Annie and I were at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham last night watching The Eagles. This is the third time since 2005 we have seen them. This was the far and away the best performance of the lot. They were terrific. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
There cannot be many better guitar players than Joe Walsh. Joe is lovably eccentric – when introducing “Life’s Been Good” he said: “If I’d known I was gonna have to play this for the rest of my life I’d have written something else.”
Glen Frey’s voice just gets better and his humour is superb.
Don Henley is a gifted writer and vocalist – he has the most versatile voice I’ve heard. His leading vocal on ‘Long Road Out of Eden’ was the highlight of the evening.
Timothy Schmidt is a brilliant vocalist and it was great to see him have at least 4 solos.
In fact there was not a single fault with this fantastic concert. Almost 3 hours of excellence was well worth every penny we paid.
We pray they will return to Britain for a few more years yet before hanging up their instruments. 38 years ago in 1971 Henley and Frey first met and formed The Eagles – and they are still improving.
6 comments:
Hey Trevor, we knew we could count on you for an objective review of the Eagles! :-)
Hey, have you checked out Joe Walsh's first major band, the James Gang, from the early 1970s? Their quasi hit was "Funk 49." It has one of all-time GREAT guitar riffs. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_qHU_6Ofc0).
Was their Royalty in attendance at this concert? The fact they are wearing suits and ties is a bit interesting. If I didn't know who they were and just saw the photos, I'd be thinking they were a group that plays jazz or "big band" tunes.
Fascinating.
Hi John - you would expect nothing less from me :-)
Actually the consensus of opinion in local press reviews is that this was superb entertainment from a band that seems to mature with age.
They played “Funk 49” in the concert and Walsh was amazing – performing some guitar duets with Steuart Smith who most regard now as the fifth Eagle.
Dan – the image for the last two tours has been to wear suits – don’t really know why but it seems to work. Quite the opposite of course of early Eagles casual dress!
In the second half of the concert the jackets come off and ties are loosened or removed.
Trevor: Saw them earlier this year in San Antonio. Henley was amazing and Joe Walsh has not lost any of his amazing touch on the guitar! Truly an unforgettable evening.
Thanks very much David – glad you has a good experience too in San Antonio.
The Eagles are a truly brilliant live band.
I of course unashamedly admit to being very biased – but it was terrific to see such talent and versatility both musically and vocally. All four can sing brilliantly and all four are talented musicians. Your word ‘unforgettable’ is a good one that also describes our experience last week in Birmingham. I hope they keep on coming back over here – they are very popular in Britain. I love all four of them but I have to say Henley is my favourite because of his total irreverence with Walsh a close second beaus he is such a lovable eccentric.
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