(You won’t see me published in Rolling Stone anytime soon, but I’ll give this a wack anyway)

The fact that the show was played during the holiday season provided a unique atmosphere.  This was not your average middle of a thirty city tour date.

Of the fifteen Eagles concerts that I have attended, this was one of, if not their strongest performance that I have seen to date. 

The Events Center, part of the palatial Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino, is an immaculate hall consisting of 12,000 salmon colored seats. The floor was configured in the typical arena concert setup with the stage situated on one end. Folding chairs filled the floor.

The stage set was clean and simple, nowhere near as elaborate as the set used during the Hell Freezes Over Tour. Sections of lighting trusses were suspended overhead to form an oval above the stage. This oval, and the absence of a backwall curtain provided an “in the round” type feel to the setting as side and rear stage seats were occupied.

Suspended front and center to convey the thyme of the millennium, was the top rim of a large clock face complete with lighted amber Roman numerals (from IV to III). Jagged edges marked the absence of the broken off lower face of the clock. The clock face formed an arch above the stage. Draped beside and above the clock was a scarlet red curtain. Several iron and stained glass chandeliers (similar to those used on Tom Petty Great Wide Open tour) were hung from the ceiling and created a ballroom type atmosphere.

The suspended P.A. system was loud and clear. Only a few minor acoustical gremlins (Feedback) arose during the Jackson Browne set.

Large video projection screens were suspended to the to the left, right and the rear of the stage.  The images of the band projected on the screens were well directed and were reminiscent of those seen on the H.F.O video and the bootleg video of the Christ Church, New Zealand concert.

Jackson Browne opened the show just after 8:00 PM with an excellent 50 minute set that included Dr. My Eyes, The Pretender, Next Voice You Hear and Running On Empty.  It is always a treat to witness the playing of David Lindley.

At 9:30 PM, the house lights went down and the silhouettes of Schmitt, Frey, Henley, Felder and Walsh took their places on stage. Band members were typically dressed for an Eagles show with the exception of Frey and Henley who wore suit paints and jackets over a white T-shirt and a black long sleeve T- shirt respectively. They were joined on stage by Timothy Durey (Keys), John Corey (Keys and guitar), Al Garth (Horns and violin) and Scott Crago (Percussion).

 With the sound effect of blowing wind in the background, the opening vibes of Hotel California shook the hall.  The crowd cheering escalated to a crescendo as the intro ended and Henley began to sing.  Right from the start, it was evident that the vocals and playing were right on the mark.  Henley’s voice was strong and clear.  The vocal harmonies were sweet and concise.  The Guitar playing of Felder and Walsh was flawless as usual. These qualities were consistent during the entire show.

Following H.C. came a stellar version of Victim Of Love. At this point, the set list became similar (too similar) to the selections played on the H.F.O. tour.  New Kid In Town, Wasted Time, Pretty Maids All In A Row and I Can’t Tell You Why all followed V.O.L.  Joe’s slide work on V.O.L. and Pretty Maids was simply outstanding.

A timely change to the set list was the addition of the bands holiday single from back in 1978. Happy Christmas was performed to perfection. Once again, the vocals and the playing were perfect. I can’t recall a stronger live vocal execution by Henley.  Another first set highlight was Peaceful Easy Feeling, featuring excellent country riffs played by Felder on a Tele, and a soothing lead vocal by Frey.

To close the first set, Frey offered to take the audience back to 1975 for two songs from the One of These Nights album. (“Why not” he said, “the future doesn’t look so good”).  Lyin’ Eyes and a blazing rendition of One Of these Nights brought the first set to a close.

During the intermission, a film co-produced by Frey, was projected on the video screens. The film was a chronological montage of historical events and the culture of the century.  Several famous quotes were periodically presented including “The future ain’t what it used to be” by Yogi Berra.  Music for the film was by Frey and Jay Oliver.

When the period reached the mid 70’s, the film turned into a hilarious attempt to “dispel some of the rumors surrounding the Eagles”.  Shot interview style, this segment had individual members taking credit for the naming of the band, the writing of Hotel California (including Schmitt), claiming that they always got along, and how each member was going to have to take charge of the band.  Joe Walsh claimed that “When I joined. It was clear to me that I was going to have to take charge. The whole thing was a mess…I was a mess!”

When the film reached the present time period, the band re-appeared on stage with all members seated on stools for the acoustic portion of the show.

Strong, tight vocals marked the opening of Seven Bridges Road.  This one was a real crowd pleaser.  A perfect, effortless lead vocal by Schmitt on Love Will Keep Us Alive and a brilliant execution of the Heart Of The Matter made this a memorable segment.

Next came the Tom Wait’s song, Ol’ 55”.  Glenn sat at the keyboard to the left of the stage and nailed his vocal. Although Henley’s voice cracked slightly at the end of his lead vocal part (the only time all night), in my view, this song remained one of the true surprises and highlights of the show.

The set then continued in the pattern of H.F.O. including In The City and the band member’s solo works such as Boys Of Summer, Funk 49, Dirty Laundry and Life’s (How Ya’ Dooin’?) Been Good.  Another welcome addition to the set list was Those Shoes, which featured killer talk box parts by Walsh and Felder. The set came to an end with an up-tempo Heartache Tonight followed by Life In The Fast Lane.

The band re-emerged for the first encore with Glenn Frey stating that “It feels like New Year, let’s count it down…. 10, 9, 8, 7….”. When the count reached zero, fireworks shot out from the lighting trusses and the suspended chandeliers while Joe played Auld Lang Syne on slide in an obvious rehearsal for New Years Eve.  The band then went into Funky New Year.  Front and center on stage, set on top of a large rust colored garbage can was a bass drum. Seemingly incoherent stood Henley, sporadically beating the drum.

Closing the first encore was Rocky Mountain Way.  Here again, Joe was awesome with superb slide and talk box parts. The sax of Al Garth added an interesting harmony.

The second encore consisted of two Eagles classics.  A real surprise was Take It To The Limit. Although Henley, Frey and Meisner did collaborate on the writing of this song, it really belongs to Randy and should be left alone.  Even with a brilliant lead vocal by Frey, this was not as effective as the version found on Eagles Live.

The only major disappointment was the arrangement of The Best Of My Love, which sounded as if it were being played by a lounge band. (Complete with sax and keyboards).  This is a twelve and six string acoustic guitar song, however, Henley passively strummed the only acoustic guitar on stage. Although performed with vocal excellence, this live rendition would have been better if arranged in a similar fashion as the Don Henley Unplugged version and was included in the acoustic segment of the show.  I can recall hearing this song played at Giants Stadium in 1980, where several acoustic guitars were used and Don Felder played pedal steel. 

The final two encore songs, although predictable, were mandatory, as Desperado and Take It Easy brought the show to a close.

As the band left the stage at 12:45 AM, I was was thankful (even at $450 per ticket) for once again, having the opportunity to see the Eagles perform live.