Well, just to let you know that my husband and I thought the Lubbock show was very powerful. It Exceeded our expectations. We are in our mid-30's and have always been fans. Now we are the die-hard kind.
We wanted you all to know how blessed we were that you came close to us and we could have a chance to see a group such as yours. Please do not be disappointed. everywhere we went the next day, before we returned to Seminole, people were still excited.
Thank you so much, again. We pray that God blesses you and your families through-out the tour.
You are all awesome.
If there is anyone that was not pleased with the Lubbock show, Then all I can say is "GET OVER IT"!

McPaige's Review

"The Eagles are coming to Lubbock on June 28."

Talk about music to my ears! I've been a fan of The Eagles since junior high, some 20+ years ago. I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to see my favorite band live, especially now that I am settled in Lubbock, Texas. We're not known for being on every bands "must play" short list of cities. However, the construction of our United Spirit Arena a couple of years ago has helped to get us on a few lists, including Elton John, the Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, and Britney Spears. (Don't ask about the Britney technical problems...) Don Henley played the Texas Tech United Spirit Arena a few months back, and was wonderful. I enjoy him as a solo artist and was so pleased when he played a few Eagles songs. However, I knew that getting to see the whole group would be an altogether amazing evening. And it was.

The first few moments were a little disappointing for me. I wish I didn't have to say that, but I must. Seven Bridges Road holds many memories for me. After reading the set list, I was cautiously hopeful that we *might* get it here, but my hopes were dashed. I was bummed for about 45 seconds, then realized that I needed to let it go, and concentrate on enjoying all that the next 3 hours, 16 minutes had to offer. And was it ever enjoyable!

The guys came out looking fit, healthy, sober, and happy. Glenn Frey was still sporting his "suit" look, which becomes him almost as much as a pair of Levi's. Joe Walsh had a dark jacket, white pants and some funky multi colored shoes. Don Henley was wearing black on black (jacket, shirt and pants.) Timothy Schmidt was in a white shirt and dark pants, looking the most casual and comfortable. The rest of the band was dressed very demurely, and seemed to have been given set parameters on the stage in which to work.

The stage is simple, unassuming and ideal for not getting in the way of the music. There were two jumbotron screens, which I am sure made things better for the folks in the nosebleed sections, and those in the back. (Nothing like paying $100 for nosebleed seats!) The lighting was quality, and a nice change from some of the other recent stage shows. I did notice that only the main four guys had the white backlighting. Visually, Stuart Smith is definitely presented as a member of the backup group, not as any sort of replacement for Don Felder.

The first half of the show followed the set list perfectly. After a great opening version of The Long Run, Glenn Frey spoke very briefly, mentioning Buddy Holly and Bobby Knight. (I guess that is what everyone thinks of when they think of Lubbock these days...) Little did I know this would be the longest any of them would speak the entire evening, and the only statement made all evening that was "personal".

They returned immediately to the music, with New Kid in Town, Wasted Time with a nice reprise, and Peaceful Easy Feeling. The guitar work was great, and I was beginning to take notice of Stuart Smith at this point. What a talent! It is not easy to stand out standing next to Joe Walsh, but Stuart's musicianship did. This is a good match, artistically.

Pretty Maids All In A Row and Love Will Keep Us Alive followed. Nice harmonies, and Timothy Schmidt has such a pure voice, a treat to listen to. Boys of Summer quickly brought the crowd to their feet, as did most of Don Henley's solo hits. Occasional talking between songs felt very canned, esp. Glenn Frey introducing Take It To The Limit, and referencing his wife and their credit cards. But the music was flawless.

They ended the first half of the show with Already Gone, In The City (Joe Walsh is so entertaining to watch!) and One Of These Nights. The concluded nearly an hour of complete entertainment.

The intermission lasted about 20 minutes, and that is when I noticed that the arena was getting warm. I guess that they were conserving energy for the transformers. (Bad Britney reference, sorry, I couldn't resist.)

The lights darkened and the guys came back out and started things back up with Witchy Woman. (Hey, Joe Walsh changed shoes!) The Oooh-oohs sounded wonderful -- Don's voice was perfect. The harmonies these guys pull off now are even better than the ones they did 30 years ago. (Sniff, sniff, still would have LOVED to have heard Seven Bridges Road.) Again the boys followed the set list exactly, and the show was cooking. I'm not a fan of Glenn Frey's solo work, but You Belong To The City was great. I enjoyed him sitting at the piano for this song.

Tequila Sunrise was wonderful, I've always loved this song and it sounded better now than it did then. Life's Been Good and Funk #49 were great. Joe Walsh is a show stealer, for sure. At different points during the show, Glenn, Timothy and Joe all walked around and acknowledged the folks behind the stage (who had still paid $50-$75 for their tickets.) Huge points for doing that!

Heartache Tonight and Life In The Fast Lane ended the second set. What a way to close it out, and the sound was traditional and perfect on this two classics.

Encore #1 was a Latin sounding trumpet solo introducing Hotel California. Very nice, very seductive. The Eagles just don't get better than this do they?

Encore #2 was the crowd pleasing Rocky Mountain Way. We were nearing frenzy stage at this point. Personally I love All She Wants To Do Is Dance, and I thought this Don Henley solo piece was perfectly placed in the set list. We were all dancing in our places, singing along.

Encore #3 began with a perfect rendition of Take It Easy. Closing the show was Desperado. Wow.

I left the show feeling like I had just experienced something I'll never forget: My favorite band singing (almost) all of my favorite songs, and sounding even better live than they did on the CDs. I've seen several concerts in my time, and even so, you forget how much of a treat it is to see true musicians performing. They harmonize magically, and their musicianship is excellent. These guys all play 2-4 instruments, and genuinely love to play. A bonus for the show was that they even seemed to enjoy playing *together*.

The Don Henley show a few months back was great -- this took it to notches unknown! All of the guys solo hits sounded much better with The Eagles as the back up band.

What would I change about the Friday night show? I wish we could have had more talking between numbers from the guys -- more interaction, more stories. (Has VH-1's Storytellers spoiled me? I guess so.) The show felt very *cookie cutter* in its delivery. While the show was musically flawless, I felt like Oklahoma City would get the exact same show the following evening. (Minus the Buddy Holly and Bobby Knight comments.) I also wish the arena would have been a little cooler.

This was a magical evening, and one I won't forget. Their projected sense of being united and cohesive leads me to believe that they might even stay together for a while. Who knows, maybe they'll come back again! If they do, I'll be there.