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After traveling to Louisville, Cincinnati, and Buffalo
to see the band, I finally got a chance to see them in
my own back yard (a wedding prevented me from
attending last year). I sat four rows back, to the
left of the stage and I had an absolute ball. Each
time I see them, the band sounds better and the
interaction with the audience increases.
There were some things that I noticed last night.
First, Joe looked like he did not feel well at all.
Every time he left the stage, they were pumping fluids
into him. He wasn’t his normal, wild self. That
being said, the man still rocked! Someone mentioned
that they didn’t like the extended solos. For me,
those are the best part because each one is different
from show to show. It showcases the amazing talent
that is Joe Walsh. Second, Stuart had some trouble
with his pedals. At one point I thought his tech was
going to die!! He was basically out of the mix on
“Dirty Laundry”, “Funk #49”, “Heartache Tonight”, and
the first part of “Life in the Fast Lane.” Joe
noticed and totally improvised the solo at the end of
“Dirty Laundry” that Stuart normally plays. Nice
save! The band looked tired (but didn’t sound tired)
and rightfully so, it’s been a long stretch. Needless
to say, the performance was typical Eagles; excellent
vocals, tight harmonies, and incredible musicianship.
I am looking forward to the new album and Farewell II.
Enjoy the break guys, you deserve it!
One
final note.
“You belong…” has got to go. No offense Glenn, but
the song sounds terrible! How about “Good Day in
Hell” or something else?
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Having seen the Eagles
five times now (two this year and three times during
the HFO tour), I took some time during the Columbus
show to look for some different things. For
example, the audience seemed to be about two-thirds
of a lite-country type crowd where the people are
mostly into the Lyin' Eyes, Desperado, Peaceful Easy
Feeling moments. The other third are the men in
their 40s or 50s more into the Walsh stuff or Life
In The Fast Lane and Hotel California. Of course,
everyone thoroughly enjoyed all of the material, but
the mix of country music and classic rock lovers is
interesting.
The first half of the
show saw the band play many of their slow
songs, with Wasted Time drawing the biggest
reaction. About seven songs into the show, Boys of
Summer was the first song to get the crowd on its
feet. Before Hole In The World, Henley told the
crowd it was a new song, "so you can go to the
bathroom or get a beer." Already Gone seemed like a
pleasant surprise for those who hadn't seen the
Eagles live since the 70s. While the first set was
well received, it was mainly an appetizer for the
second half of the show.
The strongest part of
the night was the first four songs after the break.
James Dean had the crowd dancing and Lyin' Eyes was
dedicated by Frey to a Columbus bar called Ludlows,
where Frey said he had "been there once", followed
by a good laugh from Frey. The implication
apparently being that Frey met a woman who was
headed for the cheatin' side of town. Timothy B.
Schmitt was his usual self on I Can't Tell You Why,
and of course Smith's guitar work on the song is
always the highlight of the song, but still doesn't
match Felder's work in my book. Nonetheless, it was
a highlight of the night, despite the Columbus
Dispatch reviewer predictably calling it "fake
strings and syrup." Ironically, nothing is more
predictable or less surprising than newspaper
reviewers calling the Eagles predictable and not
surprising. Walsh brought the house down with Walk
Away when he and the band finished the song with a
couple of minutes of fabulous guitar work. Walsh's
solo material is toyed with just enough to make it
recognizable, but delightfully fresh in concert.
Walk Away was my favorite song in my five Eagles
concerts. Simply, it kicked ass.
After the piano
intro and then Tequila Sunrise, which is
an excellent combination by the way, the crowd rose
again for Sunset Grill. It's beyond me why that's
such a popular song in concert. It seems like 80s
schlock to me and is one of the few songs that I
would just as soon miss to go get a beverage. Walsh
came back with Turn To Stone, which threw some of
the audience for a loop, but was greatly appreciated
by others familiar with the James Gang. Frey's You
Belong To The City is a favorite of the reviewers to
bash, but I've always thought it has held up well
and is the best song to showcase the horn section.
Of course, the most fun part of the night was Life's
Been Good. A great party song, Walsh donned his
Helmet Cam during the song. Interestingly, he now
seems to sing the lyrics pretty much the same as the
studio version instead of "they write Glen letters,
tell Don that Tim's great" or "I have a mansion
forget the price, ain't never been there, Glen tells
me it's nice". Dirty Laundry and a rather
pedestrian Funk 49 tided everyone over until the
country crowd had its way again with Heartache
Tonight. The drum opening of the song brought the
crowd to a frenzy and to its feet to dance. One
half expected a line dance to break out.
Life In The Fast Lane
should be one of the top songs in the show, but this
version seemed to be rushed and simply missing some
energy. This song should showcase Walsh, but it
just seemed to me he kind of mailed this one in, an
extremely disappointing facet of the night since
it's my favorite Eagles tune. While Hotel
California followed and the dueling guitars at the
end was great, I think it's time for them to maybe
extend that part or do something a little
different. Walsh and Smith don't seem to have near
as much fun on this as Walsh and Felder used to.
Rocky Mountain Way was solid, but why All She Wants
To Do Is Dance is an encore song - let alone even in
the set list - is baffling. Heart of the Matter is
a much better and more popular song if a Henley solo
is going to be on the plate for an encore. The
finish with Take It Easy and Desperado went as
expected, although I think they could do more with
Take It Easy, as they do on the Hell Freezes Over
CD.
All in all, a solid
effort, but not quite up to where they were in the
mid-90s. If the Eagles put the effort to do
something special with most of the songs like they
did with Walk Away, it would make a great show one
for the ages.
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