There are certain things in life that have a magic of their own, and in these
stressful times that rare magic is something we don't have the opportunity to
experience very often. Seeing the Eagles in Birmingham was such an
experience, so magical and awesome that I don't even know where to begin my
account of the concert. I'm sure by now you've all read the reviews of the
other shows on their tour, and have a good idea of the songs they played and
the level of enjoyment for all involved - so all I can do here is share my
own thoughts, and how their show affected me personally. Hope you enjoy it.
:)

I am a 39 year-old woman, and have been an Eagles fan since their 70's
beginning. Over the years they have gone on various tours, and I've always
wanted to see them - but until July 17, I was never able to do so. The
closest I could come was seeing Don Henley from the front row in Pensacola
during his 1990 tour…and as awesome as that was, I knew that seeing them all
together would be the ultimate. My friends, it was indeed the ultimate…as
I'm writing this, I'm getting chill bumps just thinking about it. I have
attended many concerts over the years, and none of them compared with the
Eagles performance Wednesday night…it's Friday afternoon now, and I'm still
not back on Earth yet. ;)

I think the greatest thing to me about the Eagles is that no one member
clearly stands out from the others…they're all equally gifted, uniquely
enough so that their individual talents combine all the pieces of an
intricate puzzle to perfection. Their personalities are as diverse as their
talents, and their music is unique in that none of their songs sound alike
(as is the case with so many other bands). They each add their own personal
element to their songs and performances: Don is so serious and intense, and
his lyrics always contain such profound messages…Timothy is so sweet and yet
powerful in his own rite, with a melodic voice from the heavens…Glenn is so
fun and friendly, someone we'd all be comfortable spending time with…and Joe
is, as always, the wild man who matches the energy he displays on stage with
his amazing talent on the guitar. Though they don't look the same as they
did 30 years ago, they have all aged gracefully…like good wine, they've only
gotten better with time. :) The outstanding acoustics and backup musicians
completed the perfect combination - if they hadn't been on stage in front of
me, I'd have sworn I was listening to a CD.

I don't think I can honestly pinpoint the best part of their performance, as
all of the tunes were just awesome. I have some personal favorites, like
"Love Will Keep Us Alive" (which I intend to play at my wedding), "Wasted
Time", and "I Can't Tell You Why"…what can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic at
heart. :) I think they took it up a notch when "Life's Been Good" started,
though, and Joe got the crowd really cranked up. It was obvious he was
having a blast, jumping around on stage in his psychedelic green and black
pants. To follow that with "Dirty Laundry" (another of my personal
favorites) was the best…at that point, I think everyone was out of their
seats and dancing. Of course, "Hotel California" and "Lyin' Eyes" are
wonderful classics…and Glenn's dance routine during "All She Wants To Do Is
Dance" was so entertaining. I loved seeing them end it with "Desperado",
same as Don did when I saw him in 1990…it was just beautiful. The one and
only disappointment for me was not to hear "Best Of My Love"…I wasn't
expecting to since they apparently only performed it on opening night, but I
certainly was hoping they'd make an exception.

I could write endlessly about the show, but I think you've pretty much gotten
the drift by now. It was an escape from reality, an atmosphere that would
make anyone forget their problems. Time flies when you're having fun, and it
was the fastest 3 hours of my entire life. ;D I sang and cheered loudly the
whole time, and completely lost my voice as a result…but it was well worth
the laryngitis, and good medicine for any kind of ailment. I would love to
be in Biloxi tonight for the last show of the tour…I'm sure they'll be
rocking the Gulf Coast, saying farewell until the next round. I sure hope
that will be soon, because I will be there again…now that I've gotten a
taste, I'm completely hooked. :)

Gary's Review

Well, after eight years of famine, I was excited about getting my Eagles
"live" fix. My wife and I drove from Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon and
checked into our quaint little bed and breakfast, got a bite to eat,
then made our way to the Birmingham Jefferson County Coliseum. We
arrived at 6:30 and the doors opened shortly thereafter. It was neat to
arrive early and sense the air of anticipation building. Here are my
takes on the concert, given bullet point style for a quick read:


* Our informal survey was that the ages of the attendees were
approximately 5 to 65.
* The guys began at 8:15
* We were stiffed "Seven Bridges Road" and "Best of My Love", but
"The Long Run" as an opener was awesome
* The color of choice seemed to be black..for the Horn section and
back-up musicians, as well as Don, Glenn, and Tim. Glenn looked spiffy
and somewhat like a pre-Castro Cuban bandleader with his hot pink shirt
under a black suit. Joe was, well, Joe in his camouflage pants, suit
coat and tennis shoes. I quipped to my wife that my bet was that given
the fact that we were in Alabama, this was not the first time this
ensemble had been worn by someone in this state (sorry, could not
resist)
* Steuart Smith is an amazing guitarist, but I miss Felder
* Many of the songs turned into sing-a-longs
* I found myself struggling to understand what was being said by
Glenn and Tim. The sound seem to get better, but still was not what I
am used to.
* I loved hearing the last song of the first set (One of These
Nights) and the first song of the second (Witch Woman). These were not
sung during the HFO tour and they were AWESOME
* Joe was as advertised....bringing a whole bunch of energy and
antics to the show
* The guys did interact well together, contrary to earlier reviews
* I agree that Hotel California is better as the opening song as
opposed to an encore
* I was amazed at the number of people who excited after the first
encore....they missed four more songs!

It was a wonderful experience and I am amazed at the show these guys put
on. They are without a doubt the most amazing and widely appealing band
that we have and their longevity is something that is very rare in this
industry.
Thanks to the Fast Lane for keeping us updated and pumped up!

Bring on the new album!!!!!