We went to the Portland show last night.  Fantastic!  Three hours of music, dancing, and singing along to the "Best of" hits.  Regardless of what other reviews have said, the Eagles did have crowd interaction, especially Joe Walsh.  His prancing, dancing, and facial expressions got the audience going and his guitar sent us through the roof!

I especially liked Glenn Frey's dedicating "Take it to the Limit" to his first wife, who "liked to max out our credit cards".  Or Don Henley, about ready to launch into the second verse of "Life in the Fast Lane", asking the audience "Are you with me"?  Or the entire band, during "Life's Been Good", saying "WE haven't changed".  I'm not sure what Joe Walsh's Mazerati does, but it wasn't "185".  And his "Wazzup" was hilarious.

Chuck

Here's the set list for Portland:

The Long Run
New Kid In Town
Wasted Time W/Reprise
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Pretty Maids All In A Row
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Boys Of Summer
Take It To The Limit
#Best Of My Love
Already Gone
In The City
One Of These Nights

Intermission

Witchy Woman
Lyin' Eyes
I Can't Tell You Why
Walk Away
Tequila Sunrise
Sunset Grill
You Belong To The City
Life's Been Good
Dirty Laundry
Funk # 49
Heartache Tonight
Life In The Fast Lane

ENCORE 1

Hotel California

ENCORE 2

Rocky Mountain Way
All She Wants To Do Is Dance

ENCORE 3

Take It Easy
Desperado

 

Doug's Review

What can I say?  No backup singers, no second drum kit for that thundering
power beat, no dancers, no lasers, no fog, no pyrotechnics...

A breath of fresh air.

We've all become accustomed to the other pre geriatric-bands who use a big
budget production to Viagra-tize a diminished level of "IT"; that
immeasurable attribute that only a scant handful of bands have EVER had,
let alone maintained.  I've been dazzled by that high dollar glitter before
(ala Pink Floyd).  But THIS is the reunion tour that all classic rock fans
have been waiting for.  Old school; the band playing and singing for
themselves, plus a handful of exceptional players supporting the boys on
the more "vocal" intensive cuts...

The only thing that made me notice Don Felder's absence was infrequently
feeling badly for Stuart Smith, who despite his flawless chops, seemed to
be just outside "the circle".  He isn't an Eagle granted, but this guy
ought to get points for effort.  There were times when each of the four
gravitated to his side of the stage to jam, but despite being up front with
the guys and being featured on most solos, he just seemed left out...

Another interesting addition was a four piece horn section.  These guys
were pretty tight, punctuating some of the cuts perfectly.  Others needed
to be arranged differently.  Don't get me wrong, they were only there on a
few cuts, and I like horns, so it worked to update some of the songs
without going over the top.  Again, a perfect mix for this tour...

The Eagles were mostly all business.  Having to jam nearly 30 songs into
the space of 3 hours leaves little time for jokes and so they kept the hits
rolling.  Three or four encores later I was ROCKED...  More bang for the
buck if you ask me...  I wanted "These Shoes" and "Smuggler's Blues", but
who's complaining?

If you can still get tickets, DO IT.  Pay the money.  I've had to give up
on seeing a Beatles reunion tour.  This was # 2 on that very short list and
its now the touchstone for the rest on that list...  Best show I've ever
heard...

 

Seattle FanEagles at Rose Garden Arena; Portland, OR (6/13/02)
(Seat – Floor, Row 15 – great view!)

Wow. Wow. Wow. This night was an amazing and surreal experience. From Long Run to Desperado, the Eagles showed us why they’re still together – individual talents blended together in perfect harmony.

Long Run opened the concert. Don was on fire, and he didn’t flicker out all night. He was genuinely smiling throughout the whole concert, and it was infectious among the band. Don’s voice was clear and unwavering all throughout the night.

Glenn gave a wistful performance in New Kid in Town, and I never realized he had such an expressive face, especially at the “I don’t want to hear it” part. I never realized the song was so “countryish” and I saw it in a different light.

Wasted Time was incredible. Every note drawn out by Don brought wild cheers from the audience. He got the first standing ovation of the night.

Peaceful Easy Feeling was a little disappointing to me, both because the beautiful harmonies were drowned out by the audience singing along, and because of the overpowering instrumental backup. It was fun to see Joe and Stewart enjoyed playing off each other, though.

Pretty Maids was strongly sung by Joe, but his voice was a little scratchy. His guitar playing more than made up for it, though. He really let loose for the first time here, and of course the audience went wild along with him.

Love Will Keep Us Alive was sweetly done by Timothy. His voice was strong all night, and he just seems like such a dang nice guy. The audience treated him to a standing ovation, and he seemed genuinely surprised and pleased.

Boys of Summer made the audience wild. Glenn was all smiles throughout this song. At one point, Don said something to Glenn and they both cracked up. Don seemed to have a little trouble stopping his laughter before his next line, and Glenn chuckled over that. Wonder what they were laughing about . . .

Glenn came even more alive in Take it to the Limit. He did that same credit card joke, which the audience thought was hilarious. I always wanted to see his version of that song, and I was not disappointed. His voice was clear and strong throughout it.

Glenn was on fire even more in Already Gone. That’s one of my favorites, and it was a real treat for me to see it live. Glenn asked: “Who likes country rock in the Pacific Northwest?” 20,000 fans cheered a resounding “yes.”

In the City had some interesting use of the infamous horn section. Joe was having a total blast, and it was shared by everyone on stage.

Then Glenn introduced the band. There were a few “boos” for Steuart, but I think most people didn’t have a clue to the Felder story.

One of These Nights was another Henley masterpiece – incredibly sexy!

The second half opened with Witchy Woman. The whole band was on fire, and I felt I was seeing the Eagles in their purest form.

When Glenn introduced Lying Eyes, he said: “This was the origin of Witchy Woman.” It was fun to see Glenn and Don’s harmony on this song.

I Can’t Tell You Why was again done very sweetly by Timothy. Steuart also got a lot of applause for his playing.

Walk Away was very spirited guitar playing, but Joe sounded a little off. Actually, I think I’ve only heard that song “on key” on his album. He does something funky with it in concert. That was ok, though – his guitar playing was what stayed on our minds.

Tequila Sunrise was a great showcase for the classic Eagles harmonies. At one point, Glenn and Don just looked at each other and sang, and it was easy to see how much they still meant to each other.

Sunset Grill was solidly performed by Don, and the entire band was having a good time with it.

You Belong to the City was not a good Glenn showcase. He didn’t seem to be able to hit the high notes, but he sounded especially great when he sang the “You can taste it . . .” part. Joe saved the song with an almost too-powerful guitar playing at the end.

Life’s Been Good was rollickingly done by all the boys. When Joe replaced the words with “My Mazarati does 3 million 8 hundred thousand” miles, the place cracked up. Glenn was good-naturedly shaking his head at Joe’s antics.

In Dirty Laundry the guys really came together. They all were having a blast, and, as usual, Don’s voice was perfect. The guys had a good time with the “Kick ‘em when you’re up; kick ‘em when you’re down” part.

Funk 49 brought another standing ovation. Actually, the whole audience hardly sat down at all during the entire second half.

Heartache Tonite brought Glenn cranking alive. The song was pure Eagles magic. It was easy to see how they came together and why they’re still together. Flawless.

Life in the Fast Lane had Don laughing it up while on the drums.

Hotel California, the first encore, began with the mariachi-type trumpet. Again, another flawless performance.

All She Wants to do is Dance was another crowd pleaser, and Don again was having a total blast.

The second encore, Rocky Mountain Way, brought anyone still sitting down to their feet.

Take it Easy, the first song of the last encore, was beautifully done. The problem again was the audience drowning out parts of the song.

Finally, Desperado was pure and longing. It left behind a feeling that nothing had changed between them, and instead of the song sounding like a warning – which is how I always had viewed it – it seemed more like a message of hope.

Throughout the concert, Don smiled almost continuously. He owned the stage. Timothy also seemed happy to be there (as usual!), and was very considerate of the other band members – clapping a few times for Joe after particularly good sets.

Both Don and Joe were the show stealers, with both of them in almost flawless form. (And Don looked damn good!)

Glenn only had a little trouble hitting high notes in City, but I forgot what a good guitar player he is. I think he gets overshadowed by Joe, and it was nice to be reminded that he ranks right up there, too. He seemed to be just basking in the Eagles’ light, and seemed very calm and content.

It was easy to see the affection they all still have for each other. I got the feeling they all have helped support each other in various parts of their lives. The harmony they have in their lives with each other is reflected by the harmony in their songs.

The guy sitting next to me said: “They all have such talent in their own right. I can understand why they broke up.” I had to correct him. That’s not why they broke up – that’s why they’re still together.

PDX Peters