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MikeA
09-26-2008, 05:16 PM
In another thread, I mentioned catching 15 Eagles concerts during the Farewell Tours. In addition to those, we also were able to get to Vegas twice when Joe was performing...once with the James Gang. And, we managed to get to one concert a day early and caught Simon and Garfunkle. It was quite a rampage of tour-mongering.

There is no way I could possibly recall enough about each concert to do any kind of review of any one of them. They all sort of run together after a while. It's sort of like watching a favorite movie or reading a favorite book, FIFTEEN TIMES!

But there are some things that do and did stand out.

We only flew to one concert and that was Vegas (not counting twice we flew there to catch Joe doing his thing.) We drove from Wichita, Kansas for all of them. I wouldn't have had it any other way. There is little I'd rather do than jump in the car with my wife and hit the road! That's probable psychotic behavior after 31 years of marriage but it is what it is!

Let's see if I can list the cities at least:

Wichita
Minnapolis-St Paul
St Louis
Dallas (two back to back nights)
Oklahoma City (two or three times...memory fades)
Colorado Springs
Las Vegas
Chicago
Omaha
Madison
Indianapolis
Columbus


I'm missing at least one in there somewhere.

I feel very privileged to have attended several of the early shows on these tours during which they sang "Seven Bridges Road".

Our favorite city on the tour would have to have been Madison, Wi. We loved that city! We spent two days there just walking around.

Most significant concert for us was the Chicago show because of the M&G there.

The Columbus show was special to us because while there, we also attended a Simon and Garfunkle concert. But while there we also drove on up to Cleveland and went through the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame! If you are ever anywhere close or even relatively close, don't miss that! It's a total trip to use 60's jargon!

The most sentimental moment came at the Indianapolis show. We were 3rd row center. In front of us was a man and his wife and in between then sat two young girls...one looked to be 11 or so and the other couldn't have been more than 6 or 7. Long curly hair. Reminded me of a young Shirley Temple. When the concert started, she had to stand up in her chair to see the band. I think she knew every word to every song. She was dancing, singing, claping her hands in time and through most of it, she had her eyes closed. So cool. So cool in fact that I held both hands high in the air over her head and pointed down at her after catching TBS's eyes. He nodded acknowledgment to me and continued playing the first set. As soon as the set was over and they were going on break, Tim jumpped off the stage and wormed his way to the ropes separating the front row from the stage and handed two picks to the people in the front row and made sure they gave them to the two young girls. The guards were going absolutely banannas because Tim couldn't jump back up on the high stage. They finally escorted him to the left side of the stage where he was able to get back up and then headed backstage. The older girl was embarrassed but the young one lit up like a candle! I thought it was all over but no! When the guys came back on stage for their second set, Glenn motioned one of the security guards over and handed him something and pointed to the young girl who was already standing in her chair. The rent-a-cop then took it to the youngest girl. In the package was a set of picks from all the Eagles. After the first song in the set, Don left his trapset and came to the front of the stage and handed TWO sets of drumsticks...the sticks he'd just used in the opening song of that second set...to the young ladies! Now that's appreciation for a fan! Of course there is always a dead-head in the group. Sitting next to us was a couple of ladies who were ticked off because "they" (Eagles) gave so much to the children and gave nothing to anyone else!

Most Life Changing of the concerts was probably the Vegas gig at the MGM Grand. That was the first time my wife and I had ever been inside a casino. Since then I have gotten very proficient at Blackjack and Video Poker and I think our last trip to Vegas since that concert was our 18th! And, we're going back again in October this year <LOL> But in addition to the introduction to casinos, it was at the Vegas concert that we met the most "forum" friends at one concert. Most were from JWFC. We gathered before and after the concert several times even though there was no M&G. But with that said, one of the members did run into Joe and had a chance to talk with him. He was checking into the SPA at the MGM to do his workout and massage therapy. I think Rob must have gone for a month without washing that hand! Hmmm, that might have been why he totaled the rental car (a Mustang Convertible) that he and Bits (his girlfriend) were using that week!

Let's see, I think it was at Madison that Joe's talk-box went on the blink before RMW and Joe had to improvise without it. It may also have been at the Madison show that Glenn shut Joe off during "Already Gone" when Joe took the solo a little farther than Glenn though was appropriate <LOL>

I remember that at the Minnapolis-St Paul show, we had seats in the back in the nose bleed section. I think that was our first concert and we hadn't learned the ropes in getting seats up close to the front.

In St Louis, we were both scared to death walking from the tram depot to our hotel. Dark streets between those two points!

Hmmm, In Dallas, we gave a pair of nosebleed tickets to the desk clerk at the hotel. We had scored better tickets and didn't need them. Also, at those two back to back concerts, the roadies were in the same hotel we were staying at. We met Don Henley's drum Tech. Can't remember his name but he was having trouble finding the sticks Don likes in Dallas and was going to have to drive to Ft Worth to some music store over there to get them.

At one of the Oklahoma City shows, my Daughter managed to get one of Joe's guitar picks and gave it to me. My son and daughter attended the Wichita, Colorado Springs and Oklahoma concerts with us.

That's enough....I could ramble on forever talking about things that happened on those many trips! The Eagles make it pretty easy though to review their concerts....they are all about the same <LOL> ALL GREAT! As Ticky has mentioned, I'm not much into "Freckle Counting" so I don't notice much what they wear or what color glow-stick Joe has on his belt for this concert or what color shoes he had on, so you'd have to talk to some of the ladies there to get that information.

Oh, the glow-sticks....a lot of questions were asked about the significance of those. Nothing mysterious. Joe needed them when the stage was dark. They helped him see to set up his pedals and guitars for the songs.

ticky
09-26-2008, 05:27 PM
Thanks Mike, that was great! I would love to hear any more you have to share about those shows! It's all fascinating for those of us who (as I intend to remind everyone as MUCH as possible out of SHEER sour grapes) Live VICARIOUSLY through the experiences of everyone else (that is till Joe or ANY of these fine gentlemen, do a tour this side of the Rocky Mountains...)

Prettymaid
09-26-2008, 08:11 PM
I remember that at the Minnapolis-St Paul show, we had seats in the back in the nose bleed section. I think that was our first concert and we hadn't learned the ropes in getting seats up close to the front.


Okay Mike, start talking! I want to learn the ropes in getting seats up close to the front!

MikeA
09-27-2008, 10:35 AM
Okay Mike, start talking! I want to learn the ropes in getting seats up close to the front!

I know she has done the Soda-thing....waiting to the last minute at the box office. That seems to be the way several very brave souls consistently score front row (or close) seating. That seems to work pretty good. For as popular a group as the Eagles, VIPs who could really give a damn about a concert are given tickets as perks by someone wanting to get in bed with them (the business bed) and they don't bother showing up to claim the seats.

I remember going to see Joe Walsh a few years ago at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Our seats were not that good....2nd row way over on the left. All others had been sold or reserved for VIPs (i.e., high rollers!). We had gotten there early and there were VERY few seats filled. We ended up just moving to the center into empty seats on the FRONT ROW!

I'm afraid that you'd have to talk with my wife to get the lowdown on what all she's done to land good seating. She has bought off of eBay, bought from the Eagles site, bought from Ticketmaster and maybe even once from JWFC. She WORKS at it. But the big thing is nerve! I could never play Poker with her...she'd be able to bluff me on busted straights every time!

Once, we got tickets from a friend who has very solid insider contacts and sat in the family and friends section. I think that both Joe's wife and Glenn's wife were there but there were also some obnoxious drunks sitting there. I think that might have been at the Vegas show at MGM Grand but I'm not positive. Anyway, you'd have though that the seats would have been better. But they were about 20 rows back on the TBS side of the stage and maybe the first 10 rows...an entire section. We were about 3 rows from the railing.

At the show in Colorado Springs, we had lousey seats. Oh my was Verna ever pissed! I work with a lady who lives in Colorado Springs...actually Manatou Springs right at the base of Pikes Peak. She knew I was coming out and insisted that we stay at their house for the entire week...they were going to be in Florida until the night of the concert. They also insisted on getting tickets and her husband was at the box office the day they went on sale there. Well, Verna was on the computer a couple of days earlier for a pre-sale from Eagles.com and scored two tickets for our kids in the 10th row. My friend from Colorado Springs called me jubliantly to tell me they had gotted four tickets...they were inviting themselves! The seats were at the very back of the floor section. WE needed binoculars to even see the faces of the Band! And to top it off....security was onto Verna at least three times with threats of kicking us out because she was standing up! Someone behind us was complaining about not being able to see!

NEVER leave the procurement of seats in the charge of good friends who know nothing about concerts and obsessions with the Band!

With all that said, I think that for the Kansas City show, we'll very likely just get tickets for the cheap seats...maybe side relatively close. I haven't even officially gotten Monday "off" yet and I'll need that since we won't drive up until Sunday. We'll stay at AmeriStar after the concert and drive back Monday.

The big question right now though is how to get to and from the concert. Maybe we can hook up with one of the Host's at AmeriStar and arrange to have them haul us there and pick us up after the concert. I do not relish the though of driving and parking.

sodascouts
09-27-2008, 12:30 PM
This is great, Mike. Thanks for taking the trouble to write these out!

glenneaglesfan
09-27-2008, 02:35 PM
Thank you, Mike for some really great insights into your Eagles concert experience. I loved the story about the little girl!

TimothyBFan
09-29-2008, 07:15 AM
All I can say is WOW Mike!!! I am jealous as heck!! I finally made it to my first concert last week after 34 years of trying. I can't even begin to fathom being able to see them that many times. Kudos to you and your wife for your persistance in getting tickets so often and all the miles you have logged getting there!

DonFan
09-29-2008, 09:21 AM
Thanks for sharing your concert stories, MIke. I think it is great that you and your wife can share the experience of going to concerts together. I went with my hubby to my first Don show and first two Eagles shows, and after that he said Enough. He would like it to be enough for me, too, but unfortunately I still want more!