Community

It started with a big bulky computer we bought at Sears. It didn’t have a hard drive, but a it had a modem and a floppy disc (two of them actually) that allowed us to connect to the Prodigy service.

Once we got online, we didn’t do what the majority of people in the mid-90s did. We didn’t look for recipes or jokes. We typed “Don Henley” into the search bar and found a message board. We found Mike and LindaT. We found Vicky and Cheryl. We found Community.

That community has changed a lot over the years. It’s taken on lot of forms. It’s been a scrapbook on AOL before we learned how to code a website. It’s been IRC chat (Hello Debbie!). For the longest time, it was a message board. A great hulking thing full of spirited debates and photo threads and riddles and games. People from around the world joind us (Hello Eaglelanders!) and we formed friendships. We had meetups at concerts and just for the heck of it. We thrived in our Community.

Maybe it got too big. Maybe we didn’t know what we were doing. Soon it was full of spam and petty bickering over things that weren’t even related to the Eagles. We hadn’t signed up to moderate a game message board and by that time Facebook was an entity we could compete with and dealing with the Spam was nightmarish. So we shut it down and we moved everything to Facebook.

And it’s been great. We’ve got the page and we’ve got the groups. And the groups have multiplied and there’s just so much content. Things are really great, but there’s something we miss about the “good old days”. We miss checking the boards and seeing our friends and what they posted. We miss sparring in a friendly and civilized way with people with different ideas.

Some of that is possible on Facebook, but at times, that just seems impossible. The other day in a Facebook group that will remain nameless, someone posted the ENTIRE video from the Forum DVD. Lisa pointed out that it was a big copyright violation. Instead of having a polite discussion about it, people just went off, yelling and screaming that it was their right and they could do what they wanted and then they kicked Lisa out of their group for “ruining their fun”. Seriously? They went from zero to scary in 3 seconds. Facebook also seems to be a place where people will just dump a photo or a video clip without discussing it. This weekend CNN is going to have a television special about Glenn that I still can’t wrap my head around. I want to talk about it with other fans. I’ve seen the trailer about a 100 times on facebook, but nobody wants to talk about it. Is this show ethically right? Should we feel okay watching it? What do I do with the feelings that it brings up?

That got us thinking. What if we could bring back the discussion board. We tried about a year ago with the old board, but it was old-fashioned and still was rife with SPAM and errors. We researched new boards and found one. We think it’s pretty slick. It lets you log in with Facebook. It’s pretty. We hope it doesn’t get Spam. We hope you’ll join us there.

We hope you’ll be part of the community.

Information about this new discussion group will be coming in the next post.

Tulsa, Oklahoma 6/17/2018

We thought we'd try to write up something about the Tulsa show we saw this weekend. It's kind of hard to call it a "review" because as we've learned in covering the Eagles for almost 25 years, the songs and the shows can kind of become hard to differentiate. Sure you can compare and say that the band was "on fire" one night or on rare occasions "phoning it in" but for the most part the set list and the musical stylings are predictably consistent (and that isn't necessarily a bad thing). People,though, have asked us how we felt seeing the band again without Glenn and we thought we'd try to share with you some of the conversations we've had amongst ourselves.

Firstly, I feel like any review of an Eagles concert experience these days has to come with a disclaimer. In saying something positive about the current incarnation of the Eagles, we are in no way meaning, implying, insinuating or hinting that we don't miss Glenn EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.  To give praise to a 2018 show is in no means meant to denigrate Glenn or his legacy. It doesn't mean that he has been replaced or that anyone is saying that the band is better now without him.  There are a lot of people online, who post here or elsewhere, who send us private messages or emails, who seem to think that Glenn and his memory have been swept away under the carpet and that any fan who has fun at a show should feel shame. They imply that if Don and Tim and Joe don't dress in black and play deep cuts from No Fun Aloud at every show and read journal entries about how much he is missed means that they never liked Glenn in the first place and are glad he is gone.  In our opinions, ideas like that are inherently more disrespectful to Glenn and his memory than continuing the band without him ever could be. They downplay his influence, his legacy and how much he continues to be loved by his band mates and the fans.

So...disclaimers aside, the Tulsa show was a lot of fun. Everyone on stage was in great spirits. There were laughs and smiles all through the show. The joy that emanates off of Vince Gill is palpable. We still have problems with the set list. There's something about it that feels a bit off. For example, two solo Joe songs in a row near the end (though, we've come to believe that things are structured that way to give Henley a break since there no longer is an intermission where he once joked he could have a "...smoke and a pancake".) Though the band has always included Walsh solo tunes (All Night Long, Turn to Stone, Rocky Mountain Way) without solo efforts from Henley and Schmit it seems a bit odd. Even Vince gets a solo song. Previously, the band had been covering "Next Big Thing" which a song, we can admit we don't know.  That's been replaced with "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away" which is a song we do know and it really fits the band well. One poster here suggested the Eagles should include Pure Prairie League's "Aime" and that would be another great choice. The band's harmonies work with this kind of music (heck, they kind of pioneered it).

A lot has been debated about Vince's inclusion on this tour and we've come to the conclusion that this was the best choice. He's happy to play guitar and chime in on harmonies and his music is a good companion to what else happens on stage.  Don once said of his solo band that he likes to tour with people who aren't assholes and it's clear that he and Vince have a great relationship.  At one point they were cracking each other up left and right. (if you are upset by what I just typed, please see the disclaimer above).

Don reminded everyone that it was Father's Day. We were reminded of the Clemson show in 1996 where Glenn announced that for the first time all the members of the band were fathers. Don said that parenting never stops. Don introduced Deacon and said how proud they all were of him.  The crowd went wild with what easily the longest and most enthusiastic standing ovation of the night.  That right there is why, in our opinion, this tour is not being disrespectful to Glenn. The fans love Deacon because of how much they loved his dad. They accept him BECAUSE of Glenn, not IN SPITE of him. The other telling thing about this exchange was that after the ovation, Don touched his heart and said quietly, "Thank you for that."  That speaks volumes. That's why when we see people like this guy who calls himself the "Real Music Observer" make YouTube videos where he accuses Don of "gyping" the Frey family and taking advantage of them we get angry. It was a beautiful, personal moment.

Deacon talked a little about his dad. He said that being on this tour and doing his dad's songs was the best way he knew to honor him. He also made a joke. In referencing Father's Day he said, "I talked to my Dad and I told him he could have the night off."  Don's son Will also played guitar on the edges of the stage.  Don did go over and trade licks with him at one point, but that continues to be the extent of his involvement. 

Timothy was out of his boot, but we noticed he sat briefly during the trumpet solo before Hotel California (and speaking of trumpet solos, how good are the horns and strings? Because we teach Middle School, I always think about the little 12 year old band geeks who now enthrall arenas and stadiums full of rock music fans. )  Tim got a chance to interact with the crowd by asking people in different sections to cheer.  He's perfect for that. He has so much exuberance that you can't help but wave your arms back at him.  "Love Will Keep Us Alive" was near perfection.

Joe was Joe.  He now wants the audience to shout out "BAH-LOE-KNEE" during Life's Been Good instead of grunting. He and Steuart and Deacon play great off each other, though we miss his interactions with Glenn and the way Glenn would get into Joe's solo numbers.

We talked with Scott before the show (see above what Don said about liking to tour with people who aren't assholes...Scott is definitely not an asshole).  He hinted that we were in for a treat. He said that the band would be playing a song they'd never done before. We were incredulous. These are the Eagles, after all. Thinking he meant Vince's solo song, we asked if that was it. Scott told us Vince would be singing it, but it wasn't a Vince song.  We were pumped.  The song turned out to be "Tulsa Time". Don said it was a tribute to JJ Cale, originator of the "Tulsa Sound".  It was just so much fun. Vince sang the verses and everyone sang the chorus in harmony. It featured a great Vince guitar solo as well. A moment of spontaneity like this made us wonder. Songs worked up during sound check haven't been a feature of Eagles shows since 1994.  We wondered if the band was looser, or just more inclined to use the talents of someone like Vince. We're not saying it's better, we're just noting that it's different.

From a technical point the screen show was fabulous (though the graphics during Hotel California might be a bit too literal). It's funny. Back during Hell Freezes Over and other tours, there was a track built into the floor and a human camera operator (Peggy!) spent all night long walking back and forth with an assistant to keep slack on her cables. This has been replaced with a small robotic lens that moves back an forth across the front of the stage (we assume run by someone with a joy-stick type controller) We noticed that other camera people weren't crouching on stage and that other robo-cameras were placed strategically as well.  

The "rules" were posted on 11 x 17 paper at the front of the stage during the show, but we were assured cell phone photos were okay (though one woman front row center was continually standing to snap).  At one point near the end of the show Don told the audience that it was only "Three songs to the 7th inning."  He laughed, but we don't know if the rest of the crowed realized it was a joke about the time when people could stand freely.

The show ended as it does with Henley doing "Desperado".  The enthusiastic crowd started singing before Don. He patiently waited and held up a finger until he had his silence and then began. It was magic.

I've said previously, that this band isn't the Eagles that we were used to but that it was the Eagles we have now. Seeing how they've gelled makes us think that the band we have now is pretty okay

(please see disclaimer)

Guest DJ List: Solo Songs

After listening to Hotel California, the Eagles' channel on Sirius XM, we thought it would be fun to put together a few guest DJ lists of our own. 

Here's a list we put together of our favorite solo songs. What would your list look like?

Parachute – TBS We’ve said this numerous times before, but this cut off of Expando should have been an Eagles’ song. The soaring harmonies and infectious melody would have fit right in on Long Road Out of Eden. It’s a highlight of a solo TBS performance and one of his best solo hits, in our opinion.

Hearts on Fire – RM Maybe this song is striking a chord right now with it’s lyric about a “…cold December chill” but this is Randy at his best.

Part of Me, Part of You – GF  This song came out before the Internet was really a thing. We heard it on the radio. There had been no advance warning that a new song was coming out and when we heard Glenn’s distinct voice coming over the radio waves, we freaked. I actually called the radio station (remember calling the radio station?) to ask if the Eagles had a new song. They told me that it was Glenn and it was from a movie.

Long Way Home – DH This cut off of “I Can’t Stand Still” is a favorite. It also features a lyric that we quote all the time… “There’s three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the cold, hard truth” Of course this also features the lyric, “The heat don’t work, the toaster don’t work, the car don’t work” which is considerably less poignant.

Life of Illusion – JW  This Joe song gets stuck in your head and doesn’t leave…in a good way!

Vile and Profane Man – BL Bernie has had an interesting solo career. He’s been in Christian bands and novelty bands. His 2001 solo effort Mirror was actually very good. This track from it is Bernie at his politically personal best.
“ I like to sleep without no clothes
I don't care if everybody knows
You might think it's a sin to ever break wind
But I don't give a God damn
I am a vile and a profane man”

I’ve Got Mine – GF  Speaking of being politically personal, this is a biting track from Glenn about people who worry only about themselves.  As we know, Glenn was an incredibly generous man with his time, his talents and his wealth. There’s that great clip of him doing publicity for one of their tours where he says that he liked to be a “…quiet giver” and not draw attention to how much he actually helped people. It was a sweet and unguarded minute.

Heavy Metal – DF  Some might be surprised to see us listing this track, but it is a damn good one. It also features Henley on harmonies.

All Night Long – JW  While we are rocking from the previous number, we might as well throw this one in. It’s so fun and was covered by the Eagles.

Younger Man – DH  We’re including this one, first of all because it is stunning.  There’s also some mystery about it. It’s one of the tracks on Cass County that Don has talked about the least. He mentioned that he had a conversation with Merle Haggard and got the line “…younger man” from Merle. That’s all we know. It sounds personal, but it could just be a riff on that line. No matter what Don is singing about, it’s still a great song.

White Boy From Sacramento – TBS  This one is personal in an entirely different way. This tongue-in-cheek biographical number from Timothy is just so much fun.

The One You Love – GF  We couldn’t do a setlist like this without a soulful, sax-infused ballad from Glenn and this one has it all…plaintive lyrics, sexy sax and a slow, sexy vibe.

Driving With Your Eyes Closed – DH  Love this song that mentions French writers Rimbaud and Baudelaire, but we were disappointed to find out Don didn’t write much of it. It’s one of my enduring memories from my first Henley concert in 1989. Don opened this show with this one.

All of a Sudden – JW  Don’t have a reason. Just like this song J

Secular Praise – TBS This song featuring harmonies from the Blind Boys From Alabama is just special. The changing dynamics from quite introspection to soaring adulation makes for a song that sticks to you for a while after you hear it.

I Will Not Go Quietly – DH   Everything should end with this song. Just saying.

 

 

The Holiday Season is Upon Us AGAIN ALREADY....

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This semester is finished. Grades are turned in. The kids are gone and I have just one conference period left with nothing to do until that final bell rings. So...I thought I'd write about some of my favorite Eagles and solo member holiday songs. 

EL SANTA - THE FOUR SPEEDS

El Santa is on the B-Side Of This. You can see how Henley feels about it by how he signed our copy.

El Santa is on the B-Side Of This. You can see how Henley feels about it by how he signed our copy.

Before getting to the obvious one let's take a moment to go all the way back to 1965 and Don Henley's pre-Eagles band, The Four Speeds.  "El Santa" is the B-Side to their single "Variety" (which is my favorite pre-Eagles song, even though Don said that it sucked).  It's interesting to imagine a group of high-school boys from East Texas sitting around and deciding to mesh "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with something that sounds a lot like "Tequila".  They did, though, and the result is a rocking instrumental that puts a fresh spin on the holiday classic. You can imagine rocking out to this on a beach under some palm trees instead of pine trees.

Don's drumming sounds a little like sleigh-bells and you can't NOT have fun to this one.

"...children, gather round
And listen to my story
About the big, fat jolly man who's
Pulled around by reindeer"

RIVER - Don Henley

Neil Young's Bridge School Benefits were always a treat. When Don performed at them, he usually appeared with friends (JD Souther, Timothy B. Schmit, Jai Winding) and he always did a couple of amazing covers or interpretations of his own songs. We have the Bridge School Benefits to thank for Henley covers of the Beatles "Yes It Is" and the soul classic "You Don't Miss Your Water (Until the Well Runs Dry).  It's also where Don first did an acoustic version of "Boys of Summer" that he said was like standing on stage in a jock strap and a pair of socks.

The Bridge School Benefits also gave us one of my all-time favorite Henley vocals. Don did a cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" and it is everything you would want a Henley performance to be...haunting, emotive, plaintive and raspy. It's also a wee bit sexy. If you've never heard it, go right now to this article on PASTE and click the play button.  You are welcome.

Here's a confession about this song. For the longest time, we had a bootleg version of this song. In the introduction, Don says "Well, the holiday season is upon us again already. I don't know about you, but I would always like to be frozen until January 2nd."  On our copy of the bootleg, there's a little glitch right before the word "frozen".  All you could hear was an "F" sound and a crackle. We always assumed Don said, "...fucked up until January 2nd". That's the way I still hear it and in a way, it makes a tiny more bit of sense than "frozen", right?

Please Come Home for Christmas / Funky New Year (Eagles)

This is probably the best known of the group's holiday songs. Just today, an article came out in which Don lectured us about the song and how the Eagles came to record this Charles Brown classic. "When the Eagles were recording ‘The Long Run’ album in Miami, we needed a break from the daily routine. So, I suggested that we record a Christmas song, and I went on to suggest this song that I had remembered from my teenage years. The band members, and our producer, welcomed the idea. I think we recorded the whole thing is just a day or two", he told Cincinnati.com.

Just recently, we got to see Don sing this with Clint Black and Lyle Lovett at the Hurricane Harvey benefit in Fort Worth. It was a really fun performance.

I think, though, that my favorite performance of this (along with Funky New Year) was at the Millennium Shows in 1999.  Here's a little bit of background for those of you who may not have been online then. 

There was a lot of hype about these shows. The band did big interviews in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas Papers. The entire band appeared on Showbiz Today to receive an award from the RIAA and plug the shows. There was a lot of mystery about what the band would perform. Remember, the band had finished the Hell Freezes Over Tour and had done just a few shows since (notably the Tiger Woods benefit, Tiger Jam). Nobody knew what to expect and the band kept teasing that there would be surprises.

Add to that the fact that Joe Walsh had discovered webcams. Now, these were 1999 web cams. This wasn't streaming. Every minute or so, the camera would take a grainy, postage-sized picture and update itself on a website. We didn't care about the quality, though, because Joe had set one of these up in the large rehearsal space where the Eagles were preparing for the New Year's shows. When that camera was live, we sat around and waited for the refresh. We saw the Eagles in all of their grainy glory. "Look, there's Glenn in a baseball cap!"  "What are those sweatpants Don is wearing?" "I love when Tim's hair is in a ponytail".  Stuff like that. Occasionally, Joe would stick his face in front of camera and make a silly face.  We saw them practicing. We saw them standing around and discussing things. We saw them drink coffee. 

And then one day...we saw the drum. You've probably seen the drum now. That big bass drum that Don would bang on "Funky New Year." We had no idea what it was for. Our entire online conversations turned toward "...the drum." and what its purpose could be. Were they going to go all Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" on us? Our best guess was that Don was going to use it to bang down the clock until midnight.

Well, we soon found out. Hearing Please Come Home and Funky New Year at all 3 millennium shows as a treat that can't be replicated. Never having heard those songs live and then to see them in all of their glory...with fireworks? Amazing. CNN broadcast this live and we were a part of it. Something I won't soon forget.

Well, the bell just rang and it's time to head home. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

What are your favorite Eagles holiday songs / covers/ performances / memories?

 

Timothy B. Schmit at the One World Theater Austin 12/9/2107

Before introducing his song “Friday Night”, Timothy B. Schmit got a little confused. He thanked the crowd at the One World Theater on the outskirts of Austin for coming out on a school night.

After he realized it was Saturday, he corrected himself and asked us instead to transport ourselves through the miracle of time travel back to yesterday. That’s the sort of goofy, self-deprecating and completely charming humor that Timothy exhibited through his roughly 2 hour show.

We have had the pleasure of seeing Timothy 3 times over the last 2 decades…once for each of his last 3 solo albums. He always puts on a great show and this time was no exception.

Timothy started the show with a trio of songs from those albums. “One More Mile” from Expando, “My Hat” from Leap of Faith and “The Shadow” from Feed the Fire.  His voice sounded great, though there was a tiny bit of straining hitting the very highest notes in songs like the Shadow.

Before performing “Ella Jean” Timothy told the story of how he had been hard at work with Hank Linderman when his wife informed him that she was going to go to their place in Kauai. He was happy to have her go because he was so engrossed in his work. Her 2 week trip turned into a 4 week one and eventually, Timothy wrote what he called this “sappy love song” about how much he missed her.

Timothy was accompanied by a stellar band. Hank Linderman, drummer, Herman Matthews and former Beach Boys musical director Chris Farmer. For his second song (My Hat) Timothy told us that we were in for a treat because there would be a guest musician along for the ride. John McFee from the Doobie Brothers joined in on many songs through the night playing fiddle, bass and guitar.

This stellar group of musicians was joined by an amazing trio of backup singers for “White Boy from Sacramento” (Marlena Jeter, Lynne Fiddmont and Mortonette Jenkins).  These ladies grooved and jived and added soul and harmony to Timothy’s songs. It’s so fun to watch this particular song when the ladies point at Timothy singing, “He’s a white boy…..” 

Next up was the funky “Downtime”.  It’s funny how many of Timothy’s songs are about hanging out at the beach, relaxing, taking time off, having great days and just living. Timothy talked a little bit about “that other band I’m in”.  He alluded to the release of new concert dates and said, “I guess we’re working next year.”

The next song is my particular favorite solo Timothy song. I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it. It is a travesty that “Parachute” was not on “Long Road Out of Eden”.  This song is amazing. It sounds like an Eagles song. You can practically hear Don and Glenn singing harmony on it (the album version features Graham Nash).

The next three songs were Timothy acoustic…just him and guitar on stage. He performed “You’re So Wild”, “All Those Faces” and his tribute to Glenn, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”.  Before that song, Tim mentioned that it’s been almost 2 years since Glenn passed away. He said that he’s used to singing backup on that song, but that he would do his best for us and for Glenn.

From there the show crescendoed to the end. The entire ensemble came to the front to sing “Keep on Tryin’”  Timothy said that was a lot of fun.  They played “Friday Night” and the stunningly beautiful “Secular Praise”. The crowd went wild when Timothy strapped on his bass for “I Can’t Tell You Why”.  He ended with the rollicking “A Good Day”.

Of course there was a encore. He ended the show with two more Eagles numbers “I don’t want to hear anymore” (He tried to explain who Paul Carrack was) and “Love Will Keep Us Alive”.

Timothy told us to drive safetly and that he was going to rest before doing this show again Sunday night (Sadly we’d have to miss that one because it was a school night).

A Tale of Two Shows - Detroit and Nashville, October 2017 Part 2

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Eagles at the Grand Ole Opry.

When we heard this special Sirius concert event announced, we knew we needed to be there. We already had round trip flights booked to Detroit, so figuring out how to work in a side trip to Nashville on Sunday would be a bit of a challenge. After we knew we had tickets (and we are so thankful to those who made that happen), we changed our return flight out of Detroit to a return flight out of Nashville and booked a one-way flight from Detroit to Nashville. It’s a miracle it all worked out.

We were curious about what this show would be like. Would there be special guests? Would more be made of Opry member Vince Gill’s presence? Would Don say something about listening to the Opry and the Louisiana Hayride in his youth?  We would soon find out.

We got to Nashville the day before the concert so that we could do some sightseeing before the show.  It was cold (so cold, Melissa had to go and buy a sweatshirt) and rainy. We spent the morning touring the house and grounds at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. So, we were cold and windblown by the time we decided to head to the Opry to see if we could pick up our tickets early. For those who may not be aware, the main showroom for the Grand Ol Opry moved out of the Ryman auditorium back in 1974. Since then, Opry shows have been held at the Opry house on the grounds of what used to be the Opryland USA Themepark (where Lisa was traumatized as a child when an actor dressed as a giant guitar snuck up behind her and covered her eyes. She was very brave to go back.) The Opry is by a huge mall, so parking was a nightmare. We parked and made our way over to where they were handing out tickets. It was about 3:00 PM and there was a steady stream of people heading to the blue Sirius XM tents. Our suspicion is that they just emailed any subscribers who entered the contest who lived in Nashville and the surrounding area and told them to come and get tickets.

The front of the Opryhouse was bedecked with giant guitars and Eagles’ banners everywhere.  We were told that our tickets would be at this little cottage located next to the main theater.

Remember, we are middle-aged women. We had been out in the cold, wind and rain and we looked like it.  We walked into the cottage and there was this perfectly coiffed young man stuffed into a tight black t-shirt. He had a Bluetooth thing in his ear and was showing off his very developed arms. He took one look at us and asked, “Who are you picking up for?”  We had stumbled into the location where celebrity assistants came to pick up tickets for their employers. He had a spreadsheet in front of him with some very familiar names on it.  “Um…we’re picking up for us.” He looked confused, but when we explained what was going on, he told us that our tickets would be at the venue at 5:30. So we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the evening’s festivities.

So the show….

I never expected to see a show at this legendary venue…much less the Eagles. We got there early to get our tickets and waited to get inside to see what it would be like.

As we waited a TON of media made their way in to the venue.  Reporters and video cameras and still photographers all paraded their equipment inside. There were local news crews and folks from US Magazine.

We also heard chatter on walkie-talkies about the red carpet that was happening on the other isolated side of the building. We figured some big-name country artists would be there, but we assumed that we’d have to wait to get back to the hotel to check out the photos and media reports.

Finally, we got in after being handed a commemorative pass. Our seats were in the mezzanine, so we had a great view of the stage and all the goings on. We didn’t have to wait to see what other famous  artists would be there. From our perch, we watched Amy Grant as well as her daughter with Vince Gill come in and take their seats. Charles Esten from Nashville (he’ll always be Josh from the Office and that guy from Whose Line is it Anyway? to me) came in and greeted a bunch of people near his seats. It was easy to see where the celebrities were because of how the people in the seats would turn  and aim their phones at them when they came in. That’s how we deduced that it was Kid Rock in the baseball hat. Reba was easy to spot with her shock of red hair. Lisa said she’d know Sheryl Crow’s arms anywhere and Big (I don’t know his actual name) of Big and Rich came in with his wife who was also wearing an interesting hat. There were several young men in cowboy hats as well that some people in the crowd seemed to recognize. Even after looking at the Getty images and their names, we still don’t know who they were.

Over on the far side of the mezzanine, they had a media center corded off. David Fricke and some other DJs were there broadcasting before the show. I think they were recording some pre-show banter. If anyone important or famous came up to them, we didn’t notice it. There was a lot of excitement in the air. We had to channel that excitement before the band took the stage. The guy in charge from Sirius welcomed us and led us through some exercises so that they could get adequate sound readings.

“Clap politely”

“Give a big cheer”

“laugh at a funny joke”

Stuff like that.

Then the show started.

A quick note about the Sirius XM Radio "live" broadcast...

The songs that Sirius played weren't being played  live. The only mention that the radio broadcast was going on came early in the show when Joe mentioned that they were "Streaming" that night. We thought that they would stop the broadcast and let us know that they were going live, but they didn't.

At exactly 10:00 when they were set to go live, Joe started playing Walk Away. I though this was an odd choice (it's the Opry..it's a solo song) so I checked my phone to find out that radio listeners were hearing Vince do Take it to the Limit. So, the songs that night were recorded live, but they weren't simulcast as we were led to believe.

Back to the show...

It was different from Detroit. Don’t get me wrong…the show was pretty much the same. In fact, it was the exact same set list, but the vibe was different.

We still missed Glenn, but the raw emotion of his loss had lessened since Detroit. There were no video screens…no fancy lights (though some lasery things came out at the end).  It was just these guys on stage, playing these songs.

And the songs were what it was all about that night, on that stage, in that town.

The songs.

And the craftsmanship that went into creating them.

Nasvhille is an industry town full of critics and legends and Johnny-come-latelies. The amount of cynicism and jadedness about the music business that comes with that might have made any other show one where you show up to be seen, have a few drinks, network and send a tweet to prove you were there. That wasn’t the case.

There was so much love in that room for those songs. Reba danced. Amy danced (her daughter, though, spent a bit of time that night on her phone as teens are likely to do). Just like in Detroit, people sang along to every song.  They embraced the country classics.

The new bluegrass tinge to “Seven Bridges Road” worked nicely. “Already Gone” and “Lyin’ Eyes” are the cornerstone of modern country music, that can’t be denied.

But people loved the other songs too….

Don Henley stood on the Opry stage and sang “Those Shoes” and people loved it. “Life in the Fastlane”, “Funk 49”, “Hotel California” had people on their feet cheering. Nobody complained that “…this wasn’t country!” Nobody got up and left feeling that the sacred shrine to Americana had been profaned with a song that referenced “tablets of love.”  That’s because these songs are everyone’s songs. The “country” they are a part of isn’t just the horse riding, hat wearing, whiskey drinking country. They belong to America and they transcend time and place.

The other thing that the sparse stage made so clear was the perfection and craftsmanship that go into these shows. There’s a moment in “Best of My Love” when it is a line of guys standing on stage from all different parts of the country and different generations. There’s country music royalty from Oklahoma, a guitar god from New Jersey, an environmentalist and master of words from Texas, an angelic voiced hippie from California and the son of a legend who grew up surrounded by wealth and a loving family in Southern California. Watch them during that song. They all strum their guitars in absolute unison. It’s like clock-work. The same motion…up down…up down all while their voices blend together to sing the band’s first number one hit. It’s an amazing sight to behold and speaks to the talent and hard work that went into and still go into making this band as good as it is.

Speaking of “Best of My Love”, before he introduced it, Don mentioned that it was their first number one hit…that their first albums hadn’t had a #1. Someone in the audience yelled out, “Why not?”

Don replied, “I don’t know why not,” and started to suggest that was a question for radio programmers. Perhaps realizing who was sponsoring the evening, Don glanced up at the Sirius booth in the corner and began the tune.

People were enthralled. The crowd wasn’t as wild as they had been in Detroit (there was one woman who kept yelling “Hotel California!” after every song. Don may have finally mumbled that she should cut it out. Timothy remarked that the crowd was very well behaved and they were…except for that Amy Grant…up and dancing like a crazy woman. I kid. It was super cool to see her having so much fin.

I mentioned that there was a lot of love in the room for the songs. There was plenty of love for the band as well both from the audience and the band members.  

Just like in Detroit, you could palpably feel the love the crowd had for Deacon. When Joe announced him the cheers and yells were like a giant hug coming from the crowd to the young man up on stage. Everyone was pulling for him. Everyone felt for him. Everyone wanted him to know how much his dad meant to all of us. We were all…proud and I think a bit grateful that he would step in and do this.

There was one guy sitting behind us who felt like he had to narrate the whole show for his friends. When Deacon sang, he kept saying, “He sounds just like his dad.”  I don’t think he does. Deacon has his own voice. It’s deeper and richer and not as twangy and nasal as Glenn’s. He sounds like Deacon and that’s a good thing. What he has in common with his dad is an extreme amount of confidence (Don remarked how ballsy it was for Deacon to play his first show with them in front of a stadium full of fans) and the ability to interpret these songs with the emotion and energy they deserve. He doesn’t have to sound like Glenn for them to be great.

Deacon understood that love as well. I think he gets how much these songs and this band mean to people. He talked about how surreal it was to be playing where he was and the experiences he’s had in his short time with the band. He thanked the crowed and then turned and thanked the other guys on stage.  . At one point, Vince turned to Deacon and told him that “I loved your Daddy and I love you.”  Don and Deacon embraced during the bow at the end of the show. There was just so much emotion in that room.

Timothy mentioned Vince and told the crowd that he thought that the guitar player might have a future in the music business and added humorously, “…and he’s so hard to get along with too.”

There was a lot of laughter and joking, though I think the crowd didn’t catch on to some of it. Don introduced “Those Shoes” by saying in deadpan…

There were these shoes in the 70s.

They were made by Charles Jourdan

Women wore them.

I wrote a song about ‘em

Maybe you had to be there.

Maybe you had to be there for that one. 

I think Vince probably summed up the evening the best when he said, “Forty-five years ago, I heard the first record that The Eagles made, and it changed everybody's lives. It's been one of the great thrills of my life to receive this phone call this year to come in and sing some of these songs with these guys, and keep these songs alive. And I must tell you, it's very strange for me to hear anybody's voice but Glenn's sing these songs. But I'm doing my best, and having a great time. I love getting to know these guys. They've been heroes of mine my whole life.”

“I love getting to know these guys.”  Maybe that’s the way to approach the “new” iteration of this band. As I said previously these aren’t the Eagles we remember…they are the Eagles we have now.

We think fans are going to love getting to know these guys.

 

 

The Best of the Rest; the Lesser-known Eagles Songs

by Marvin Matthews

I have had a 46 year love affair with the Eagles. From (almost) ‘day 1,’ and that opening G chord in “Take It Easy,” I was hooked. The ingredients I’ve always looked for in songs have been, strong vocals, harmonies, musical arrangements and melodic structure. The Eagles had all those ingredients in spades. Their chart success is well documented, having reached the top rungs of the Singles and Albums charts many times. Their songs will likely always stay in rotation on most “Classic” rock stations, keeping them in the minds of most for years to come.

 

For long-time fans there probably isn’t such a thing as an ‘unknown Eagles song.’ But there lies a wealth of songs that may have passed by the ears of casual listeners. So for those listeners, I’ll attempt to address some lesser-known songs that imo are still high-valued. These songs weren’t hit singles and therefore missed out from being on forever-rotation. If you don’t know them, find the time to listen to them.

Songs listed alphabetically.

After the Thrill Is Gone - from the ‘One Of these Nights’ album. Perfectly arranged dual lead vocal by Frey, with Henley on the bridge. If ever there was a perfect lyric written about success and all the pitfalls that come it’s, “what can you do when your dreams come true and they’re not quite like you planned.” As the closing song on the album, it presented the perfect lead-in (warning?) to what would come next - an album dealing with further confusion and delusion, ‘Hotel California.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYi...

Business As Usual - their 2007 album, ‘Long Road Out of Eden’ doesn’t get much press, but it did have some strong material. Most of it came from the pen of Don Henley. This tune is similar in theme to much of Henley’s socially conscious solo music.

Busy Being Fabulous - From ‘Long Road Out of Eden.’ A really great Henley vocal, and the title (Frey’s idea?) sells a brilliant melody. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxh...

Certain Kind of Fool - From the “Desperado” album, an aching lead vocal by Randy Meisner is what brings this song home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJm...

Frail Grasp on the Big Picture - Henley again from ‘Long Road Out of Eden.’ A good example of his talent to turn phrases and write biting lyrics.

Good Day In Hell - From the extremely underrated ‘On the Border’ album. Welcome, Don Felder into the group, and the start of a sound that was much ‘harder’ than what audiences had come to expect from the band.

Hollywood Waltz - From ‘One Of these Nights,” I thought that this had ‘hit’ written all over it. Maybe because it was too close in sound and style to what was expected of the band, it was bypassed. Henley shines again on lead vocals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAJ...

Is It True - From ‘On the Border.’ Don't know whether Randy ever delivered a prettier lead vocal, but his plaintive cry takes this song farther than anyone else could. Beautiful melody surrounded by immaculate harmonies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd1...

Long Road Out of Eden - This song is majestic in its scope and coming in at 10:16, the longest running song in the Eagles repertoire. Henley crosses all the ‘t’s’ and dots the ‘i’s’ on this one; even though there are co-writers on the tune, I have to believe that it’s 99% a Henley tune. The only thing missing (for me) is a screeching Felder guitar solo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYm...

My Man - From ‘On the Border,’ feature one of Bernie Leadon’s finest vocals. Written about Gram Parsons, not long after he passed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbp...

On the Border - Love Henley’s vocals on this. It’s songs like this that people forget when they put the Eagles in that ‘Country box.’ A great early stab at R&B. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRm...

Outlaw Man - Written by David Blue, from ‘Desperado,’ it fit nicely into the theme of the album, while at the same time rocking as hard as anything the band was doing up to that point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlj...

Saturday Night - Also from ‘Desperado.’ Highlights for me are Henley’s lead vocal, Leadon’s mandolin, and Meisner adding the “she said tell me, tell me..” vocal. Together they set a perfect mood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMA...

The Sad Cafe - Written as a tribute to LA’s Troubadour Club, the closing cut from ‘The Long Run’ is achingly sad and a touching memory to the historic club. Maybe a bit of unintended foreshadowing, but a sad epitaph to what would be the last studio album for many years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emy...

Train Leaves Here this Morning - From the debut album, this tune shines as a showcase for Bernie’s vocals and the band’s beautiful harmonies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNO...

Try and Love Again - From ‘Hotel California’ featuring an incredible lead vocal from Randy Meisner. In my mind, this should have been lined up as a single. Also features an understated yet perfect guitar solo by Frey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFD...

Visions - Don Felder’s lone lead vocal during his time with the Eagles. This tune from ‘One Of these Nights,’ shows the funk/rock that Felder was able to provide that gave the band another musical weapon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82...

Waiting in the Weeds - From ‘Long Road Out of Eden,’ lyrically this might be Henley’s finest hour with the Eagles. The imagery set in the story is perfect. If it had been released during the band’s peak period in the 1970’s, it would have been a hit single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4G...

You Never Cry Like A Lover - Very underrated tune from ‘On the Border’ that is perfect in Henley’s hands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFB...

 

 

 An Eagles Fan Runs Flying Down the Road  

 

July 24, 2017

Anita G Shepherd

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Most of us are grey and just blend into the sidewalk. But, on a

rare occasion and a unique street you discover a shining bright star.

A Conway, Michael J, an Elvis, Shakespeare, Princess Di

a Tom Selleck, a Duke, Sally Ride, Adele, Elton J, Babe Ruth.

When we become lucky enough to get a walkway combo of

Glenn Frey with Don Henley - Heaven is actually under our feet

and we never take a noted minute for grated.

 

It, a lifetime of Eagles-mania, all started for most of us by a flock

of winged warmed-blooded two legged long-haired amphibians

'running down the road'. What road and why on earth did we

follow is a forty plus years trip.

 

None the less, every single day every spellbinding song every

decade was a musical journey, taking us on unknown roads,

a street in AZ to a winding curvy drive into paradise. Whether

down a long dark desert highway in an Ol' 55 or heading into

a fast lane we tuned in to the beat, sang along, as we rode each

curved miracle mile. And, when a young-blooded diehard checked 

in or jumpedin we didn't want out.

 

I suppose I just take it for granted that every single human that

has ever breathed breathe knows that Henley and Frey are the

musical co-founders of the biggest selling American band of the

twentieth century.

 

But if you need to Google them be quick Henley is now

70 yrs young and sadly our beloved Glenn is no longer

here on this side of our highways. (Just please don't mention

to Don Henley that I used the word Google! Just kidding Don, just kidding, son.)

 

Recently this committed total 'Glenn Girl' fan took yet another

trip and flew into Dallas for Don Henley's 70th Birthday bash.

Stagnant air doesn't get much heavier, bone stifling dry or

sweat drenched humidity rise much thicker than when you are

in Texas in late July and Henleyville is in town for a whirlwind

mind-blowing concert, a birthday celebration and a private

meet n greet.

 

Now, for full expose I have had the incredible privilege of

meeting Henley before and am truly thankful to have seen him in

many diverse venues. He is one Southern that never disappoints,

gets right to the heart of the matter, always goes above and

beyond any expectation and delivers us all to an endless serene

highway foreign or known.

 

Yes, that is not a typo Henley is from Texas.

I understand, I too being Southern born and bred always think

who on God's green planet from east Texas sounds like this man!

 

But, back to focus, the bash began with vintage varied radio waves from

rafters what tunes what messages what a diffusing reminder of Henley's

brilliance. Many attended the gala. Big time celebs Patty Smyth and

Stevie Nicks arrived in grand fanfare to provide B-day praises and

stunning chart topping hits to/with Henley. Of course other Eagles,

Timmy and Walsh whom we adore as well were in attendance for this

incredible event. Kinda odd to see Eagles perform with no Frey in tow.

Bittersweet, but we didn't focus on abstinence and soaked up the enjoyment.

 

Henley sang beautifully-ravishingly perfect and he drummed! Patty in

sparkling silver 'disco ball' jacket (guess she visited Uncle Joe's wardrobe

department) the band, backups, the musicians, Stevie beating the tambourine

were in the same rare astounding form. It was a remarkable impressive party

time in party town ending with a Beatles ensemble treat and white balloons

raining down from those rafters.

•      


*Timothy B Schmit Don Henley Stevie Nicks Joe Walsh Patty Smyth

 

 

Is there anyone on this side of reality more humble, striking or gifted

than D Henley? That stirring voice, that insight, that mannerism, that

talent, that presence unparalleled.

 

I fumbled highly intimidated to try with poor attempt to explain to

anyone within earshot of what he and especially Glenn meant to me

in my past immature smitten silly lifetime of years ago (whew thank

goodness those type years are over and I 'a' adult now!)

 

As for the following day so much occurred that it would take

weeks to cover. One thing Henley did mention was that he now has

a voice coach to assist with getting his beat-up voice back in shape

and prep for shows. Wait what, a coach to help Don Henley with

that voice. Oh lord say it ain't so Joe please don't change a note.

 

Yet, probably most important to me was simply seconds at his right

hand. Henley always seems slightly nervous when I speak or get near

him (ok probably just bored.) Honestly, I did beg him to smile at which

he replied 'I am trying darling'. Words we live for and thankfully not

'Security!' Bless his heart, I know he wanted to run back to any highway

and face the big trucks on a twelve lane rather than be forced to stand

there calmly patiently, warmly smiling with a simple minded red-head.

Guess after all these decades he has learned to be still...of course I do

 

declare he is as always a true Southern gentleman.

                          

How is he suppose to look into our heart and understand? Of course, if

anyone could it would be Don Henley (if you are a diehard you get that!)

 

Now, Henley is moving forward yet again. Or will he stand still?

Stated last year he was considering a soulful album of sorts no

remark on this potential. But that would be absolutely amazing.

He holds the riveting treasure of that raspy liquid tenor voice created

to belt out blues or peel Lucite paint from the walls. Listening to the

man sing 'Hold On I'm Comin' or'Midnight Hour' blows your lugnuts

right off the tire rims-it maybe the ending yelp that grips ya.

 

Not, that every note the man writes or sings isn't simply pure heaven.

A voice coach-really, please. He is an icon and truly a musical genius.

There is a reason his greatest enemy named him Golden Throat.

 

He has quite a zest for life, music, the wide open lanes and

byway like so few probably could still handle at seven decades.

Which as he calmly explains and shrugs 'it's just a number'.

Hmmmm, 70 just a number?

Thankfully, he is still crafting astonishing songs, holding court,

running down the road and fulfilling dreams-his and ours.

 

Henley updated Classics news on Seattle and Atlanta (he 'thinks')

with Doobie Brothers later in year with possibly more dates/cities

to follow depending on attendance and health. Well, more we all pray.

 

Currently, Henley is in middle of the Classics singing with

his chosen Eagles team band. Which began last weekend and

included Glenn's son Deacon Frey and Vince Gill. Of course

it exceeded all expectation.

 

What an outstanding start your engine revenging open Deacon

contributed. Roar on 'Small Frey'. He pushed the metal to the

floorboard-as they all did. What a show! It's thrilling to be witness

to a new birth with Deacon-right there at and with a beginning future

full of promise and possibility. Gosh, what another amazing side road

or new path on the ride's journey!

 

Personally at first, I had mixed complicated emotions about his

decision for the bands future. Not bitter, delighted, anger,

ecstatic feeling just odd feelings. And who on earth would

ever judge Don Henley or any choice he makes in life?

 

Well two years ago they were done, now they're back (briefly?)

they're singing on stage today, they could tour or not. Well? Well...

 

Just sometimes with the Eagles you ride the emotional

roller coaster. Thrills and unknowns. Up, down, curves,

highs, rapid drops, twists, slows, stops.

 

At Classics event, Henley did as before note this ride could

wind down to the end of the line for the band. Scary thought.

I always fear Henley is not going to get off the road and in

the same instance I am petrified he will get off the road!

 

What if he does? Would he still solo? Could Henley take an

exit route, a detour and never come back? Well, I'm back to the

roller coaster. What would we all do this time if the band took

another 14 yr hiatus?

 

Henley has said in the past at times this is our last hurrah.

We all know he will tell you he has changed his mind before.

Then, in Dallas he states (thankfully) 'I'm not done rocking.'

Lord, son you are killing me! But I just keep paying for the

token and get back on the ride with all the steadfast.

 

This exciting ride has been up functioning for a long, long time.

Could it start wearing down? Repairs and modifications have been

constant but will the coaster be plowed over for a newer structure?

Could it check out or end-up at or as the Last Resort?

 

Now I am thrilled that he is considering doing what he loves,

taking others along for a ride even if it may be a short trip.

Or taking a much needed well-deserved break if that's his choice.

 

As for putting Glenn's son under his wing in whatever fashion for

this one thing alone I feel Glenn would be smiling and in complete

agreement. Henley mentioned in Dallas how strange it was to go on

without Glenn and that from his drum playing view of Deacon on stage

(& the hair) it was 'heartwarming and freaky at same time.' Deacon

will be a great asset in any form to our musical world.

 

And, Deacon Blues has sang and played with Glenn from the

time he could stand up right and hold a guitar. The teacher and

the student. If anyone is ready and able to follow closely in

Glenn's foot print, Deacon has been preparing and prepared

well by Glenn's lead and guiding hand.

 

However long or brief Deacon makes a solid professional choice

teaming up with Henley just like his dad did so long ago. After all

look where it took daddy.

 

Henley will metaphorically take Deacon's hand now, mentor,

continue to assist his pals son toward his destined path. The

masters and the novice. The legends and their beginner.

The Frey torch passes.

 

Yet, Eagles doesn't seem to be Eagles without Glenn.

Nobody will ever be Glenn Frey.

 

As for this staunched loyalist I have learned to take what I can get

while it's running down the road. Maybe that's settling and we all

know this band don't settle.

 

Deacon's not Glenn but that's understandable and no one should expect

Glenn reincarnated. He's first class assuredly or Henley wouldn't allow

him to be a new addition...or a part of whatever is ahead.

 

People came and people went separate ways with the E's.

Bernie Leadon left here's Joe Walsh. Now that's was quite a

reincarnation. That took a while for adjustment. I was ticked

with Glenn. What are you doing? Added a whole different cart

to the amusement park adventure.

 

Walsh brought a strange trip to mid 70's style fear attempted fun,

rare shenanigans, debauchery sliding and possibly vomiting

(not the Timothy/Henley joke, the Joe conquered and survived raw

stuff.) Selfishly, I adore Bernie and always will-now I can't image

the ride without Uncle Joe.

 

That speaks to what a visionary Glenn was. Then Randy walked,

so into the mix came Timmy. Changes occurred decisions recast

but the same music played on. However, that sound will never be

echoed again live. Never period. January 18th that music ended.

 

Prior, much has been noted on Frey hand-picking ever single

member associated with this band. Henley, Walsh, Timmy, Satan,

even Bill Szymczyk and Jack Tempchin. Ok, so maybe Henley

was a packaged deal as far as the early Glenn outlook but what

an incredible packaged gift!

 

So, as an outsider looking in I believe in my heart that Glenn is

content and highly pleased with all Henley's hand-picked decisions.

That's what matters most. Whatever they develop into or not and

wherever the destination leads or not... revisions that's life.

 

I have learned Don Henley is an extremely wise man. In hindsight,

he is conscious of every element, observant and always seems

to make the best decision for the band, the fans, and for himself.

 

Thus, when you find something on life's path-that is not illegal

and you enjoy you should jump on the band wagon and take off

down the road, don't look back, learn to be still, enjoy the silence.

Henhen says it's golden.

 

If you are an Eagles fan like myselfas should be evident by this

point you know first there is no the, you probably understand how

to enjoy the music and the silence, the road is nearer the end than

the begin. And if you love this band, want to see these bright

shining stars fly while singing as we drive down the music row 

of life you should get there now. Sadly, that road may dead-end

one day and it could be real, real soon.

 

No regret here in my bland corner on my dim destination blended into 

the pavement musical journey, except in the tearful devastated Glenn

department and that's a whole other atlas for another mapped passage

travel on the vast Eagles highway...and I may have more words to

communicate on that voice coach decision...hmmmm interesting...

well another token for our colorful amusement roadway.

 

 

Happy Birthday Don Henley -- Why We Are Fans

Today is Don Henley's 70th birthday. Instead of his fans bestowing gifts on him, he is giving them a giant present in the form of a special birthday concert in Dallas. To celebrate that, we thought we would jot down some thoughts on why we are fans of Don Henley. 

1.  His songs. They have got to be #1, right? Don is inarguably one of America's leading songwriters. The work he applies to his craft is impeccable. For us, it's mostly about the lyrics and nobody can turn a phrase like Don can. He can take a common phrase like "Dirty Laundry" or "If Dirt Were Dollars" or "Best of My Love" and turn it into hit. His lyrics are sprinkled with literary references, biblical passages and raw emotion. He name drops everyone from Charles Baudelaire to Merle Haggard to Elvis. He's written probably the most beautiful and poetic critique of the Reagan administration. His songs touch you where you are...they evoke life in small towns, the love of family, nostalgia and hope for the future. They connect us all and we are better for having heard them.

2.  His voice.  There's a common saying that someone could sing the phone book and everyone would listen. That's probably true of Don. His singular and unique voice is a wonder to listen to. People try to describe it with words like "whiskey tinged gravel" or "twangy rasp" but how do you describe something that is hard and soft at the same time? How do you put words to a voice that is urbane and homey? When you hear Don sing, you know it is him and his voice draws you in. It is a joy to listen to. And nothing makes us weak in the knees like his vocals on "Leather and Lace".

3.  His brain.  Don is smart. We mentioned above the literary references he peppers in his lyrics. He reads and he processes and he makes connections. If you've ever had the chance to listen to him give a speech you can tell how much he works to gather information and put it together in a way that makes sense. He remembers obscure facts and details and uses them to back up his points. He asks questions and demands answers. He can speak about history or politics or literature with ease. In a culture that celebrates stupidity and ignorance, Don is a breath of fresh air.

4.  His heart. Don is kind and he is giving. Glenn once spoke about how he and Don prefer to be quiet givers. He gave the example of how Don bought band uniforms for a high school or books for a library in North Dakota without bragging or needing praise or recognition. He gives his time, his money and talent to causes he believes in. He has worked tirelessly and given thousands of dollars to protect wild places, artists rights and basic Constitutional freedoms. We also appreciate how Don uses his heart to better the places that are important to him. Walden spoke to him as a young man, so he felt inspired to help preserve it for others who felt the same way. Not content, though, to take care of this place so far from his home, Don then turned his attention to his backyard...to his hometown of Linden and nearby Caddo Lake. We love that Don tells people to find their own personal Walden and to work to improve their own communities as he has done for his corner of East Texas. We can all make a difference where we live. The world is full of special places that need help and Don has led the way.  Speaking from personal experiences, there have been a few times when Don has gone out of his way to help us with a sticky situation and we are extremely grateful for that.

5.  His humor. Don is a funny guy. Listen to him at a concert shutting down a heckler by remarking, "I remember when I had my first beer!". He can tell a story like the time he almost got beaten up at the Troubadour with self-deprecation and heart. He has got a warm, genuine smile and uses it more frequently than people give him credit for.

6.  His relationship with Glenn.  Like Glenn said at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the relationships in the Eagles had peaks and valleys. We were witness to some of that. We know that sometimes Don was frustrated with Glenn. We know that they broke up in 1980. But they remained close. They found a way to make it work. We've mentioned this before and I think we do so often because it was such a profound thing to witness, but everything you want to know about how Don felt about Glenn was on display when Don shut down the Felder heckler in Detroit on Glenn's birthday. That was when Glenn was sick, but few people knew it and the emotion wrapped up in Don's righteous anger, showed how deeply Don felt for his bandmate, songwriting partner and surrogate brother. 

7.  His fans.  We know he doesn't control who likes him and who doesn't, but the online community of Don Henley and Eagles fans is comprised of some of the greatest people on the planet. Just like Don, they are smart and funny. They have enormous heart and talent. They have your back when others don't. We have made so many friends and met so many generous, kind and amazing people in this community. Don (and the Eagles) is the tie that binds us and group of fellow fans has enriched our lives.

8.  The whole package. Don is a very handsome man. That's all we'll say there.

So there you have it. Happy Birthday, Don. We look forward to hanging with you this weekend.

This was our attempt to explain why we are fans of Don Henley. Why are you?

 

Classic West

in ,

Eagles will take the stage at Classic West in a few short hours and we aren't there.

We thought about going, but as we posted in a previous blog entry, finances, schedules and the fact that we just don't like stadium/festival shows played a part in deciding to skip this one.

We've been there for a lot of the band's big moments. We were in the room when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We rang in the new millennium with the band in Los Angeles.  We were at Glenn's last public show. We've been there for a lot.

And now it's sinking in that we aren't there for this. Hearing Jim Ladd talk about how everyone is rooting for the Eagles tonight caused a bit of a pang. We are rooting for them. We're thinking of all of the emotions that must be present...the bittersweet nature of performing without Glenn for the first time and the pride everyone must be feeling towards Deacon for stepping in for his dad in what has to be a pretty scary situation for any young performer.

There's a photograph out there on the Internet of a toddler Deacon clad in Power Rangers jammies, holding a guitar that's way too big for him.  His dad's arms are around him, guiding him and showing him how to hit just the right notes.  We're sure that same situation will be repeated tonight (minus the Power Ranger jammies). 

Tonight marks a new chapter in the story of our favorite band. It's a different chapter, but we're excited to see how it all turns out. We're looking forward to the reviews and the reports from fans who are there. We're certain this will be a fitting celebration of what Glenn meant to both all of the people on stage and the people filling the stands.

They are the Eagles from Los Angeles and tonight, despite the tragic circumstances, they have come home to soar one more time. We are all there in spirit with them.

 

Who We Are and What We Do....

in ,

The Fastlane is an Eagles website located at http://www.eaglesfans.com. We've been in existence in one form or another since 1996 (the Hell Freezes Over Era).  The website has expanded to include a Facebook Fan Community page and several Facebook groups.

We started as a paper newsletter, transitioned to a website and now we're doing our best to connect fans with social media.

We've attempted to tell our story in long-form (and one day it will actually get finished). 

In a nutshell, we have a few things that we try our very best to do:

  • Provide news about the Eagles. We started out as a news source and we continue to strive to bring you the most current Eagles news out there. We've had band members (Timothy) tell us they check our site to find out what is going on.
     
  • Provide a place for critical discussion about the band. We have always welcomed ALL opinions about the band. We aren't sycophants and we don't expect you to be. If we don't like something we'll say so. Not everyone is going to like every single thing this band does and we won't censor your opinion for saying so. That being said, we are primarily about celebrating all of the amazing things about the Eagles.
     
  • Provide a place for community. We want people to connect and discuss. We've made lasting friendships in this community and we want others to do the same. You won't find a better group of fans of anything anywhere on the Internet. Maybe we're a little biased.
     
  • Provide a place for content. We've got a collection of stuff that we are always working on sharing. We aren't that much about posting random photos or videos that anyone can find with a simple google search. We do provide one photo of the day, but don't want to clog your feeds.  If checking out photos and videos is your thing, we suggest you join one of our groups (we'll link to them below). We do hope, though, that people discuss the photos and videos. That's where the magic happens.  Additionally, after seeing a number of Eagles and solo concerts, we've had some pretty cool experiences that we do our best to share with you here. We encourage you to share your stories as well.
     
  • Respect the band. This band, its management, and its support system has been incredibly kind and gracious to us over the years. We've had some amazing opportunities. We do our best to respect their wishes by not posting YouTube videos or video or audio recordings that are commercially available. We know that you'll respect them as well.

So...that's what this page and this community is about. We are always open to feedback and suggestions (eaglesfans@gmail.com).  This community may not be for everyone and that's cool. That doesn't mean, though, that we won't stop trying to deliver the best content and support the best community we can. We look forward to seeing you around and getting to know you.

Here are the links to our Facebook groups:

Eagles Appreciation Group: -- http://tiny.cc/EAG
Glenn Frey Appreciation Group--http://tiny.cc/GFAG
Don Henley Appreciation Group--http://tiny.cc/DHAG
Joe Walsh Appreciation Group --http://tiny.cc/JWAG
Timothy B. Schmit Appreciation Group --http://tiny.cc/TBSAG

The 1996 Tour Road Trip

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In the summer of 1996, a group of us rented a van and followed the band along the East Coast. It was a memorable trip, that's for sure. Names have been changed to protect privacy.

 The Beginning

"You girls be careful. Don't talk to any strangers."

"You're not going to be doing that thing where you pass bodies through the crowd, are you?"

"No, you don't need to call every day. I'll just keep telling myself that no news is good news."

"You're doing WHAT???? Do you know these people? Can you trust these people????"

All of our moms naturally had last minute words of advice. We knew when to call, who not to speak to and C. knew not to run up and down the aisles at the concert. We knew they had nothing to worry about, though. We were off on the adventure of a lifetime. 

We (L., V., C., Lisa and Melissa) all assembled ourselves at L's house outside of Pittsburgh. We chose Pittsburgh because of their airport's strict safety standards (they finally got their lights working at night), strong rumors that L. and airplanes don't get along and the fact that it was a pretty central location. We rented a Dodge Grand Caravan, that surprisingly could fit all of our luggage (despite a prohibition from Dollar that we not haul anything on the roof). We set off early on Saturday morning fortified by donuts from L's mom and wet, sloppy kisses from Odie, the Dalmatian puppy. 

Our first day's journey took us through scenic Pennsylvanian, West Virginian, Virginian, North and South Carolinian countryside. We passed through places with poetic names like Big Otter, decided that maybe we wouldn't be stopping at any more Hardees (despite their great kids meal toys), and gazed in wonder at THE BIG PEACH (a water tower that looks like a fuzzy peach from one angle and a part of the lower anatomy from another). 

Finally, we made it to our first destination...Clemson, South Carolina, a sleepy college town ripe with anticipation for the big rock concert the next day. Checking into the Ramada, we hooked up with R. and S. and spent the evening laughing, talking, eating pizza, looking at pictures and getting ready for the show the next night. The next day, A. and L2 arrived and we also got to meet a new friend, T.. It was time for our first Eagles show of 1996.

Clemson, South Carolina - June 16, 1996

Traffic was heavy driving into Death Valley (the cute, friendly name these South Carolinans gave their sports stadium). Other people seemed to have the right idea and had erected tents, lawn chairs and webers for pre-game festivities. Local frats were replenishing their coffers after graduation parties by charging concert-goers for the privilege of parking on their frat house lawns. Heck, you know its damn festive when not only can you order boiled peanuts, but you can get a job selling them on the spot.

V. had a sure fire method for finding primo parking spots and it paid off. In no time flat, we were in the stadium, ensconced in our really crappy seats and were setting new world records for sweating (oops, A. and L2 are from the south--they were perspiring). As we pondered how anyone could keep cotton candy from melting in the 100 degree heat, we were approached by D. from Ohio. We had been looking forward to meeting her, but didn't have much time to chat before the show got underway.

David Spero, Joe's manager, played the proud papa as The Michael Stanley band, a member of his talented stable, took the stage to warm up the already physically hot crowd. The tickets said the show started at 6....it was already 7 pm and no sign of the Eagles....but wait, we did have great seats for viewing the backstage area right outside the dressing room (of course we had to use high powered binoculars). Joe Walsh was walking around and Scott Crago could occasionally be seen attending to something or another. We're sure the Michael Stanley Band is a great group of musicians with something important to say, but to be honest, in the heat and the excitement, the only thing we can remember is that they sang a song about underwear.

Finally, we heard the familiar lie as Tim Lamb told the crowd the Eagles would be taking the stage in 5 minutes. It wasn't really all that dark, but 15 minutes later, the familiar sounds of thunder and the faint flashes of lightening filled Death Valley. It's easy to become jaded after seeing the show more than once, but it was pretty incredible. Five tiny guys took the stage. We were leaning over the heads in front of us to get a better look. A. grabbed Lisa's hand for support and announced breathlessly, "They're BLUE!!!!!" And she wasn't talking about Henley's eyes. Yes, the band was dressed for comfort on this hot night and that meant that Henley had donned (don't you love using that word in conjunction w/ Henley's clothing?) nothing but a white t-shirt and blue jeans. We were further astounded to see that Don was also wearing sneakers. Joe and Glenn were attired in their familiar t's and loose fitting guy shirts, Felder was wearing his brown leather vest, white shirt and blue jeans and Tim was wearing something maroon (sorry C, we're drawing a blank here). They were fantastic. Every note was in place, every harmony right on, and everyone was SMILING. They looked like they were having the time of their lives up there on stage...and those of us in the audience were having a similar experience.

We were a bit disappointed that the set list didn't seem to have changed, but we were really pleasantly surprised when right before what should have been "Girl From Yesterday" Glenn announced that those who may have seen the show before were in for a few surprises. They didn't wait a second to surprise us and launched right into "Peaceful Easy Feeling". There, under the open sky of the stadium, in the sweltering summer night, there couldn't have been a more perfect song. Joe's "Ordinary Average Guy" was its usual lighthearted self. We noticed that the slide show had changed a little over the break and now included pictures of the crew on the Australian leg frolicking with various members of the marsupial family. We didn't want to know.

Much too soon it was time for the intermission. We spent it rehashing the first part of the show and eagerly anticipating what surprises were around the corner. As the lights came up for "Tequila Sunrise" we noticed how beautiful the lighting was. We had never noticed so many colors before and even from the distance we were at, it was an eye-catching show. Between songs, Glenn mumbled something about it being Father's Day and that it was the first time all 5 Eagles were fathers.

The second part of the show did not disappoint. The whole stadium was on their feet from "You Belong to the City" to the last strains of "Take it Easy". Probably the most heart-stopping moment of the evening came when instead of the opening to "Smuggler's Blues," the band launched into "The Heat is On." We had never thought we would hear this song live...at least not done by the Eagles. Melissa went into some sort of screaming fit and even garnered the concern of a nearby topless drunk guy. We were right, though. Henley was no where near a microphone during the 'Whoa oh oh oh's". He just calmly played an intricate pattern on that classic rock instrument...the cowbell.

The surprises weren't over, though, and neither was the great music. All of them were in top form, but we were a little concerned about Joe who seemed under the weather. Don Felder smiled and smiled, and Timothy's voice was as clear and as beautiful as when he was in Poco. The first encore included a very interpretive version of "All She Wants to Do is Dance". Henley half sang, half spoke the song in a sort of sexy Rod McKeun sort of way. Let's just say we were all excited.

The show then proceeded in the normal way with "Rocky Mountain Way", "Already Gone", "Desperado" and "Take it Easy". Needless to say, that night, Death Valley was very much alive.

Greensboro, North Carolina- June 17, 1996

We were sitting in the Embassy Suites in Greensboro and we were very nervous. In fact, we had V. and C. continually running down to the bar for free happy hour beer while we passed the time waiting for the film crew to get there....let's backtrack just a little.

The day after Clemson, we drove back up to Greensboro, NC for yet another show. During the haul, we persuaded LT, our stalwart driver to make a stop at THE BIG PEACH. We even videotaped it. We found out later from D. that there had even been postcards available. Stops at the souvenir stand were not allowed for us.

All five of us checked into one suite and began to get ready for the show. That's when D. called us. She had a deal for us. D is a news producer in Columbus, Ohio and had arranged for us to be featured on the local news. None of us felt very photogenic, but we had our arms twisted. As we all rushed to get a little more photogenic, we watched the same folks who were supposed to come film us on the 5 o'clock news. We were a little dismayed to hear from the reporter that THIS WAS IT FOREVER FROM THE EAGLES. That seemed a little odd since only a few days before, Henley had said himself that they were going to wait to talk about things. We decided to nail the news crew on this bit of BS they were feeding the masses.

Eventually, Beth (perkiness personified) and her cameraman Brian invaded our suite. They wanted pictures of everything. Pictures of the Web page, pictures of our ticket stubs, pictures of our dirty pizza dishes. We gave them a short interview and then Lisa flipped through one of the photo albums while Brian filmed. He asked a few questions.

Beth and Brian thought they were being cute by following us out to the car to film us getting into the van (they intended on playing "Life in the Fast Lane" to close the piece). We were driving to the venue when the news van pulled up alongside of us and started filming again. We thought we had lost them. We got to the show, parked and were walking in when there was Brian again. He wanted to film us going through the turnstiles. Thankfully, he didn't follow us any longer. We could now concentrate on the show.

We had seats in the very back of the arena, but that let us take in the full stage. The show was just as phenomenal as the night before. Highlights included Glenn actually licking the microphone during "You Belong to the City" and then sitting on the side of the stage for "Rocky Mountain Way

It's too bad some enterprising soul didn't rip his ugly bowling type shoes from his feet and make a run for it. 

After the show, we tiredly, but happily, made our way back to the hotel. By the way, it was Melissa's birthday and by midnight it had turned into C's birthday. What a way to party.

Virginia Beach, Virginia - June 19, 1996

"Dammit, when are they going to show the local forecast? They keep showing the European weather!...okay wait, there it is. Geez, it looks like its heading right for here....someone look outside. It's raining." 

"Maybe if we had stopped at the CBN visitor's center like I wanted to, we wouldn't be having this problem. Pat Robertson could personally be taking care of this little weather problem for us."

"Shut up, Melissa!"

Weather was on everyone's mind in the Hampton Inn in Virginia Beach. The Atlantic was experiencing its first tropical depression of the season...almost right over where the next concert was going to take place. We knew the band was RnRing it in Hilton Head, SC and we were worried that they could even get out of there with current weather conditions. This was one show that couldn't be canceled. We had 2nd row seats.

The day of the show, with an anxious eye to the weather, we had a great lunch at the Olive Garden with quite a group of online friends. Ch had organized the entire fete. Our little group (D and K had become auxiliary members) had picked up P (who thankfully had decided not to fly Valu-Jet) and at the restaurant, we met B, A, J and her mom. Ch had also arranged for a local reporter to be present. So, over laughter and pasta, we all told our tales. After the group picture, we made a bee-line for the arts and craft store because we had wanted to make a few signs for the show.

The sun finally came out allowing us to go for a swim and to then prepare for the show. Little did we know that this evening was going to be the highlight of the entire trip!

The seats were awesome. We personally had never sat so close to the stage before. It was incredible...we were so close we could see that the amps were set at 9 (not 11?). We were a little off to Tim's side, but that didn't matter. We could see everything. Shortly before the show started we got a nice surprise. Sitting right next to us was a WT subscriber and his young daughter. We hope they had a great time.

(From this point on, all Eagle "encounters" experienced by us in the 2nd row were verified by at least 2 people. If they actually did not occur or if they are a product of our over-active, over interpretive imaginations FOR LAND'S SAKE, LET US HAVE OUR LITTLE FANTASIES). We knew it was going to be an interesting show when Timothy Drury and Scott Crago took the stage and seemed to be looking for someone in the audience. Let us explain.

Timothy had recently posted on America Online about his new album. While on the trip, we had briefly exchanged e-mails and had told him that we would all wave at him from the 2nd row. We certainly had no intentions of frightening him. He came out, we all waved. He waved back. It was a great way to start the show. 

Everything from the 2nd row seemed bigger and brighter and more animated. Our eyes were glued to the stage. We could see how TimothyS. kind of leered while he played, we could see the designs on Joe's shirt, we could see the little droplets of singing by-product (spit) emanating from Glenn's mouth, we could see that WONDERFUL smile on Don Felder's face....the only thing we couldn't see was Henley's head. It was hiding behind a cymbal....but that was okay. Even the sound was better in the second row. We could hear little nuances and the stage talk between songs. We were in HEAVEN for the first set. It was only going to get better.

During intermission, Scott Crago came down into the seats with a fistful of drumsticks which he proceeded to distribute to the kids in the first few rows. We were thinking that maybe we could pass V off as an eleven year old, but it didn't work.

Words cannot describe what it was like for all of us during the acoustic set. We won't even try. After "You Belong..." Glenn introduced the backup guys and we held up a sign with Timothy Drury's screen name just so that he would understand that we weren't any group of freaks sitting in the 2nd row...we were HIS freaks. The connection was made. Then Don came out for "Boys of Summer". Tim S. grabbed him before the song started and gestured over by us. Don squinted and then nodded and then told Frey (and we all saw this) "That's them." Glenn then looked at us and laughed. We weren't sure if this was a good thing, but we sure got excited. We all continued to make eye-contact with the band throughout the rest of the show. Don Felder was certainly amused by us (not as amused as he would be in a few days) and kept looking at us while Joe sang(?) "Life's Been Good". Cand V reported that it looked like Felder was waiting for some sort of reaction. After Joe sang the "They write me letters tell me I'm overweight" line and we all flipped out (we're so predictable, aren't we?) Felder laughed at us yet again. 

We didn't want it to come to an end, but eventually it did. During "Take it Easy" we suddenly remembered that we had brought signs for the band. The sign about Glenn's ugly shoes was forgotten about, but instead, V and Lisa struggled to hold up a very floppy piece of tag board that read "Good Party". Timothy S. witnessed this struggle and looked confused and amazed that we couldn't coordinate a simple sign. Eventually, though, just V held the sign. Glenn FINALLY saw it, tipped it head back and let out a huge GLENN GUFFAW. V then swears that Glenn sang the rest of "Take it Easy" to her, but D thinks otherwise. Man, we had a great time.

Sadly, though, we had to clear out of town. We went back to P's room, changed and left enough good service coupons to get Ron, the friendly desk clerk, promoted to regional director. Then we loaded up on junk food and started the long, nighttime trek to Penn State.

State College, Pennsylvania - June 20, 1996

"Could you make sure that Timothy Drury gets these flowers?" pleaded Vin her most innocent voice.

"DRURY????" replied the husky security guard.

"Yes, DRURY!!!"

"Oh, okay. He'll get them"

"Thank you, sir"

It would've seemed that the only one on stage to ever receive flowers during the show was Don Henley. We wanted, though, to give some (plus a Philadelphia Eagles balloon) to Timothy. He seemed so nice and friendly...he was always waving. The flowers got put on top of a crate and we spent almost the rest of the show watching in horror as the cameraman trampled all over them. Eventually, though, they got taken backstage. Mission accomplished.

Just a few hours earlier, it seemed like there wasn't even going to be a show. Due to weather conditions, the Eagles weren't able to get their plane out of Newark. We kept hearing announcements that the show would be delayed until they got there. We were continually assured, though, that they were en route. The delay did give us time to meet up with several more people, though.   We were very excited to meet J who was going to share our extra seat with us. We even got a surprise whenP2 had an usher come get us so that we could talk with her. It was a lot of fun. Finally, about an hour and a half later, we could see some bustle in the backstage areas. This time the announcement was the familiar one. The show was about to start.

This time we were in the 3rd row and the show was as amazing as it had been the night before. Dand Kwere right behind us, so we had a really good time. We'd like to think that they remembered us from the night before and that we amused them just as much. It certainly seemed that way. It was kind of hard to have a good time, though, because the people behind us just weren't into it. As C informed them, "This is what you do at rock concerts." During the intermission we got a better feel for these no-fun folks. The man asked us a couple questions and then commented that, "That bass player sure seems uptight!" 

We kept hoping that Glenn would lick the microphone again (we are easy to please), but he didn't. Don did strut over to our side during "Dirty Laundry" and stood right at the edge of the stage. Needless to say, we were thrilled.

During "Take it Easy" we held up a sign that read "Another Good Party. Thank You". Glenn gave us another priceless smile. The long wait that night was worth it.

New York City, June 21-22, 1996 (pre-show)

You may wonder why we went to New York City when the next show was Hartford. We had a couple of reasons. Melissa  wanted to find Kurt Loder and several of us had never been there and we had a hunch that the band was somewhere in town. The day of the Hartford show, we did a little shopping after having a fortifying breakfast of ice-cream. As we were walking back to the hotel, someone suggested that since we were near the Four Seasons, and that since that was a good place for the band to stay, we should just mosey on past. So we did.

There was nothing going on at the front entrance, so a couple of us went through the lobby to the other entrance. When they didn't come back, we(Lisa, Melissa and LT) decided that something must be up. We walked into the lobby and noticed several Eagles' personnel milling about. We almost freaked, but decided to keep our cool. The others were nowhere in sight.

We could see some vans lined up outside, so we decided that we would non-chalantly go down the steps, out the revolving door, and turn stealthily to our right and walk up the street. It didn't go quite as planned. As we started the steps, we heard a loud psssssst.... it was V. They were hiding under the stairs. A quick conference confirmed that the band was in the process of leaving for the airport (maybe we should have been on our way too). 

In fact, Don Felder was already outside. We all started out the doors and somewhere in the excitement, Melissa forgot exactly how revolving doors work and about 3 of us got stuck in the door, prompting the doorman to have to wheel us back into the hotel. Don Felder witnessed the entire incident and was very amused. Our plan to remain cool was foiled, but with heads held high, we walked past them to a spot about half a block away.

Shortly thereafter, Timothy S., Jean and their two kids came out and got into one of the vans. Tim was holding his little boy's hand. It was quite an endearing sight. Then, in a flurry of activity, a large group of people came out and got into the vans. We did manage to see, though, Henley trot out to his. He was wearing a plaid shirt (surprise), sunglasses and a backwards baseball cap. Obviously his hair hadn't been done for the show yet. As the vans sped away, someone suggested that we had better get our butts to Hartford as well.

Hartford, Connecticut- June 22, 1996

We had to do 80 on the Parkway to get there in time. Before we were even out of the city, we had a major accident with a bottle of Diet Pepsi. Let's just say that Vand Cwere a little sticky. We quickly checked into the hotel and touched base with some more friends. After quick showers it was time to leave for the show.

This one was a huge benefit for the Walden Woods Project and it was kind of obvious. Once inside The Meadows, we were deluged by WWP propaganda. What was really cool, though, was that there were T-shirts that were only for this show commemorating the benefit. Of course we all purchased one. We took our seats off to the side and then set off to find Hwho was also in attendance. We noticed Kathi Anderson, the director of the WWP, wandering around with a clipboard. We found out later that the governor of Connecticut was there to enjoy the show. After spending the last two shows freaking out in the 2nd and 3rd rows, it was nice to sit back and take in the whole production again.

Besides....it was COLD. We noticed that Henley's voice really seemed to be under a strain, but that he magically could manage to still hit the high notes. What was interesting was that right before "Boys of Summer" Henley and Frey had a mini-conference where Don asked Glenn for a little help on the end of the song. After it was over, Don thanked Glenn for his assistance. Who says these guys can't work together anymore? 

Meanwhile, other online friends were having their own adventures with some signs and a toy gopher, but we want them to tell their own story (hint, hint guys <G>). 

During the acoustic set, there was a technical snafu with Timothy's bass. Don handled the situation much better than he did on VH-1 Honors. He called the spotlight over to himself, said, "Something is wrong.", gave a VERY short (for DH) thank you on behalf of the WWP, and informed us all that, "...education is very important". Meanwhile, Timothy was back by his amp (?) fiddling around. Eventually, everything was back in order and the show continued. Even though it was chilly that night, we were kept warm by the excitement of yet another show.

Afterwards, we made it through traffic and back to the hotel (a feat the Eagles had a little difficulty doing) and spent some time comparing stories and looking at pictures. It was a little sad because it was LT's last night with us. In the morning, she would head back to Pennsylvania (after we conned V's somewhat frightened brother into taking a group photo) while the rest of us headed back to NY for the Nassau shows.

New York City, New York - June 23, 1996 (pre-show)

After having fantastic luck the first time, we decided to press it by going to the Four Seasons bar for a drink on the night before the first Nassau show. No signs of any Eagles, but while enjoying overpriced glasses of white wine, we saw Robert Duvall stick his head into the bar. He was in town for the premiere of Phenomenon (earlier that day, we had witnessedthe star-studded premiere for Striptease without knowing it).

The next day, we decided we weren't going to repeat the revolving door fiasco, so we walked around the hotel, got some hotdogs from a cart and sat to wait for them to leave for Long Island. The vans were already in place and there were a few professional autograph seekers standing around. From them we learned that Henley had been to the throat doctor, Al Garth had gone biking in Central Park, and that Joe and Glenn were at another hotel. While we were waiting, we noticed a small crowd gather around a guy standing in front of the hotel. We wondered why they were all taking pictures of him. Upon closer look, it turned out that it was Friend's Matthew Perry, looking very hunky in a white shirt and blue jeans. He and a friend got in a car and drove away.

Then it was show time again. The entourage appeared larger this time and there was a lot of meet and greeting on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Irving was standing on the curb. We then saw Scott Crago, Timothy Drury, John Corey and Al Garth (saxophone in hand) come out and get into a van. Then that van left. Don Felder emerged from the hotel with his two daughters (someone had seen his wife, two sons and quite a bit of luggage go into another car earlier in the day). Timothy also hopped into a van, and then in a repeat of the last time, Henley trotted out to his van wearing the same outfit as the day before.

Returning to our hotel, we learned that the president was coming to town and figured we better beat it out of the city before they shut down the town. V was a traffic demon and several very nice New Yorkers almost lost limbs. We finally made it to the Nassau show, though.

Uniondale, New York, June 24, 1996  

While we were having adventures in the city, those staying at the Marriott next to the coliseum were having even more exciting ones interacting with with the road crew that was staying there.

The show was quite good, but it seemed to be lacking something the earlier ones had. Perhaps it was because there seemed to be a lot of industry people/friends of the band milling about. We did have excellent seats, though. About 2 songs into the first set, one of the catering staff came and sat down next to Lisa. Ever the WT reporter, she learned that he had gotten his ticket from the band because, "...we cooked for them." She then learned that backstage, the band had eaten lots of seafood, some veal, something with lemon grass, and lots of other "neat" dishes.

Lisa reciprocated by pointing out to the young chef which one on stage was Joe.

Almost as entertaining as the show were Glenn Frey's kids, Taylor and Deacon who really seemed to be enjoying themselves during the show. Deacon, drumsticks in hand, seems to have the makings of a fine percussionist while Taylor has inherited her mom's dancing ability. They danced and waved at their daddy...as did the considerably older Felder girls.

During "Take it Easy" we all assembled in the 3rd row for one last glimpse. The road trip was over for some of us...for others it would continue the next day. Melissa is positive that Glenn winked at her after sort of squinting at all the familiar "new" faces near the stage. What a way to end a trip! We think we're all still trying to recover.

The End

The next day, K   went back to the Four Seasons. Years of following Timothy paid off when Mr. Schmit himself walked right up to her and began speaking to her. They chatted for a few minutes, and he signed her program. We hear that she is still on cloud nine. From K , we also learned that some of the sleazier professional autograph guys caught Glenn on his way into his hotel after the show. Reportedly, Glenn yelled at them to, "...get real jobs".

Many people attended the Tuesday night show and we hear that it was much better than Monday's show . Joe used a bubble machine given to him by S.

Sitting here today, that all seems so far away. We had a great road trip with awesome friends. Let's hope that similar experiences await the next time the band tours!

Dedication and Disappointment...Don Henley in Chicago (6/17/2017)

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It's kind of ironic. In our last blog post, we wrote about the time we went to Ames, Iowa for a Henley concert in 1991 only to find out it was cancelled for a reason we never learned. We went through a little bit of that this past weekend, but this time, we were very much in the loop.

Some of you who are friends with us on Facebook know that our trip to Chicago didn't start out very auspiciously. We meant to fly into Chicago on Thursday night. Our plans included some tourist stuff during the day on Friday, seeing Hamilton Friday night and then attending the Henley concert at the Huntington Pavilion at Northerly Island on Saturday night (Melissa's birthday). To make a long story short, our flight out of San Antonio was delayed. We were supposed to leave at 7:00 PM.  We decided to cancel our flight and book something else when we were notified that the flight had been bumped to 2:18 am...getting into Chicago at 5 am (They ultimately cancelled the flight and rebooked people on something the next day that would have meant us missing Hamilton). So, Thursday night, we went home and flew to Chicago from Austin on Friday morning.

We had been watching the weather. Storms were predicted for the Chicago area on Saturday night, but in the summer, these things are often hit and miss. Sometimes the storms don't materialize, or a line of storms blows through an area and then everything clears up. We knew that we were going to have to be flexible and be prepared for the worst...a cancelled concert.

Saturday was beautiful, but those storms still loomed on the radar maps. We got to the show and as JD and the Straight Shot played for the crowd, we could see the sky in the west grow darker and darker. A few raindrops plopped down, but it was nothing we couldn't live with. The tickets said "rain or shine" and we knew a Henley show in the rain might be an adventure.

The problem, though, is that while rain is an acceptable condition for a show, lightning and storms are not. They put the artist and the audience in danger. As they were setting up for Don's set after JD, instruments that had been uncovered were suddenly covered again. Then announcements were made in the venue and posted on their social media....

It was actually kind of scary when this first announcement was made. Melissa was at the t-shirt stand trying to buy rain ponchos. She didn't have her phone because it was dead. All of a sudden, there was something muffled on the loudspeaker and people were heading toward the gates. One woman was screaming, telling everyone to leave and that the show had been cancelled. That wasn't the case, though. This was a temporary evacuation.  Because of lightning in the area, they had to get people to shelter and they were right to do what they did. Our group (we were attending the show with long time Eagle-buddy, Julie) was lucky to find each other. The directions we had were to head to the "north garage". It was confusing where that was. From talking with people, we learned that it was somewhere under Soldier Field. 

That seemed like a long way away, plus as die-hard Packers fans, there was no way we were going to set foot in Soldier Field. We took cover under a grove of trees with about 200 other fans (the lightning wasn't in the area at the time and there was a restroom we could take shelter in if the rain turned into anything more deadly.) We had been told to watch social media, so we did....

This was good news. We could see on the radar that the storms were moving out over Lake Michigan. We were hopeful. The only thing that concerned us was if there would be a curfew. We did have an unexpected treat and ran into Florida fan, Ursula and her daughter. Everyone in that grove of trees remained hopeful that the show would go on.

Then we saw this...

Yeah!  Within about 10 minutes, they opened up the gates. They quickly wanded everyone and made sure people knew to return to their original seats. People were really good about that for the most part. It was an orderly process. Thanks to group member, Jennifer, who sent her husband over to wipe our seats off for us. We appreciated it!

Within minutes, Don and his band took the stage and launched right into 7 Bridges Road. Don was in great voice and you couldn't tell that we had all endured some pretty unique circumstances. After the song, Don told us that they could only play until 11:30, but they were going to do their best to play as many songs as possible in that time. 

And that is exactly what they did. We got 13 songs. It felt like what you might get at a corporate show or a shared bill show. No songs from Cass County...no duets with the girls...just the hits (Plus Everybody Wants to Rule the World).

So let's talk about the two words I used in the title of this post....Dedication and Disappointment.

Dedication. The fans who came back were most assuredly dedicated. We withstood rain and storms and delays and returned ready to rock. This smaller group was unlike crowds at other Henley shows. There really weren't any "sitting songs".  People were on their feet most of the night. We were wet and bedraggled and tired, but we had a good time. In the songs that mentioned rain (like New York Minute.. "You can get out of the rain") everyone cheered and Don laughed. While our show was shorter, we certainly all have a story to tell.

Don's band and crew were amazing. They changed instruments with precision to make sure there was no "wasted time" on stage. Julie remarked that there is more of a break between songs on her CDs than there was at that show. Everyone acted professionally and did their best to make sure that the show that happened was the best that could be had under the circumstances.

That brings us to Don. I think he really found himself between a rock and a hard place. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. There was almost no banter...no story telling or jokes between songs. Knowing what Don has said about some of the reasons the Eagles decided to go forward after Glenn's passing, it makes sense. Don knows that the crowd comes to hear their favorite songs. This was not the time or place for obscure album cuts or duets with his background singers. So he played all of his hits. Boys of Summer, Sunset Grill, Hotel California, Heart of the Matter...if it was a hit, Don played it. I've read some comments about how Don seemed like he didn't want to be there. We were in the 2nd row and it really seemed that he was working his butt off to get in the best show he could have. He frequently and quickly conferred with Will Hollis, the musical director. We assume it was to tweak the setlist to maximize the time he was able to perform.

That being said, let's talk a little about disappointment because we know there are a lot of unhappy fans. Some people fell victim to the sloppy miscommunication from the venue and some couldn't stay out in the rain. Some people feel cheated by the shortened set list and others think the show should have been rescheduled. Here's what we think. Remember...this is just our opinion.

First of all...for some people, Don Henley may be God, but he doesn't control the weather. There was nothing to be done about the storms. We had wondered if maybe things would have been better if they had cancelled JD and the Straight Shot and had Don take the stage at 7:30. Because of the timing of the storms, though, we still would have ended up with a 75 minute show. The evacuation order came in at about 8:45. I don't think they would have taken a break and come back for more. It just would have ended at that point.

Some people think the show could have been rescheduled, but that's more difficult than it sounds. Don's tour ended the next night in St. Paul. In order to reschedule, they would have had to find a time in the future to get the band together and get the equipment back to Chicago for just one show. That just isn't practical...especially with July being taken up with the Classic shows and Don's birthday party. 

It is also true that the venue could have handled things better. They told people to check "social media" but didn't tell people exactly what media to check. Their updates were clear and informative, but you had to be able to find them. Some people really were left with the impression that the concert was cancelled, so they left. I don't know if there is anything to be done about that.

It sucks. It does. Are we personally disappointed? Just a little. We had really wanted to hear Don do "Peaceful Easy Feeling" in honor of Glenn. We wish he had cut one of the slower songs (like New York Minute) so he could have gotten to that one. Right before Desperado, someone came out and showed Don something on a cell phone. We don't know if it was a weather update or an official notice that he HAD to be off the stage by 11:30 or what, but at that point, he held up one finger telling the band that Desperado would be it. Maybe they could have squeezed in Peaceful Easy Feeling (The show ended about 3 or 4 minutes before 11:30), but we're sure Don did what he thought was best or what he was required to do. We should note that about 2 minutes after Don left the stage, the heavens opened up and we got the heaviest rain of the night. We were soaked.

This will for sure be a show we will always remember. We're glad it wasn't cancelled. We're glad we got to meet so many other great fans. We're glad we got to hang out with Julie. We bet at some point, we'll hear Don sing Peaceful Easy Feeling again. We're sorry so many people are disappointed. We're proud of Don and his band for doing the best they could in difficult circumstances.

 It's like the song says, "It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you".

Our First Road Trip

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We're getting ready to head out on a concert road trip tomorrow. This one will be a short one. We're flying to Chicago to see Don Henley play on Melissa's birthday (we're also going to catch Hamilton for the 2nd time).  Calling the pet sitter and getting suitcases ready has brought back memories of our very first Don Henley road trip.

Our road trip...Red to blue to purple to yellow.

Our road trip...Red to blue to purple to yellow.

It was 1991. Don was doing another leg of the End of the Innocence promotional tour and he was playing multiple dates in the midwest. This worked out well for us. We were college students, it was summer vacation and one of us had a credit card. We didn't have a lot of money, though, that's for sure (especially after buying concert tickets...even $20.00-$38.00 seemed like a lot back then). We thriftily packed a couple loaves of bread and some peanut butter to save costs. We had reservations at Motel 6s. We were ready to hit the road and see Don.

The first show was July 31st in Kansas City (Bonner Springs, actually). We set off from Eau Claire, Wisconsin in a Ford Mustang (not a cool Mustang, though...it was a hatchback).  I remember it was hot. We had maps to guide us. We had a box full of cassettes to keep us company. It seemed to take forever, but we eventually got there. We spent a couple of hours in line because we had general admission tickets. Don's cover story in GQ had just come out and a lot of us fans spent time in line discussing the explosive revelations in that story.

Don was appearing at Sandstone Amphitheater with Bonnie Raitt and Chris Isaak (Bonnie referred to herself as the "meat in the middle").  We sat on the lawn and were enthralled by Don. We don't remember much about the show, except that Don wore this big, poofy white shirt (think Seinfeld). and blue jeans. The Internet tells me that the set list featured songs like Gimme What You Got, Driving with Your Eyes Closed, Victim of Love and a cover of Joni Mitchell's River. We were also excited that there was a tour program with beautiful pictures available. While it is difficult to remember specific details, we do remember that it was a magical night. 

After spending the night in a disgusting motel, we headed off the next day for Ames, Iowa. Don was going to be appearing at the University there. We had a day off in between and went to the zoo in Omaha. We also got lost trying to find some sort of Jesse James landmark.  The next day, we got to Ames with plenty of time to spare. I remember we splurged and got some food and then made our way to the venue. As we approached, we were a bit perplexed. There were no cars in the parking lot and no trucks and buses to indicate a major rock and roll concert would be happening in a few hours. Did we have the date wrong? We double checked the tickets. Nope. We parked at the arena and noticed there were signs taped to the door.s Our worst fears were realized when we read what they said...that the concert was cancelled and would not be rescheduled. Remember, there was no internet and being from out of town, he hadn't heard any announcements that were probably made on the radio. To this day, we don't know exactly why the show was cancelled. We don't even have the tickets because we had to mail them back to get a refund.

We were heartbroken, but we had 2 more Henley concerts on the horizon. We drove from Ames to Lisa's parents' house outside of Madison, Wisconsin. Don was set to do 2 dates at the fabled Alpine Valley with Sting. We weren't that excited about Sting, but Melissa had won one set of lawn seats on the radio. For the second of these we were in the 5th row, but kind of on the side. In fact, when we were in these seats, there was a big black curtain blocking our view. Our entire section started a chant, complaining we couldn't see and they eventually moved the curtain. Small victories!  Again, the details of the shows are a bit fuzzy. One night Don opened for Sting and the other night Sting opened for Don. They also had 2 other openers...Susannah Hoffs (with her stunning cover of Feel Like Making Love......not easy to forget, that's for sure!) and Vinx. Don did a shortened set and he and Sting never sang together. I even think we left early the night Sting went on 2nd. 

After the 2nd show, we headed back to Eau Claire, ready to begin our last year of college. We had no idea what amazing road trips were in our future.

What's your favorite Eagles related road trip?

That One Time Glenn Frey Scared The Bejeezus out of Us....

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It was a solo show at a casino in Tunica, Mississippi.

We were up front. Glenn solo shows were few and far between, but we were excited that we had the opportunity to see Glenn in all of his glory. 

Midway through the show, he began introducing "Lyin' Eyes".  I can still close my eyes and see these events unfold exactly has they happened.

Glenn pointed two fingers at us.  "These two....these two...."  

My heart jumped. What had we done wrong? Why was Glenn pointing at us? Why was he talking about us in front of everyone?  I can still see those two fingers pointing down at us.

"These two have seen probably 700 Eagles shows." (he was exaggerating of course) "...and they know all of my jokes."  Then he looked down and spoke directly to us. "Pretend this is the first time...."   

He winked and told the Plaintiff joke and began singing. 

A few hours later, my heart returned to its usual rhythm.