Michael's Review

First I must say that something was missing up on the stage this night - Don Felder.  His tunes and swagger were missing with songs like Hotel California and Life In The Fast Lane.  Stuart Smith is good, but that one piece to the band was missing.

Other than that, tell me that the Eagles can not still rock and roll.  Unbelievable that with these guys (Glen, Don, Joe and Tim) being at the age they are, they never missed a note or tune.  Mr. Walsh brought the house down with his play.  The guy may just be the best.  Henley hit some high notes that showed he still has that wonderful voice.

These guys rock and rolled all evening.

Joe Walsh was wearing a black coat with an orange shirt with orange and black pants, with what appeared to be orange tennis shoes.  Glen Frey was wearing a two piece lavender colored suit with black shirt.  Henley was wearing all black and Schmit was wearing all grey.

I saw these guys put on a great show in 94 in Vegas.  We caught em again when they did 2 shows in Indianapolis in early 95 (rescheduled from 94).  The only words to use to describe each and every show these guys put on is "Great Show Men"!  Louisvile in 2002 included.

Jimbo's Review

Since I chose not to pay the bucks to attend the HFO tour, as a major Eagles fan I had to see them this time around. I had seen them twice in the ‘70’s, but both times were when Leadon and Meisner, as well as Felder, were with the band. I hadn’t seen them with Schmit and Walsh, so I was by my computer as soon as the tickets went on sale. The only bad aspect of the evening was my seats. I was in section 15 in Row L, and it seemed that everyone in front of me was at least 6-foot-3. Thank God for the screens!

First of all, a few general observations. When I heard about Felder’s dismissal, my first reaction was that I wouldn’t pay to see 80% of the band. Stuart Smith made up for Felder’s absence and then some. He had a formidable task – he had to be Felder, Leadon, and Danny Kortchmar (Henley’s and Frey’s solo stuff) all through the show. His guitar style reminded me of Lindsey Buckingham – electric picking with the fingertips and no guitar pick. He really rocked Henley’s tunes and played Felder’s stuff so well that I hope he plays on their upcoming CD. Al Garth on the fiddle on Wasted Time and Lyin’ Eyes and his sax on You Belong to the City were highlights of the show. The horn section was most prominent on The Long Run and Heartache Tonight, but they were drowned out by the crowd in other songs. The guys played the same setlist except Seven Bridges Road and Best of My Love. I have a theory regarding their leaving out these songs. With every song they sang, they had 12,000 backup singers. Those two songs are soft songs that depend on perfect harmony and little instrumentation. If the guys played those songs, they would be totally drowned out by the crowd. Just a theory.

Now for some specific songs. Henley started out in front for Long Run. The horns helped make the song, but Don’ vocals were on the money. Frey sounded great on New Kid, which featured the classic Eagle oooo’s. Joe and Stuart played together on Peaceful Easy Feeling and between them added a new dimension to Leadon’s old guitar part. Pretty Maids featured the sweet backing vocals of Tim, Don, and Glenn and got us warmed up for Joe’s craziness and brilliance the rest of the night. Tim’s voice was perfect as always on Love Will Keep Us and Stuart’s guitar added a little something beyond the norm for that song. Stuart really had a chance to shine on Boys of Summer and Don kicked butt in the first non-Eagles song of the show. Then came Take It to the Limit. Sorry, but Glenn singing on this one just didn’t do it for me. He did as well as could be expected, but without Meisner it just sounded like they were doing a cover version of their own song. Remember that song on Eagles Live? That’s the way the song needs to be done, especially at the end. Stuart and Glenn stood out on Already Gone, with Stuart’s licks sounding just like Felder’s. In the City again featured the backing vocals that really made the song sweet. They closed the first set with One of These Nights. This song has a lot of significance for me, a story I won’t bore you with. Tim played that opening bass lick well, even if it wasn’t as long as on the original recording. Don has one of the truly great falsetto voices. This was the first time on the night that he sang lead and played the drums.

After intermission Don’s incredible falsetto was featured again on Witchy Woman. I think this was the song that really made me fall in love with their music, and it was that voice that did it. Well, he did it again – amazing. Tim took a lap around the stage on I Can’t Tell, which pleased the crowd. He has such a sweet voice that I would have liked to hear more from him, maybe some old Poco stuff or something off his new CD. Walk Away was unbelievable – Joe at his best. Sunset Grill gave Stuart another chance to show his chops. Love the lyrics in this song. Al’s sax saved You Belong to the City. Glenn doesn’t have the voice for this one anymore, which was surprising because he sang everything else just great. Tim tried to help him by singing most of the song with him, but it didn’t help enough. I think Glenn’s solo career is usually underrated, and I would have liked to hear a different song of his, maybe The Heat Is On. Life’s Been Good was a riot, with Joe taking some “poetic license’ with the lyrics. He took a lap around the stage on this one, really showing the crowd some energy. Funk #49 was the best Walsh song in my opinion. I’ve always loved this one for its guitar licks. Dirty Laundry is one of the best “consciousness” songs around – a great version here. Glenn and Joe both got turns on guitar on this one. After Glenn’s vocals on You Belong, I was a little concerned when Heartache Tonight came up, but he nailed it. The horns stood out here also. Joe and Stuart worked great together on Fast Lane. The guys closed the second set in grand style with this one.

Next up, the encores. Stuart pulled out the double-necked guitar for Hotel California and even though Felder wrote much of the music for this one, Stuart took over in great fashion. This song is one of the real rock anthems, to use a quote from the guy sitting next to me. Some of the reviews I’ve read had a problem with Rocky Mountain Way and All She Wants To Do Is Dance being encore songs because they aren’t actually Eagles’ songs, but they were both grand versions. Stuart rocked the house with his slide guitar, and Glenn cracked us up by dancing with the horn section between keyboard licks. Finally, they played two of their signature songs, Take It Easy and Desperado, my own personal favorite. Desperado was almost inaudible because of the cheering and crowd singing, which kind of shows what might have happened with Seven Bridges and Best of My Love. Three hours and ten minutes after they opened, they sent us home happy.

Joe looked like he wore his pajamas on stage, a red-orange silkish shirt with psychedelic pants and sneakers, but he dressed it up with a dark jacket. Glenn wore a lavender suit (Check out his suit on his live album from Dublin – it looks like the same suit) with a dark shirt underneath. Don and Tim wore dark clothing, as did Stuart. Don got the best workout of the band, moving from the front to the drums and back several times. Glenn did all the talking, with the usual jokes, introductions, welcomes and good-byes. All in all, we had the privilege of seeing a Hall of Fame band that still has the chops. They may be in their 50’s, but these guys still rock.

Megan's Review

The first time I saw the Eagles was the Hell Freezes Over tour back in '95... I was 12.  Friday night, I saw them again on the 2002 tour and they blew my mind.  They came out about 8:25... impeccably dressed.  Don Henley was wearing black and he had what looked to be bleach blond spiked hair - nice.  Glenn Frey was wearing a dusty rose colored suit with a black t-shirt, Timothy B. Schmit was wearing what looked like a gray ribbed sweater and dark colored pants and a dark jacket... and then there was Joe Walsh.  Orange Nikes, black pants with flames all over them, an orange t-shirt, and a black jacket.  

The highlight of my night had to be that part in "Already Gone" when Glenn Frey sings "woo hoo hooooo... woo hoo hoooo". Glenn also rocked when he put on a Kentucky hat part of the way through the set and then during Henley's "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" Glenn broke it down for the audience a couple of times up near the brass.  He really proved to have a lot of energy and a nice stage presence.

Henley sounded awesome... I must say I like his voice now a lot more than what he sounded like on the old albums - his voice has a lot more character now.

Schmit also was great - he wished Louisville a "Happy July" and walked around the back of the stage to the audience behind the stage - now those are real fans that will pay over 50 bucks for a ticket where they can only see the Eagles' backsides.

Joe Walsh can really rock.  "Funk 49", "Life's Been Good", and "Walk Away" were all crowd favorites, but especially the improvisation he used in "Life's Been Good". (The totally sweet speed of his Maserati and the "whassup?!?!")  You could tell he totally got into his guitar playing during the songs and was jumping around along with the other guys quite a bit.  

The brass players rocked it out too - and they did 180's during a lot of the songs - it was a lot to take in!  I have to say my only true disappointment of the night was the absence of "Seven Bridges Road".  

The entire set list was amazing - although they did alter a few little words or notes here and there, it really sounded like the albums - I could see that a lot of people around me were reminiscing about earlier times during the show. (i.e. "25 years ago I heard this in my Rally Sport...")  I kind of think of the Eagles as the Waffle House of music --- you go and all misconceptions and prejudices clear up because everyone justs wants to get down and have an awesome time... I think the diversity of the age of the crowd was also really apparent when Glenn Frey thanked the kids in the audience for dragging their parents along.  What a totally sweet show.