Las Vegas

12/28

Wow! Suffice it to say that the show last night was one of the best Eagles performances we've ever seen. We're trying to decide if it surpassed anything on the HFO tour, but that's a bit difficult because this one is fresh and new and the HFO tour has staled just a little bit. What follows are random musings as we try to collect our thoughts at 8:15 in the morning. If we leave anything out, or aren't clear, let us know.

Stage
On CNN Don promised a new set and they didn't disappoint. All of the Planet of the Apes/post apocolyptic stuff was gone and the stage looked less cluttered. A Giant clock (the top half from 9 til 3) was hanging over the stage. Several chandeliers were dangling from the ceiling and a gyroscope type thing sat near the piano (it looked like the Machine from Contact). The lights were different too. Lots of purples, greens and teals. Very nice.

Wardrobe
Everyone must have gotten the memo to wear black. They looked very sharp.
Joe--Black pants. Black jacket. Lemon shirt.
Felder--Black cashmire type sweater tucked into black slacks. He's looking very thin, but smiled constantly.
Glenn--Black slacks. White t-shirt. Black jacket. White socks. Black/white shoes. After the break he took off the jacket.
Timothy--light blue Timmy shirt with a black vest and black stretch jeans. He's grown that little lower-lip triangle of hair again.
Henley--The same top as Felder (we apologize for initially thinking it was the same black sweatshirt from rehearsals). We're trying to decide if the suit was brown or grey, but it was very tailored. Very nice. He only wore the jacket for one song. He had on boots.

The Scene
Jackson's set was great. We've never seen him before so it was a treat to hear songs like The Pretender, Doctor My Eyes, and Running on Empty. David Crosby joined him on stage to do "For Everyman". David came and sat about 3 rows behind us for the Eagles set and looked like he was really enjoying himself. He was glued to the video screens. Susan Felder was wearing a glamourous funky pantsuit. Cindy Frey chose to wear a tiger print dress. For those wondering what to wear, people had on everything from evening wear with feathers to jeans and t-shirts.

The Film
This was probably one of the most wonderful parts of the whole evening. Glenn promised a look at the 20th century as well as "The True Story of the Eagles". What he didn't mention is that the film shown during intermission (called we think "This Bright and Darkened Land) was put together by Glenn and featured at least 10 original Frey/Jay Oliver compositions--They were appropriate to the musical stylings of each decade--Swing, Big Band, 50's.....) The film featured famous quotes and stills of various historical events. When they reached the 70s they did that Star Wars thing when the words roll off the screen. It said that a long time ago, in a rehearsal hall not far away a band was formed. It then said that we would be hearing a story about young men as told by old men who couldn't remember very well. They then went to interview clips where each member of the band claimed to have formed the band, come up with the name of the band and wrote Hotel California. They also decided that they never got along. Joe Smith commented on how in the beginning they just stood there. It was so funny. Whoever says these guys have no sense of humor needs to see this film. The film ended with stars shining in the sky......as the band took the stage and sang Seven Bridges Road. <sigh>

Which brings us to.....

The Music

The acoustics in the Mandalay Bay Events center were great and the band has never sounded better. Everyone was in top form.

Here's the set list with some random comments........

Hotel California--No thunder, the band just took the stage and started playing. The first part of the show was exactly like HFO and we were a bit worried.
Victim of Love
New Kid in Town
Wasted Time--This was the BEST vocal perofmance on this song we've ever heard. We had been a bit concerned about Don's voice because he seemed to be having problems with it near the end of HFO, but he was in TOP form. Totally beautiful.
Pretty Maids all in a Row
Peaceful Easy Feeling
I Can't Tell You Why
Please Come Home For Christmas--Don came out from behind the drums and explained how they came to record the song. They were in Miami...surrounded by palm trees and the ocean and got homesick for the palm trees and ocean of LA. The song sounded GREAT!!!
Lyin' Eyes
In the City--Much better than on HFO. Joe sounded awesome. Henley wore a Madonna/Garth brooks mic to play the congas.
One of These Nights

Seven Bridges Road--Whoa!
Love Will Keep Us Alive--Timothy sang as beautifully as always.
Heart of the Matter
Ol' 55--Oh my god!!!!!!
Best of My Love--Don has always said that this song sucks live. He got his chance to fix it, though. It was funked up....kind of R&By and had sax on it. It was still countryish, but sounded much better.
Take It To the Limit --How interesting is this? Glenn said he thought this was one people weren't expecting to hear. He sang lead and the entire audience sang along.

Those Shoes--Probably the highlight of the evening. Both Joe and Felder played the talk box. The guitars were amazing.
Boys of Summer--No problems with the voice on this.
Funk #49--Was funkier than usual. Great job by Joe!
Dirty Laundry
The Heat is On
Life's Been Good--Joe introduced this by saying that the song had started out as an intimate love song. He wasn't sure what happened.
All She Wants To Do Is Dance
Heartache Tonight---These were all like HFO
Life in the Fast Lane

Encore 1
Funky New Year--This is where the big drum came in. Henley sang and beat on the drum...which was perched on a trash can. Very funky. He looked a bit embarrassed.
Rocky Mountain Way

Encore 2
The Long Run--Don forgot the words but soldiered on.
Already Gone
Desperado
Take It Easy

That's about it. I'm sure we'll remember more (and forget some). It was an amazing show. They took the stage at 9:30 and didn't leave until 1. We were exhausted by the time it was over.

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