Danthemanjayhawk
My wife and I were
one of about 8,000 lucky souls to grace the
Colorado Springs Arena Sunday night. It was our
sixth Eagles concert this year, which started
with the Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. I
must say, they saved one of their best for last!
The concert had a
somewhat auspicious start with Long Run, when
Joe Walsh's guitar simply lost amplification.
Don Henley walked over to him during the song,
while not missing a beat (figuratively
speaking), and gave Joe a reassuring pat on the
shoulder. It worked. From that point forward,
the overall mix improved and Joe put on his best
performance of the year.
The crowd was
electric and remained standing for most of the
show following the intermission. Glenn's voice
sounded strong and full on old time favorites
including Tequila Sunrise and Lyin Eyes. Rocky
Mountain Way was a crowd favorite during the
first Encore and Joe threw in a few licks from
Jimmie Hendrix(Purple Haze) just for grins.
Timmy Schmit's voice was as smooth and melodic
as always. My wife is rather enamored with
him. And, has there ever been a more perfect
voice style match than Don Henley's voice on
Hotel California? He sang it just like he did 25
years ago!
I think it is
important to note that the "core" Eagles(Henley,
Fry, Walsh and Schmit) appeared to be enjoying
themselves and each other - without a hint of
that band splitting tension which resulted in
their split up 22 years ago. They appeared
comfortable yet energized by the enthusiastic
crowd.
Needless to say,
we are looking forward to the 2003 tour. Now, we
just need to find someone with a private jet to
fly us from show to show next year!
Colorado Springs Gazette
Eagles Turn Up Juice
at World Arena
By Bill Reed
The Gazette
The Eagles gave a peaceful, easy concert at the
jam-packed World Arena on Sunday night. At least
for the first half of the three-hour show. Then
the guys turned up the juice and brought it on
home.
The Eagles are one of the biggest bands to ever
play Colorado Springs, and they didn’t disappoint
their loyal fans. In fact the crowd at the World ,
Arena seemed desperate to please the Eagles . Don
Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B.
Schmit — backed by an eight-piece band of horns,
keys, guitar and drums —played faithful
renditions of the Eagles’ long list of hits.
The Eagles took the stage to a thunderous roar,
launching in with "The Long Run," "New Kid In Town
" "Wasted Time" and , "Peaceful Easy Feeling."
The first third of the show was dedicated to
country-based ballads and mid-tempo rockers.
The second third dipped into solo hits by Henley,
Frey and Walsh. The last third was pure rock
‘n’roll.
One of the best things about an Eagles show is
that you know every song. The melodies are
familiar and easy on the ears. But that’s
also the worst thing about an Eagles concert.
After a
while, the mid-tempos, pretty harmonies and
predictable melodies start to sound like an
easy-listening jukebox. The music is always
pleasant but never challenging or
particularly innovative. The Eagles play it
safe.
That said, thank goodness for Joe Walsh. Sure,
Henley has the best vocal chops, settling into a
leathery repose as he ages. Sure, Frey has the
most charm. Sure, Schmit is a killer harmonizer ,
sounding like the lost Vienna Choir Boy. But
Walsh is the only one who seems to remember that
he’s playing a rock concert. He jumps up and
down, he shakes his head violently and he wails on
the guitar, and the others are more polished than
passionate.
Walsh saved the horrible ’80s schlock of Frey’s
"You Belong to the City" with a monster guitar
solo. Then he kicked up the show a notch with the
rollicking fun of his solo hit "Life’s Been Good."
The concert kept getting better from there.
"Heartache Tonight," "Life in the Fast Lane " a
flamenco-flavored , "Hotel California."
The volume of Eagles hits is staggering. And with
four frontmen in one band, they trade the
spotlight all night. It seems there’s been a whiff
of money-hungry cynicism surrounding the Eagles
since they reunited for the "Hell Freezes Over"
tour. In fact the commercial sellout , tag has
trailed the band since the beginning. But the show
they gave at the World Arena was not just an
obligation.
It was clearly not a band who had shown up to
collect a paycheck. This band showed up to play,
and play, and play.
By the time the Eagles finished their final encore
with "Take It Easy" and "Desperado," the show was
everything an Eagles fan could want.
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