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View Full Version : Someone playing Mandolin offstage??? HOTE



BillBailey1976
12-14-2014, 08:37 PM
I was privileged to get to see the Eagles for the second time, last November in Knoxville, TN. First off, they sounded amazing. As good or better than they did the first time I saw them (HFO in Knoxville '95).
One thing that I noticed during "Saturday Night" was that it sounded like there was a Mandolin playing, even though Don and Glenn were the only 2 onstage, both playing acoustic guitars.
Has anyone else noticed this? If so, is this common?
Thanks and great forum...I am a huge Eagles fan, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts!!!!

BTW, please forgive the repetition if this has already been discussed. I looked through several threads, but didnt notice any comments on it.

MaryCalifornia
12-14-2014, 09:20 PM
Welcome, Bill! Yes, that happens every night on this tour, and it has been acknowledged by the posters here. The only info I have is that someone chimed in, not a regular on the board, but someone who seemed to be "in the know," saying that it is not Bernie playing backstage. So it's either someone else playing live, or its a track. Sorry, not very helpful!

BillBailey1976
12-14-2014, 09:44 PM
Thanks for the response. A track does make sense, timing and all. It would be easier, I would think for the guys on the soundboard to do this, as opposed to someone behind the curtain, who would have to play with the guys on stage.

thelastresort
12-14-2014, 09:52 PM
Steuart Smith also plays mandolin, though I would have thought if anyone played it IRL it would be Bernie. An accordion is also definitely audible too.

Brooke
12-15-2014, 11:12 AM
BB, I noticed it at the show I was at too! I figured it was Bernie but wondered why they didn't announce it if it was. I wish they would have let him do it.

BillBailey1976
12-15-2014, 06:10 PM
I agree Brooke, if it were Bernie, just bring him out to start the set. I mean he was an Original Eagle. Plus that song is off the second album. I guess that wanted to have the spotlights only on them to start with.
I also can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are other voices singing, along with Don and Glenn's.

Freypower
12-15-2014, 06:27 PM
I agree Brooke, if it were Bernie, just bring him out to start the set. I mean he was an Original Eagle. Plus that song is off the second album. I guess that wanted to have the spotlights only on them to start with.
I also can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are other voices singing, along with Don and Glenn's.

Does anyone else who has seen this live think there were other people singing? Why would that have happened?

BillBailey1976
12-15-2014, 07:32 PM
My only thought with other voices is that we know they have added additional singers to fill out the harmonies, and I don't know if it was just acoustics, but the harmonies sounded a bit fuller than 2 people , especially toward the end.
I am willing to admit that it may very well have just been them..but if you're going to add instruments from offstage, it's not a stretch to think they might add voices too..
Plus, I am a fan of southern gospel quartet music as well, and know that there is a practice called "stacking vocals" where during harmony parts, you have the voices of the actual singers played lower on track with the live singers to fill out the harmonies more.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-15-2014, 08:41 PM
I didn't hear any other voices. Just those two beautiful voices...

BillBailey1976
12-15-2014, 08:46 PM
I didn't hear any other voices. Just those two beautiful voices...

I admit, it may just have been acoustics, or that they are so good that the harmonies work that well together, that it creates such a full sound.
It was the first time I'd ever heard JUST Don and Glenn singing together with so little instrumentation.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-15-2014, 08:52 PM
It was the first time I'd ever heard JUST Don and Glenn singing together with so little instrumentation.

Same here, which is why I was in such heaven each and every time I heard it. I love the Eagles, and I love listening to all of them, even with the backup band. Like I earlier tonight in another thread, all of them singing the harmonies on Doolin' Dalton / Reprise is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. On the other hand, one song of just Don and Glenn, my two favorite voices, is pretty incredible, too.

Glennhoney
12-15-2014, 09:38 PM
I saw this tour twice and I did not hear any mandolin or other voices...although both concerts were last year..

VAisForEagleLovers
12-15-2014, 10:15 PM
I definitely heard the mandolin, just not extra voices. Bill, I can't remember which of the many concerts it was, but I seem to remember someone else mentioning it as well, so maybe it is the way the sound reverbs. I paid more attention at the next concert, and the next, and the next... :D

Ive always been a dreamer
12-15-2014, 11:30 PM
It's hard to say for sure, but I never noticed any other voices. I did notice the additional instrumentation, but at all of the shows I've seen, I don't recall ever thinking it was anyone singing other than Don and Glenn - and how beautifully their voices blended together.

GlennLover
12-16-2014, 08:32 AM
I didn't hear any other voices either & I was paying particulat attention to their harmonies as I have always thought that their voices blend so beautifully. :sigh:

GlennLover
12-16-2014, 08:42 AM
This isn't a very good quality clip soundwise, but it sounds like only two voices to me. http://youtu.be/HFl4H55Qe0w

TimFan222
12-16-2014, 10:12 AM
I didn't hear any other voices either & I was paying particulat attention to their harmonies as I have always thought that their voices blend so beautifully. :sigh:

I totally agree with you GL. I saw this show 16 times, 15 in the first row and I only ever heard two guitars and two beautiful voices.

Anyone else having Eagle withdrawal😢😢😢

Funk 50
12-16-2014, 10:42 AM
It's very disappointing. I remember as far back as the HFO tour when the I thought the chorus vocal of Dirty Laundry sounded synthetic, hardly worth mentioning but each tour the authenticity drops another notch.

Joe's helmet cam. Henley not on drums. The army of backing musicians. The questionable beginning of Hole In The World. Worst so far, the piped opening to Long Road Out Of Eden and now Glenn and Don pretending to play a duet.

Tim and Joe have stood on stage and performed solo, I can only think Glenn and Don are incapable of playing a duet.

It used to be all about the music but in the last twenty years, the development of Jumbotron screens, visual effects, digital sound advances and the huge increase in the number of arena sized venues have really changed the form of tours. They're a lot more lucrative for the artists, it's probably a better show for the audience but I think some magic is lost.

I haven't attended a History Of The Eagles show. I'd have loved to have seen Bernie, the low-fi start, Doolin Dalton and Those Shoes but the show crossed the line for me.

I'm just hoping they put together a new show which lasts comfortably over 2 hours, has a little bit of magic, a whole chunk of rock and 100% music performed by musicians. Testifying as Joe would put it. :thumbsup:

UndertheWire
12-16-2014, 11:30 AM
Video clips of the recent tour don't do them justice. In the hall, they sound much better and I'm glad I wasn't put off by the poor quality clips with the audience talking and walking through the songs.

Of course, forty years ago they sounded amazing with just four of them, if the 1973 BBC footage is anything to go by. But even then, there was concern that their sound wasn't big enough for the larger venues which is why they added another guitarist. As a time machine isn't feasible, what can they do? Retire - which they may do soon - or add backing musicians to fill out the sound and make good any deficiencies?

One interesting difference for "Train Leaves Here is Morning" on the clip posted above as compared with the BBC 1973 version, is that in 2013 Glenn played a solo on an electric guitar whereas in 1973 it was Bernie on an accoustic. Who says they always play it exactly like the record?!

sodascouts
12-16-2014, 03:02 PM
Interesting observation, UTW.


It's very disappointing. I remember as far back as the HFO tour when the I thought the chorus vocal of Dirty Laundry sounded synthetic, hardly worth mentioning but each tour the authenticity drops another notch.

Joe's helmet cam. Henley not on drums. The army of backing musicians. The questionable beginning of Hole In The World. Worst so far, the piped opening to Long Road Out Of Eden and now Glenn and Don pretending to play a duet.

Tim and Joe have stood on stage and performed solo, I can only think Glenn and Don are incapable of playing a duet.

It used to be all about the music but in the last twenty years, the development of Jumbotron screens, visual effects, digital sound advances and the huge increase in the number of arena sized venues have really changed the form of tours. They're a lot more lucrative for the artists, it's probably a better show for the audience but I think some magic is lost.

I haven't attended a History Of The Eagles show. I'd have loved to have seen Bernie, the low-fi start, Doolin Dalton and Those Shoes but the show crossed the line for me.

I'm just hoping they put together a new show which lasts comfortably over 2 hours, has a little bit of magic, a whole chunk of rock and 100% music performed by musicians. Testifying as Joe would put it. :thumbsup:


The History of the Eagles tour has been the best setlist and the best Eagles shows I have ever seen, IMHO. I always thought their opening approach is exactly the kind of thing purists would like, even if they do pipe in the mandolin (rather unnecessarily, I agree, but no one asked me lol).

While I understand missing Henley on the drums throughout, a lot of fan crave seeing him up front, and even in the old days they'd bring him out for songs like "Best of My Love." It's not as if he's neglected the drum kit entirely, but sadly for us, he doesn't really seem to enjoy playing drums for the most part and is eager to leave them behind. There's also the physical strain of it.

I'm not sure about what you mean about a "pretend duet." Aren't they the only vocalists on the opening number, or am I mistaken?

They've also gotten rid of a great deal of the supplemental musicians for this tour - no more "horn section." They have kept some, but they've had some supplemental musicians with them as early as "The Long Run" tour.

I say all of this not to invalidate your opinion, which you have every right to, but in the hopes that you'll reconsider going to one of these shows if there is ever another opportunity. I'll lay odds you won't regret going if you do so.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-16-2014, 03:44 PM
All I can say is that judging the HOTE concert by listening to the incredibly poor clips posted on YouTube and similar places, and determining the band's not as good as they should be totally validates the band's stance on not allowing video to be taken.

Freypower
12-16-2014, 05:58 PM
I think it should be pointed out that Henley does no solo songs on this tour & from what I have read he plays drums on a couple more songs than on previous tours - most of the Desperado songs including Tequila Sunrise which he hadn't played on since the band first broke up. I presume he also plays drums on PMIAR (although not Those Shoes, admittedly). He no longer plays drums on HT & LITFL. He has to do what is best for his health. I have no idea what the comments about Saturday Night are about but from what most people have said the performance of it by just Glenn & Don sounds perfectly valid to me. I won't see it myself until March & I certainly will not judge it until then.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-16-2014, 06:38 PM
I was too overwhelmed at the first two shows to pay attention to a mandolin, but someone mentioned it in a review, so at the next show (front row center in Seattle) I listened for it and once you do that, you hear it every time. If someone hadn't mentioned it, I'm not sure I would have placed the instrument, but it's definitely not coming from either Don or Glenn's guitar. Even sitting here, remembering the Vegas concert, I can hear it in my head and see Glenn swaying slightly in time to it with his eyes closed.

BillBailey1976
12-16-2014, 07:47 PM
It seems that the consensus is that there is no one else singing. I am glad that many of you chimed in. Thanks for the input.
We were on the top row of a very big Arena. The 20,000 seat Thompson Boling Arena.

It was cool to hear Glenn say "It's nice to be in the house that women's basketball built".....and then talk about all the plaques in the locker room and the banners that Pat Summit and the Lady Vols had won. You can tell he is a big sports fan. I don't know if it was put on, but he actually seemed to be kind of in awe of her and the accomplishments.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-16-2014, 09:59 PM
I am glad that many of you chimed in. Thanks for the input.

We all love to talk about our guys!

MaryCalifornia
12-17-2014, 12:30 AM
FP, you won't have to try very hard to hear the mandolin, it is quite prominent and is obviously not being played by anyone on stage!! The overall song is lovely and is a great way to start the show. I think the phantom mandolin player is an odd choice in the quiet song for a band that obviously plays all of their music live, on stage, but who cares, it's Don and Glenn up there singing on their boxes, and they decided to do it this way. Can't wait to hear your impressions. And Flojo, too, I think she's going to Australia.

Ive always been a dreamer
12-17-2014, 11:03 PM
I'm wondering if it is Steuart playing the mandolin on the song if it's not Bernie? It's possible it is Joe, although I don't think I've ever heard about Joe playing the instrument.

GlennLover
12-17-2014, 11:22 PM
I'm wondering if it is Steuart playing the mandolin on the song if it's not Bernie? Iet's possible it is Joe, although I don't think I've ever heard about Joe playing the instrument.

I remember reading that Joe didn't play the smaller stringed instruments as his hands were too large.

Ive always been a dreamer
12-17-2014, 11:40 PM
GL - I had forgotten that, but now that you mention it, I do vaguely recall reading something along those lines about Joe.

chaim
12-18-2014, 06:57 AM
Whoever is singing or playing in the dark, I have always felt that the point was to show visually how the band started - with Glenn and Don - and that's why we see no one else (even Bernie). I haven't heard a quality version, but if there are other instruments (I don't think there are other voices), it's certainly not a case of cheating. Not that anyone suggested it was...

Jonny Come Lately
12-18-2014, 07:29 AM
I remember reading that Joe didn't play the smaller stringed instruments as his hands were too large.

Historically after Bernie left band, pretty much all of the country/bluegrass parts (e.g. banjo on Midnight Flyer, pedal steel on The Best Of My Love) were played by Don F in live performances. Joe's hands being too big would partially explain this in case of instruments like the mandolin, although I find it hard to imagine him playing the main country parts of those songs in any case. Would this also explain why Don F played the steel guitar on But, Seriously Folks...?

(As an aside, one thing I've noticed is that in the 1974 Don Kirshner's Rock Concert version of Midnight Flyer Bernie is of course on banjo, with Glenn on slide guitar and Don F playing acoustic, but in the 1976 Houston performance it was all change, with Don F taking over the banjo, Joe playing the slide and Glenn on acoustic!)

UndertheWire
12-18-2014, 08:38 AM
Again, it's quite interesting that despite accusations that they sound "just like the record" there have been so many ways they've achieved that sound.

VAisForEagleLovers
12-18-2014, 08:52 AM
When Glenn did After Hours, he said in many interviews about how he didn't change up the songs, and even tried to stay in the same key when possible, because there was a reason the song was written the way it was. Reading and listening to all the interviews, it gave me food for thought. Perhaps my imagination is taking off on me again, but it seemed to me that how a song was written, and all the aspects of it, was something to be respected. If you take that one step further, of course they're going to make it sound just like the record, because it's the way they intended it to always sound.

Keeping the sound the same would also cut down on rehearsals. In a joking manner, Glenn has said he uses the same background musicians as a solo artist as with the Eagles to cut down on rehearsal time, but while laughing, there seemed to be an element of seriousness about it. If the rumor is true, or even half true, that they play each song without mistakes 100 times before they stop rehearsing it, then keeping each song the same regardless of who plays what instrument would be critical!

Brooke
12-18-2014, 01:31 PM
I definitely remembering hearing the mandolin and wondering who was playing it. I don't really care who is, I just think it strange that they even had it there since they were showcasing Don and Glenn. I think it to be either piped in or Steuart playing.

Doesn't really matter. Just curious!

chaim
12-18-2014, 02:43 PM
I definitely remembering hearing the mandolin and wondering who was playing it. I don't really care who is, I just think it strange that they even had it there since they were showcasing Don and Glenn. I think it to be either piped in or Steuart playing.

Doesn't really matter. Just curious!

My guess is that they felt just the two of them strumming acoustic wasn't musically enough.
I'm not sure who came first, Randy or Bernie (I think it was Randy?), but I wonder if Randy had been well enough to tour, would they have started with Glenn and Don, with the other two joining on different songs - one by one.

Brooke
12-18-2014, 04:06 PM
Chaim, you are probably right.

And this makes me wonder about Don and Glenn alone on stage in the beginning. They never played alone together on stage in the beginning. It was always the four-them with Bernie and Randy, as far as being a band. They were never a duo.

The two did start writing together alone. I guess that's why they wanted to start the concerts alone. :shrug:

VAisForEagleLovers
12-18-2014, 04:18 PM
I assumed it was a combination of things. Glenn and Don played together with Linda and the two of them decided they wanted to be in their own band. So the two of them talked to Linda and it was she that suggested Bernie. So, in that respect, it really started with the two of them.

Besides that, perhaps it would have been different if Randy's health was up to touring, but since they didn't have all four original members, and they needed to bring on Timothy and Joe, perhaps it was just easier to keep adding with each song.

Also, they are the only two that started and stayed with it (except for those 14 years we don't like to think about). Bernie was an original Eagle, but he's not an official current member (or so it seems), so it was and is the two of them.

I'd like to think it's just the two of them purely so that I can have my own, personal music nirvana at the beginning of each concert, but I really doubt they took my wishes into account. Only because they didn't know how I felt, I'm sure... :lie:

chaim
12-18-2014, 05:45 PM
Yeah, that's how I've always seen it. Glenn and Don decided to form a band, and that may (or may not!) be the reason they start the show as a duo. But, like Brooke said, Glenn and Don never performed as a duo, so musically it doesn't have to start with just the two of them strumming. So we see Glenn and Don together, because that's kind of how it started, but the extra instruments don't ruin it in any way, because they never actually performed as a duo. So to me it's more like a "symbolic" thing than a musical one. Besides Saturday Night, if I remember correctly, is credited to all the members!
But probably only Glenn and Don actually know why they do it like that. And maybe Bernie!

sodascouts
12-18-2014, 07:17 PM
Hmm. It would be a good interview question!

thelastresort
12-18-2014, 08:02 PM
Besides Saturday Night, if I remember correctly, is credited to all the members!
!

Indeed, the only song in their ~100 song repertoire that is!

VAisForEagleLovers
12-18-2014, 10:42 PM
Indeed, the only song in their ~100 song repertoire that is!

Yes, after they are done singing that and Train, Glenn mentions it's the only song written by all four of the original Eagles.

FlatbedFord
07-20-2015, 06:05 PM
So after wondering about this very issue for the past (close to) two years, I finally have the answer.

The show they played last Friday in Atlantic City had a bit more stripped down stage arrangement. There was no curtain to unveil the big screen or bringing in of the big instruments after Witchy Woman; it was all there on stage before the show. During Saturday Night, I happened to catch Steuart Smith upstage left (behind Glenn) playing a mandolin and another backup musician (possibly Michael Thompson?) upstage right (behind Don) playing an accordion.

I finally solved it! To sum up, during WHTSN, there IS a mandolin AND accordion being played live behind the curtain that normally would have been there.

thelastresort
07-22-2015, 01:01 PM
Michael Thompson is seen playing accordion on the F1 version of Tequila Sunrise (and I'm presuming he still does), and Glenn implies sometimes during the intros that he is able to play a multitude of instruments, so it is most probably him. Very audible just before the start of the second verse iirc.

On that point, does anyone else hear accordion in Doolin-Dalton? I've never been able to see Michael close-up during this song but I'm sure there's a hint of it on some bootleg videos (near the end over the humming)...