didn’t know what to expect without
Felder manning the guitar.  I was so pleased by Steuart Smith’s playing.
When Glenn introduced the band, some people booed Mr. Smith, and yelled for
Felder, which I felt was rude and uncalled for.  I guess we all have our pet
Eagles!!  Marijon later said that she would be Steuart’s fan.

There were many little interesting moments.  At one point, some guy in the
front row threw something onto the stage between Glenn and Timothy.  Both
looked to see what it was, and then Glenn met the guy’s eyes and kissed at
him before laughing heartily.  Wonder who and what it was?  Jamie and I were
thrilled that Glenn’s hair was a little longer, but not that he seemed to
smoke like a chimney.  I guess we all have our vices.

Another highlight came when the Eagles came out for an encore wearing
construction hats – priceless.  After the song, Timothy tossed his hat to
the crowd.

Don Henley in the cowboy hat for Desperado was another Kodak moment!!  Jamie
said that he needed to get some lighting advice from the people who light
country stars, though.  His face was wreathed in shadows.

The lights in the arena came up all too soon, and another great concert was
ended.  We can hardly wait until the next time we join together to capture
some Eagles magic.

 

     Let me start out by stating what I didn't expect @ the Dallas EAGLES
concert.  I didn't expect to be wowed by the Eagles flying in on a rope
Tarzan (Garth Brooks, or N'Sync) style, or to be dazzled by a great floor
show w/ costume changes and fancy footwork (a la mode de Madonna or Michael
Flatley).  What I expected was to be hot & miserable, park a mile from the
venue, and enjoy a my first Eagles concert show while I took a stroll down
Memory Lane.  I woefully report to you that I was totally disappointed for 2
out of 3 expectations.
      Having arrived at the AA Center by 5pm, we were able to park in the
4th row from the building.  There was no traffic and no Problem!  Outside the
arena, they were selling souvenirs, but I wasn't sure that they weren't
bootleg articles, and I didn't feel like holding bags of stuff for 3 more
hours, so I bided my time.  After being told that the doors wouldn't open
till 6pm, we took a little stroll around the arena (outside of course).  It
wasn't that hot, not by El Paso standards, just sticky, but I had an unbrella
in the car just in case I needed to make my own shade.  They had also
predicted rain that afternoon & evening.  Surprise! The weather was
beautiful, including a slight breeze to cool you off, but it paled in
comparison to the blast of cold we got thru a door on the West Side, that
someone had left propped open.  If I had been 30 years younger, I might have
sneaked in right then & there, because there were all sorts of VIP Private
Reception Parties inside ongoing prior to the show, and VIP's entering the
center right and left, and we could have blended right in.  People wore lots
of shorts, and sunburns, too.  I wore a long sundress & sandals, husband
Levis and a short sleeve linen weave silk shirt, and the obligatory cowboy
boots.  He was a little warm.
      We settled on a shady spot, next to the doors, near the newly planted
tree sapling lined mall, with a  fountain next to the South entrance to make
our camp.  We heard some one tuning up a bass guitar, and I mistakenly
thought we had caught Tim's sound check.  It turned out to be an enterprising
group of jazz musicians who had set up a canopy on the mall to play for those
of us in line.  They were pretty good, too.  Now if some entrepreneur had
just set up a water booth, we would have been good to go!  Some hot fan took
off their shoes, and ran thru the sprinkler (I mean fountain).
      Back in line we met people from all over the area. One couple had been
first in line @9:45 on 3/31 & had actually gotten TM tickets because the
clerk went on line early.  Another pair had bought theirs 2 weeks prior, in a
Stars Season Ticket Presale on a whim to see if they liked their HOCKEY
SEATS!  I informed them, that they were our (True Eagles fans)enemies 3/31 to
4/14.
      Well 1 hour later & still no open doors, but inside there's lots of
activity.  The ushers are moving portable ropes back & forth, and shortly
thereafter,  are all kinds of media people gathering on the inside, TV
cameras, microphones, notepads & cameras in hand.  They start taking our
photos thru the doors.  Now we're the celebrities here & not the Eagles.  
Only in DALLAS!  It's 6:33 and the doors open, I they start rolling the
cameras, & shoving microphones in fans faces.  A reporter from the Dallas
Morning News asks, "What % of your coming here was to see the Eagles?"  I say
"100, I flew here over 600 miles from El Paso."  DMN, "What is your first
impression of the Arena?How does it compare with Reunion Arena?"  Answer,
"I've never seen Reunion but's AA Center is big and hot on the outside, COOL
inside. We haven't seen the inside yet, but we have seen America West Center
in PHX"  Then they ask my husband, "What impresses you the most about it?"  
Without missing a beat, he says the $425 Million price!"
      There are no lines at the concession counter, & needless to say, we're
thirsty!  We get a guzzler size, (inspect the restrooms, where someone forgot
to order the seat covers, I guess) & head inside to locate our seats.  The
arena is huge, two rows of suites, and seats all the way up to the rafters,
literally!  It' s almost frosty it's so cold.  Our seats were in the lower
section, just 12 rows up from the floor. Perfect straight shot view. Turns
out that the floor is longer than a basketball court, more the length of a
hockey rink, so we're about 20ft further back than we had hoped.  Stevie Ray
Vaughn  & The Fabulous Thunderbirds is playing from the PA System.
      We meet some nice people from Tyler, or 15 mins east of Dallas, who
grew up in Linden, and whose mother had taught Don Henley ,as a child ,
Sunday School.  They said that the 2 families knew each other well.  They had
gotten their tickets free from some friends with Maverick's Season tickets.  
Another nice couple next to us had had a close encounter in 1995 with Don &
an albino musician on Caddo Lake, where Don owns a cabin. Don & friend were
in slower boat when they were nearly clipped by this couples' speeding
jetski.  She assured me that Don was very nice, all things considered.
      By now it's nearly showtime, but I decide to go out & buy a shirt
because I'm freezing.  They're already out of the Greatest Hits Album cover
Dallas AA Center shirt  at this booth so I settle on the one of the boys that
says Dallas, & Denver, just in case.  I hot foot it over to the next station.
 I'm in line for 15 min & going nowhere fast.  They're sold out but I'm going
to offer to give them an extra $50 for the display, I've decided.  Right as I
get to the front, from inside the arena the crowd is whistling, and I
mistakenly think that the show has started, and I'm out here in line.  AUGH!  
 I run 1/4 the way around the center, like a bat out of hell, to find my
seat.  False alarm.  Fifteen minutes later, the lights dim & thru my
binoculars, (I'm really nearsighted), I see them standing in the rear,
readying to come on stage, empty handed.
      They walk on up to the mikestands in front & out flows Seven Bridges
Road, note perfect.  It's finally happened, after waiting nearly 30 years,
I'm finally getting to see one of the best bands in the world perform LIVE.  
Tim & Don are wearing all black, & Don's got on Those Shoes, no surprises
here, and Glenn's sporting his sky blue suit and black shirt, Joe's got the
white linen suit, black shirt, & Panama hat thing going. Straight into the
next number, with no small talk comes The Long Run, followed by New Kid in
Town, with Don on the drums for the first of many times. The sound level is
just right, just loud enough that my eardrums aren't screaming. Where was
this sound man when we needed him at Don's Inside Job concert? Next is a
perfect rendition of Wasted Time with Glenn on the piano for the first time,
and Joe at the keyboards.  After the reprise,  Glenn gives us all a Peaceful
Easy Feeling, and I didn't hear him ask who likes country rock after 30
years, but he might have said it. Don's back on drums again, and there's a
violin solo by one of the backups.  Next Joe does Pretty Maids, and Tim says,
"And that was Joe Walsh, and he still is."  Next Tim does an angelic
performance of Love Will Keep Us Alive, and this time, Don is on guitar.  
Correct me if I'm wrong somebody, but doesn't he play this same cream colored
Fender most of the time?  
      Next Don comes out front & center & gets the place rocking with Boys
of Summer, followed by Glenn's arrangement of Take It to the Limit, which he
says he & Don wrote for Randy Meisner, and he is singing back at the piano
again, with Don on guitar.  After that, they go right into Best of My Love.  
Glenn breaks from his European script at this point, and prudently does not
dedicate Already Gone to Dubya, as he is deep in the heart of Bush Country.  
At this point Joe breaks into his first guitar solo, of the evening.  Can he
ever hit a few licks on that thing!  Then he goes onto In the City, and
dazzles us further, with Don back on the congo drums wearing a headset this
time.  In addition, there is a 4pc horn section playing backup with 3 saxes,
and one trumpet.  They end the first half of the show with One of These
Nights, where Steuart Smith is not playing slide guitar, it's Joe.  We just
sit there in awe.  Afraid I'll get stuck in some line, I stay put!  
      When I tell the couple next to us Witchy Woman will open the 2nd half,
they look at me in amazement when it actually happens.  I tell them about
eaglesfans.com., and how I've followed the tour from all over Europe.  
They're impressed by my knowledge of the group, members, tour, setlist, etc.  
Gee, doesn't everybody follow the Eagles on the net? I tell them that the 2nd
half will be more of their solo projects, thrown into the mix.
      Back to the matter at hand.  I miss what Glenn says next, I can only
guess it was his plaintiff joke, because next thing you know, they're playing
Lynin' Eyes with Don back on the skins again.  They drop the lights & spot
one on Tim while he bathes us in the sweet mellow warmth of I Can't Tell You
Why with his bass solo.  In  nothing flat, Joe is already playing Walk Away,
and some folks are getting up in droves, how rude!  Don is back on the congos
again banging away.  After a smooth rendition of Glenn and Don on Tequila
Sunrise, under the glow of reddish lighting, they cruise right on into Sunset
Grill.  When Glenn starts You Belong to the City, his nonfans get up for
their comfort breaks.  From here on it just keeps getting better, with Joe up
for the task in Life's Been Good, followed by Don's Dirty Laundry.  By now
they've started running cirlces on the stage, Tim chasing Joe, and they're
all jumping up an down.  People of all ages are dancing in the stands all
around us & no one is sitting down.  Damn, I can't dance & take notes.  Next
Joe gets fires us all up again with Funk 49, followed by Heartache Tonight
and Life in the Fastlane.  We're not cold anymore, truth be told, it's
getting a little steamy.  Then they leave us all in a frenzy, dim the lights
and walk off stage.  Not to worry, I tell my new friends, they will perform
Hotel CA in their encore, and do three of them, no less.  True to form, they
come back out with a horn intro sounding something akin to a bullfight, very
Spanish.  Then the telltale notes of the trademark tune give it all away. The
couple next to us, say that they have a copy of it from the internet. I'm
surprised now.  Steuart and Joe play it to perfection, no doubleneck guitars
for anyone, and we're all enjoying it, just going along for the ride.  They
leave the stage, and after a thunderous round of applause, (my ears are now
splitting) reappear just before my hearing goes, in a few of the longest
minutes I've ever known.  They return to the set in multicolored hard hats.
Tim's wearing a yellow one with his hair in a ponytail.  Don & Glenn have on
white ones, and Joe's belting out Rocky Mountain Way in a red one(what else).
 Steuart's is blue and we're even encouraged to sing a line or two during the
song.  They exit again after the song & toy with us once again.  Finally they
come out & Glenn thanks us for 30 years of support, and tells us that it was
almost 30 years to the day, that he & Don first met, and decided to play
backup for Linda Ronstadt.  There was no mention of the forthcoming album
promised at the European shows.  He told us that they weren't finished yet,
and sang Take It Easy to an approving audience.  Then for the grande finale.  
Don came out in a black Stetson, and stroked us with as sweet a performance
of Desperado as I have ever heard, and even let the crowd sing "Let somebody
love you," while he chimed in with "before it's too late."
He handed his cowboy hat to Tim, and they took a bow, arm in arm in arm in
arm.  And with that, the show ended at 11:30.   We just sat there dumbfounded
and soaked it all in while we waited for the crowd to clear.  Outside the
arena my husband had to buy himself an Eagles 2001 Tour cap to remember it
all by.
      I've been going to concerts for over 30 years, and this has got to be
one of the most memorable I've ever seen.  I didn't think that me or any of
my favorite groups would ever live long enough to meet and share a moment
together like the one that we did this evening.  I'm glad I was wrong.

Where is Don Felder?!? That is the first thing on my mind when the Eagles opened the new American Airlines Center in Dallas. I don’t care what anybody thinks about his lawsuit or whatever the problem is/was, there was a hole on the stage where he belonged, and any true Eagles fan would agree. I remembered the final show of the “Hell Freezes Over” tour, which began in true Eagles fashion with “Hotel California”. The entire Cajun Dome went black, and one spotlight shone on Felder as he hit the first chord. It was truly a chilling experience. This show started quite differently, which I expected thanks to the great reviews I had read of the European concerts, with “Seven Bridges Road”. A great starting piece, I must say, with the accapella harmonies, but didn’t deliver with the magnitude of Felder’s intro. I was not aware of the identity of his replacement until Glen Frey introduced him later in the show as Shawn Colvin’s former guitarist, Steuart Smith. I guess my opinion of him was marred by the fact of whose place he was in, as I was less than impressed with his performance. He is obviously an accomplished musician. A fact emphasized by a very good friend of mine, who is one of the premiere guitarists in the state of Texas. Although the reviews of the concert in the local newspapers said that he recreated Felder’s solos almost exactly, I have to differ. He omitted many of the (in my opinion) best fills in some of the songs, and lacked the emotion of the originals. The first few songs of the set amplified the absence, but Smith caught up with the action as the night progressed. The crowd responded favorably to his playing, and he seemed to draw from it. His work on “I Can’t Tell You Why” was very similar to Felder’s original, with a little ad-lib with the end. Altogether his best work of the night. He missed a few fills on “Dirty Laundry”, but made an admirable addition with Frey and Walsh on the three-way solo at the end. I was most impressed by the fact that he spent about 75% of the show “finger-picking”, a feat that always gets my attention. He may not be the original, but the show would certainly have suffered without him there.

Again, local reviews complained of Joe Walsh taking the rhythm part too often. This was partly true at the beginning of the show, with the ballads, but Joe took over after the break, showing off all six of his guitars. I was amazed at his surprisingly tasteful and low-key white suit, but his fedora added the more typical Walsh flair. The custom Gibson Les Paul that he used in the early songs played like it was made just for him (you have to excuse me a bit, I think there is no better guitar than a Les Paul, and Walsh and Frey played 5 between them). Of the group, Joe had the best sound musically and vocally throughout the show. That combined with his showmanship made it often hard to remember he wasn’t the only one on stage. By the time they got to “Walk Away”, he was obviously fired up, wailing away like only he can. “Life’s Been Good” gave him more opportunities to play around, and “Funk #49” was done better than ever before. The added horn section along with Joe’s riffs gave it a great blues sound, and some filler while Joe changed guitars twice in the song. I was concerned about the quality of “Dirty Laundry”, since the lead guitar part is one of the most complicated and difficult of the songs they performed. My fears were eased, however, when Joe took the part and absolutely nailed it, making it his own. Frey added to the end solo, as did Smith, but Joe took them to school when he finished it up. A perfect transition into “Funk #49” and the show was on. I looked closely at Joe’s microphone stand through the show for the clear plastic tube of his talkbox, but it wasn’t there. I thought maybe “Rocky Mountain Way” wasn’t to be in the show, and it slipped my mind. After the first encore, I watched as a roadie worked on the stage while we urged for more from the guys. I wondered what he was up to until they came back out and the jumbo screen showed the tube attached to the stand, and “RMW” took off. By far, Joe Walsh was the star of the show. His songs were the most energetic, his playing unbelievable, and his antics entertaining as always (“I have a limo, ride in the back/ I lock the doors and say ‘whassssuuup’”).

It’s been a general consensus among reviewers that Don Henley’s voice was not at it’s best, at least not at the start of the show. This is true, he cracked quite a bit at the onset, but did recover for the later songs, returning to his best form. I guessed that it was an ailment of some sort, since he hardly said two words through the entire concert. He moved quite a bit from front stage to behind the drums, often playing a little guitar himself (a pink Fender, I might add). Despite any problems he may have had, “Boys Of Summer” was one of the best done songs of the show, with driving music and bold vocals. One of the highlights of the show for me was watching Henley and the other drummer play together on a few songs. There were two trap sets, and the two drummers were amazingly together and kept a very steady beat, attesting to the talent of both. By the second set, Henley obviously had his second wind, as his voice improved greatly. He came out to the front of the stage alone in a black Resistol for “Desperado”, a testament to his Texas roots, and quite an awesome effect.

Glen Frey as always appeared to be the glue that held the band together. His voice and guitar provided the backbone of the sound, as well as being the main speaker of the group. He covered a lot of instrumentation, with 4 guitars, a grand piano, and a keyboard. His smooth vocals on the ballads were at their best, even on Randy Meisner’s “Take It To The Limit”, which was almost like a different song. His lead guitar on “Witchy Woman” was a great improvement from the original album version, showing some growth as a musician. Of course, that could have just been the Les Pauls…. His solo songs were true to his style with heavy horns and thick vocals. Altogether a great job.

Timothy B. Schmidt brought his “A” game, also. His voice as great as ever, he got great responses from the crowd with “I Can’t Tell You Why” and “Love Will Keep Us Alive”. With four albums of his own now one would think that maybe they could find room in the show for at least one of his songs. I’m certain no one at the show would complain, especially with the performance he put on this time. The only problem was, with his soft voice, his microphone needed to be turned up a bit more, but I’ll address the sound issues in a moment.

The back-up band with them was made up of Eagles regulars, and some of Henley’s new road band. They did an excellent job throughout the concert. Being a saxophonist myself, I was particularly interested in the horn section, led by regular Al Garth on sax and violin. Garth is one of my favorite saxophonists, and I have always admired his work with the Eagles’ live shows. I was a bit disappointed with the original version of “Best Of My Love”, having been spoiled by the millennium concert version in the box set. I was looking forward to Garth’s sax intro, but it was not to be. He did hit a great solo at the end of the song, however, so I felt a bit better. He also left out a lot of ad-lib on the intro to “You Belong To The City”, but he more than made up for it with the absolutely awesome extended solo in the middle of the song. A great departure from the original. Along with him were two other saxophonists and a trumpet. After reading some reviews of the European shows, I was anticipating the sax intro to “Hotel California”, but it was done on trumpet instead. Oh well, I guess that was made up for by the sax solo on “Rocky Mountain Way”.

The traffic hype led me to my first experience with DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit, for you foreigners). I parked in North Dallas, close to home, and rode the $2 round-trip train to the West End downtown, then a free shuttle to the front door of the center. I’ve never used DART, due to not having the need, and hearing lots of bad things about them, but I have to give them the most credit of any locals involved with the show. The train was cheaper than parking, not to mention the saved gas at $1.30/gallon, and ran early and quickly. The shuttles from the station to the center were a bit behind, but they had no idea that more than 3 times as many people as previous shows would be using the system. I arrived at the center about 20 minutes prior to the show. The return trip was a bit more crowded, but the busses were ready and waiting to take us back to the station.

Altogether, it was obvious that the guys were having a blast on stage. I encountered far fewer people who seemed to be there just for the grand opening than others mentioned. The vast majority of the people I saw and spoke with were true fans, and enjoyed the show accordingly. I dubbed the new center a $400 million rock holding down a section of pavement. For a concert, my upper level seat was reasonable. The huge screens and great camera work by the operators provided an acceptable view. However, for any sporting event, following the action from that level would be done only on the screens, and that’s no different to me than watching it at home on TV. It would be impossible to follow a hockey puck, and a strain to find a basketball from that distance. There was almost no walking room between the rows. Even the smallest patrons had to stand completely and lean back to prevent a passing patron from falling into the next row, which was quite a drop. Being generous, since this was the first event at the center, the sound was not too bad. I could speak in a normal tone to the people next to me and be heard perfectly. The acoustics were good, but there was not nearly enough sound to bounce around for a concert. There were several serious sound problems that arose during the show, sending thunderous thuds and cracks through the speakers. I attributed that to the newness of the center, and it wasn’t too distracting, only a minor nuisance. The stage effects lighting was great, but the spotlights missed their targets more often than not. Fortunately, the camera operators were obviously very familiar with the show, since they did a great job keeping the guys on the screens. The hardhats for encore #2 were a nice touch, and I envy the lucky soul that get Tim’s when he threw it from the stage. The interior of the center looked a lot like a NASCAR racer, with so many corporate logos and advertisements. All said, the show was as great as you could expect from the Eagles, and the center as good as you could expect from the people involved.