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Bob
I went to the
Gorge at George, WA to see the Eagles. The concert
was top notch. The last time I saw the Eagles was
on the World tour portion of Hell freezes over in
Japan (in general, concerts are so superior
there,) both were about 3 hours with an
intermission. I don’t know what took those folks
in Canada so long to get going, from the Vancouver
Sun review: “ Easy Money was the one that finally
took the show into rock 'n' roll mode, and which
finally got the floor crowd standing.” The center
section at the Gorge never sat down from start to
finish, except during the intermission. If you can
find the money, the concert is worth the price of
admission. We had the full show starting with
“Seven Bridges Road.” We also had an AD LIB about
playing the songs really fast because of a
“curfew” and that they would start really rocking
after the intermission. 20 minutes is not long
enough to get through the lines as the women next
to us missed two or three songs of the second set.
They started promptly, and they ended exactly
three hours later. The back up band members
shined. DON”T MISS THIS CONCERT. Take someone who
thinks the current bands and their current
concerts are good so they can see a superior
concert.
Fan from Wenatchee
Just went to the
6-15 02 concert at the gorge. Over 22,000
people were there. All I can say is it was the
coolest thing I've ever done or scene.
They are so awesome.
It was great. Played for 3hrs. Had the crowed
rocking out. A memory I will cherish for ever.
They are truly legends.
Seattle
Fan
Well, the
excitement started on I-90, 1½ hours away from
the Gorge. Parked by the side of the road was a
person sitting on top of a car, with a sign
stating: “1 Eagles ticket, General Admission.” I
didn’t stop to see if he was buying or selling,
but it got me in the mood early. All the Eagles
tunes blasting out of the arena parking lot
proved that everyone else was in the mood early
– and it was like a big, wild picnic. The ages
varied from 2 years old to around 70. The Gorge
is an outside arena set over the Columbia River.
It looks like it’s on the edge of a cliff. Just
breathtaking, and a phenomenal place to see the
Eagles. (Glenn later called it the “Gorgeous
Gorge.”)
They opened with their arms around each other,
singing Seven Bridges Road. That was a huge
treat, and their easy camaraderie and affection
was very apparent.
Long Run was sung perfectly by a laid back Don.
At the part where he sings: “All the debutantes
in Houston, baby, couldn’t hold a candle to you”
– he put his arm around Joe and sang it to him.
New Kid in Town was sung flawlessly by Glenn.
Wasted Time was a little scratchier than
Portland’s version, but it had more heart. Each
drawn out note was accompanied by audience
cheers.
When all the harmonies first chimed in on
Peaceful, Easy Feeling, it was as if time had
stood still for 30 years.
Pretty Maids was sung perfectly by Joe, who
seemed to have a pretty solid fan base in the
audience. After that song, Timothy said: “That
was the one and only – and I mean one and only –
Joe Walsh.” How true.
Love Will Keep Us Alive was again beautifully
sung by Timothy, and showcased the perfect
harmonies they share.
Joe, Glenn and Steuart just jammed on Boys of
Summer, and Don was having a blast. To see
everyone still enjoying their work and their
friendship was so great to see. I’ve never seen
Don laugh and smile so much.
Take it to the Limit had Glenn signing right on
key. The audience loved the “new” version, and
the song sounded like a lot more country had
been infused in it. Don and Timothy kept
laughing with each other.
The whole band rocked again in Already Gone. Joe
brought everyone to their feet with his
masterful guitar.
In the City was the typical Joe showcase.
Absolutely flawless. It was touching to see how
much the Eagles appreciated and enjoyed each
other’s solo work. Don seemed to especially
enjoy playing the drums on Joe’s songs, and
Glenn was constantly laughing and shaking his
head at Joe.
One of These Nights was sexy as hell.
Glenn then promised that, after a short break,
they’d “come back and rock like dogs.” And they
did.
Witchy Woman opened the second half. Don hit all
the high notes (almost painfully!) and the band
was energized from the first note.
Glenn then mentioned something about having to
cut it short because of a curfew in the area.
After we all booed, he said to forget about it.
Lyin Eyes had a nice touch with a violin solo.
At the part where they sing: “She stares out at
the stars up in the sky,” Joe craned his neck to
look up at the stars. Another cute moment was
Glenn and Joe reaching out and strumming the
last note of the song on the other’s guitar.
Another good sign of their true affection and
friendship.
I Can’t Tell You Why was sweetly done by
Timothy. He always seems surprised when he gets
the wild cheers.
Walk Away just rocked. Joe’s energetic guitar
got the whole audience moving.
Tequila Sunrise was beautiful, especially with
the gorgeous backdrop. Another touching moment
was Don and Glenn singing to each other at this
part: “ . . . it’s a hollow feeling; when it
comes down to dealing friends . . .”
In Sunset Grill, Don looked like he was singing
to a group of friends, rather than an audience.
He seemed very comfortable and loose.
As in the Portland show, You Belong to the City
was not known for its vocal parts (Glenn still
was having problems with the high notes), but
the entire band’s instrumentals made the song
exceptional (especially the saxophone).
Laughter again was the reaction of Don and Glenn
in Joe’s Life’s Been Good. Don was having a
total blast on the drums. At one point he said:
“You get ‘em, Joe.”
Dirty Laundry was enjoyed by the whole band.
Glenn’s guitar solo was exceptional.
Funk 49 brought the house down. Don was laughing
and having a great time on the drums. Don, Glenn
and Timothy just sat back and chuckled at Joe’s
spirited antics.
Heartache Tonite was another song which they all
seemed to enjoy playing, and Glenn sounded
great.
Life in the Fast Lane – well, I really got
distracted on that song. Because I only could
see Don playing the drums when he was on the
screen (the dang speakers and camera blocked my
view), I was just focused on his chest hairs
poking out of the top of his shirt. Sorry! I do
remember enjoying it, though (the song, that
is!).
The first encore was Hotel California. This was
another song where I felt time had stood still.
Beautiful.
Rocky Mountain Way had the guys laughing again,
this time at Joe’s “talk box” words. The
saxophone solo was a nice touch.
All She Wants to do is Dance was the next
encore. They all were having a blast with this
one, and the whole audience was dancing.
The third encore, Glenn came out and yawned. He
was very appreciative, though. They sang Take it
Easy, which was perfect.
Then, unfortunately, it was the end. In
Desperado, Don seemed like he was talking to us,
telling us to let ourselves be loved.
The guys seemed looser and more informal than
Thursday’s Portland concert. They all were
goofing around and having a good time, and there
were touching moments of true affection. Rather
than having one “show stealer,” the whole band
stole the show this time, and our hearts along
with it.
Debbie's Review
We flew from the
Bay Area to Seattle Saturday morning and drove
about 3
hours to George. The drive through the mountains
was beautiful but nothing
like the view we had when we arrived. Everyone
should make a point of
going to the Gorge. We were on the lawn looking
out over the stage with
the Columbia River and the sunset in the
background. Absolutely awesome.
My biggest regret is that I believed the signs
outside and left my camera
in the car. I wanted it for the view. Even the
weather was great. I had
heard that the wind can be a problem there but
it was just a gentle breeze
which helped since the temperature was 95 when
we arrived in the afternoon
so by the evening it was perfectly comfortable.
Someone must have arranged
it especially for this concert since it was 75
and windy on Sunday and
rained all day Monday. (The only bad thing about
this venue is that they
only have one exit - 20,000 people leaving at
once makes for quite a cattle
herd - but everyone was polite and patient for
the most part. We found
that refreshing since we have been trampled
under less arduous conditions
at various venues California.)
This was my 3rd Eagles concert in 2-1/2 years -
the Millenium and Dallas
were the others. I can't believe that they can
get better each time but
they do. I won't go into the set list since
someone has already done it
but I will say that they were obviously having a
good time and so was the
audience. People were singing along and those in
the reserved seating
didn't sit down all night.
As this tour started I read a lot of the reviews
by fans and media. One of
the criticisms the media frequently has is that
they don't put on a
spectacle filled show with a lot of fireworks
and dancing around. Well,
they don't have to. This is a very talented
group that lets their talent
speak for itself. And whoever said they could
just stay home and listen to
the CDs hasn't attended a concert. A lot of the
songs had different
arrangements and intros that you don't hear on
the CDs. In Dallas the
mandolin parts were obviously missing but they
have improvised and Stuart
is now playing them with a guitar. You really
have to be paying attention
to notice any difference. Also, since they have
a large catalog of songs,
they don't have to fill the time up with
meaningless talk.
They all sounded great and are amazingly
talented musicians. Glen and
Timothy were all over the stage having fun and
Joe was very entertaining as
usual but Don's singing was the best from
beginning to end. When he sang
Desperado in Dallas I was blown away because it
was the best I had ever
heard and this time he matched it. I can't wait
to see him next month at
Konocti and hopefully I'll have the chance to
see the whole group again
many times in the future. - Debbie
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