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View Full Version : Don Henley in Manchester, England - June 27, 2016



shunlvswx
06-27-2016, 06:24 PM
I saw a periscope video on facebook and Don did bring up Glenn at tonight's show. He dedicated Desperado to Glenn. He said something liked he thanks everybody for their love and support and he says here's one for Glenn or something like that. The audio wasn't too good, but I know he said Glenn. :cry: Makes me think of Glenn dedicated Desperado to Don back in 1986.

You just want to hug all of the guys during this different time. They hurting along with us too.

Jonny Come Lately
06-27-2016, 07:31 PM
Just got back home from this concert, I'm too tired to write a review now but wanted to say Don's show was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. So, so glad I went. So many great performances of great songs! The band was brilliant, all of them did such a great job. I was touched by his mention of Glenn and after he said it I tried to shout 'Glenn Frey!' although my voice was probably too weak to be audible. All of the Eagles songs got a terrific reception, including The Last Resort. I've also bought a T-shirt - I've got one of the blue ones with ''Don Henley Tour 2016' on the front and the guitar machine head on the back.

Outside Job
06-27-2016, 08:25 PM
As well as (very obviously) being grateful to Don for his music, I will now also be eternally in his debt for saving me (and a few others I expect) from spending the evening watching England's humiliation in the European Football Championship at the hands of mighty Iceland. I had a wonderful evening which is more than can be said for most English people tonight..............

buffyfan145
06-27-2016, 08:55 PM
I had a feeling Don would dedicate "Desperado" to Glenn. I agree with you Shun about the hugs. Sounds like another great show and I'm so glad I'm finally going to see him in August.

shunlvswx
06-27-2016, 09:08 PM
That song being Don and Glenn's very first song they wrote together, it was appropriate. That's the song that started their songwriting partnership.

Ive always been a dreamer
06-27-2016, 09:59 PM
Thanks for checking in. Can't wait to hear more about the show after everyone gets some rest. :thumbsup:

And Desperado is the perfect song for Don to dedicate to Glenn. I'll throw in a big hug for him too. :hug:

shunlvswx
06-27-2016, 10:19 PM
Hotel California
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht48v-qXr48

AlreadyGone95
06-28-2016, 12:22 AM
Glad that you had a great time, Jonny. It's nice and very appropriate that Don dedicated Desperado to Glenn. I'm glad that he's doing it, but I can't imagine how much it pains him do it.

shunlvswx
06-28-2016, 06:44 AM
Here's the video. If you want to skip HC, it start at 7:40.

https://www.periscope.tv/Jeanne_59/1MYxNBXEpzzxw

Jonny Come Lately
06-28-2016, 07:58 AM
Okay, I’ll write my review in two parts – the first will cover some general comments, then the first half or so of the set, the second post will cover the latter prat. As I write this I am still in something of a daze, it was a truly wonderful experience and I’ve still not quite fully taken it all in. I’ll be thinking of everyone who’s going when he crosses the Atlantic (and of any Borderers in Europe for the rest of his tour here), whether you have been to see Don before or not you are in for an absolute treat. You will not be disappointed!

Don was in great voice all night, the old golden throat and famous rasp in full evidence. He seemed to be in a good mood, he added in some amusing asides that I will detail later and I loved his dry wit. I was hugely impressed by the band, who were extremely tight, with Steuart and Chris doing a fantastic job with the guitar parts. It was great to see guys who have played with the Eagles like Scott, Michael and Will, but they were all excellent. The show was very non-gimmicky, for want of a better term – there was a good light show but that was about it, I must admit that’s the way I like it personally. With such great music and vocals and it really didn’t need any pyrotechnics.
The view from our seats was superb, Don was right in front of us and we could see the whole stage. There were times when I didn’t know which way to look! Don rightly commanded attention whenever he was singing although I also kept a close eye on Steuart and Chris especially during the solos. The sound was excellent and during the instrumental sections you could look at one musician and hear out for the parts they were playing.

I would describe the setlist as roughly three-quarters ‘rock’ and one-quarter ‘country’. To be honest, the only real country songs were those he played from Cass County so if you are considering going to see Don but are put off by the idea of him playing too much country, don’t worry about this. I actually really enjoyed all the Cass County songs, even When I Stop Dreaming which isn’t one of my favourites on record, but the rockers were superb. Don played guitar on quite a few of the rock songs – in some cases like Dirty Laundry this didn’t surprise me too much, although I was slightly surprised to see him with one for The Last Resort, whereas he invariably just sang for the country performances. The stage management was very clever through the use of spotlights and positioning of the instruments, enabling it to quickly change from the bigger, more expansive feel of the stage during the rock numbers to the more intimate feel used for the country songs.

I saw most of JD & The Straight Shot’s set, I missed the first two songs I think as I was buying my T-shirt (which I’m wearing now!) I have to say I thought they weren’t bad, although some songs were better than others. I’ve certainly seen worse support acts (I remember a few years ago being dragged along to see a singer called Rumer. She was good, but the support act was dreadful – all I remember is his final song was a boring and seemingly endless dirge). There was never any danger of them stealing the show though!

Here's my rundown of the first half of the show:

Seven Bridges Road – This started very suddenly, with the spotlights being turned on the moment the vocals started. It was a great moment when the harmony vocals came in, with everyone standing around Don in the middle. This sounded absolutely awesome live! As with most Eagles performances of this song I’ve heard, everyone cheered before the final verse even though the song hadn’t ended!

Dirty Laundry – Followed on almost immediately from 7BR, this really rocked live! I was sure it would, but putting this one right at the start was a fantastic move. To my ears I felt there was slightly more guitar and less synth on the verses than the original, although this may have been because the guitars were closer to the front of the stage. Don was playing guitar on this one. IIRC I think Chris played one solo and Steuart played the other, can’t remember which way round off the top of my head unfortunately! Guitar work was great either way.

That Old Flame – This was the first song he played from Cass County. He spoke for a bit before he started, the highlight of which was him saying about how he recorded most of the album in Nashville and he then went on to say ‘the music that comes out of Nashville now… [pause] that’s not country’. Quite a few people laughed when he said this, myself included! This one played really well live with the tension and the terrific vocals. Don sung this one with Lily and they played off each other brilliantly. Chris played the guitar solo on this song with Steuart handling the ‘build up’.

Sunset Grill – Like Dirty Laundry, this rocked and I preferred this version to the original studio take. In particular I really liked the outro with some additional guitar from Steuart while retaining the piano and keyboards – I think Michael moved between the two at the end of the song. Don sang it very well, I think he hit some pretty high notes here. I notice that this song isn’t included on the setlist on setlist.fm. This is definitely a mistake, as I saw and heard this song with my very own eyes and ears!

Words Can Break Your Heart – Not as much to say here as for some of the others, except that it sounded very good live, especially the chorus where Don harmonised with Laura and I like the song more after hearing it live. Laura sang the ‘cutting words from careless lips’ verse. Afterwards, Don praised her and said she was ‘not just there for decoration!’ This was cheered.

New York Minute – Another superb performance! Great vocals and lyrics of course, and I was keeping a close eye on Lance Morrison during this song as his bass playing was first rate. I knew the bass was great in the intro but just listening to the song on record it was never apparent (to me at least) how busy the bassist is during the verses. Like the Eagles version on HFO, it ended with Don and the backing singers singing the title lyric acapella, which was cool.

When I Stop Dreaming – Before this song Don paid tribute to the Louvin brothers, who he described as crazy and also as the inspiration for the Everly brothers. Hearing this live pretty much confirmed what I already thought – I like this song, but I preferred it live to the studio original as Dolly Parton’s voice is a bit ‘cutesy’ for my liking and Erica. Another good performance overall.

One of These Nights – Don introduced this one by saying ‘here’s one from 1975’. I instantly knew what was coming when he said that, as it’s Don’s only hit from that album. I was very excited when I heard the opening notes. This was a great performance, and I thought Don did a great job with the high notes. I also loved getting to see Steuart play that guitar solo, and seeing the bassist move up and down the fretboard made me realise how much Randy/Tim had on their plate was this song given that they were also singing the high harmony vocals.

Bramble Rose – I think of the Cass County songs in the main setlist this was the one I most enjoyed, although they were all very good. Don sang the first verse as he did on record, with some excellent mandolin by Michael, before handing over to one of the backing singers for the second verse (it was either Laura or Erica I think). Don sang Mick Jagger’s verse and the harmonica sounded great live – I can’t quite remember who played this, it was either Chris or Will I think but not totally sure, but they did a terrific job.

It Don’t Matter to the Sun – Whisper it quietly, but I definitely preferred this version to the original! :steviesmack: I think getting Steuart to play acoustic guitar on it instead of having the keyboard worked a lot better. I felt it made more of an emotional connection than the original, Don sung it with feeling. (Don’t worry Stevie. I still love you!)

I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore – Don introduced this one before going off stage, saying how it was written by Paul Carrack, who he praised and described as ‘one of your own’. Lily, Laura and Erica all sang different parts of the song although I can’t recall who sung exactly what. Steuart did a nice job on guitar too. I enjoyed it as this song has grown on me quite a lot on me recently and it was nice to hear something from LROOE.

Part two coming up soon!

Jonny Come Lately
06-28-2016, 08:06 AM
Part two, starting with The Last Resort:

The Last Resort – Don talked a bit before this one. It was at this point that he explained about his phone policy, and that he would then be playing a song from Hotel California. A loud cheer came up and explained that he wasn’t playing HC itself yet, but he would play it later and we could get out phones out then. Once it start, I was overwhelmed to hear this song live and I could hear other people cheering. I never quite thought that I’d actually get to listen to Don singing it. Although a lot of my attention was on Don’s vocals (he did brilliantly with the final verse and the end) and the magnificent lyrics, I was intrigued to see the instruments the band played – the mid section was especially interesting, as one of the backing singers, Erica (IIRC) played violin. The song got a standing ovation, at least in my block.

The End of the Innocence – Kept up the incredibly high standard, and another song that I thought was greatly moving. It has been over a dozen years since I first heard this song and getting to hear the exceptional lyrics and the timeless piano line live was quite something. The sax solo on the original was played on the violin by Erica. After the song, Don paid tribute to Bruce Hornsby, describing him as a very gifted gentlemen and said he was well worth going to see when he comes here.

The Heart of the Matter – Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, the opening riff of this song started! Having three of my absolute favourites, all songs which mean a great deal to me, in such quick succession was just unbelievable for me. Steuart’s guitar work on this one was excellent, never overdoing it. The best part was hearing Don sing the ‘there are people in your life’ verse which I have always loved. This was another song that got a richly deserved standing ovation.

(The band intros were either before or after THOTM, I think it was after… please correct if wrong! Don said that they were a great band and that there were no loonies in it… apart from him! Steuart got a big round of applause, thankfully no idiots shouting stuff about Felder this time)

Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Don introduced this by saying that his band always enjoyed playing this song and that it fitted ‘these wacko times’. I remember my parents playing Tears for Fears for a bit, my Mum quite liked them IIRC but their music isn’t really my thing. I did enjoy this performance though. Having Don singing helped, although Chris and Steuart’s guitar work added a lot to the song. My Dad said he preferred this version to the original, for what it’s worth.

Boys Of Summer – Another terrific performance! Don sang it at full pelt. This is probably Don’s best known solo track over here, and it was very well received. There were a few people dancing in our block for this one, which there hadn't for any of the earlier songs. As with THOTM, Mike Campbell would have been proud of Steuart’s guitar work. The outro was extended somewhat too.

Life in the Fast Lane – The final song of the regular set before the encores and it rocked throughout! The middle section was superb, as was Don’s vocal. IIRC Steuart played Joe’s iconic riff, with Chris playing Felder’s part. Interestingly I noticed on the final verse Don sang ‘g-ddamn’, with a pause after saying the ‘g’. I was aware he has done this before but I assumed this was generally usually in more places that are quite sensitive about this like some of the southern states. I think this might have been because there were children in the front rows?

The show had gone so quickly at this point that it seemed like almost no time had passed when it got to the encores:

Train In The Distance – I was absolutely delighted to hear Don play this song as it is my personal favourite from Cass County. It was every bit as atmospheric live as it is on record, and this was helped by the use of train sound effects (I am not totally sure where these came from – possibly from either Michael’s or Will’s keyboards?). One guy behind me tried to sing along to this song but he didn’t seem to know the words except for the chorus!

Hotel California – The phones all came out for this one! I didn’t film it myself, fortunately my Dad was there to film it so I have got some footage. I just wanted to enjoy every second! I was slightly surprised to see that Don was not playing guitar on this one, but I found out why after he stopped singing – he went to the back and played what looked like a bit bongo drums next to Scott’s drum kit. Steuart and Chris did a brilliant job with the solos – Steuart was playing the famous double neck but I noticed Chris was playing a Gibson Les Paul. During the final part, with Don at the back they came together in the middle of the stage to play the harmonised parts just as Joe and Don F always did.

After everyone left the stage, everyone was shouting 'More!' and shortly afterwards Don came back, paid tribute to Glenn and then started the final song:

Desperado – Prior to this song, Don explained how it had been a tough year for everyone in this camp and just before playing he said ‘this one’s for Glenn’. At the very end, he pointed his microphone at the audience and we sang ‘let somebody love you!’ A very moving finale and I thought a very fitting and heartfelt tribute to Glenn and I agree with what everyone else has posted.
Most of the songs got a good reception, although I think the Eagles songs together with THOTM and BOS seemed to go down especially well, and the crowd loved it when he paid tribute to Glenn. I didn’t hear many shouts for songs that weren’t played, but during the evening I heard a few shouts for Praying For Rain. I’d have loved to have heard that one, but I really enjoyed all of the performances so I really don’t have any reservations about songs he didn’t play.

Picking just one highlight is very tough. There were so many great songs and the performances were top notch. I would probably say that my favourite Eagles performance was The Last Resort (though it was difficult to argue with HC and LITFL), my favourite of his 1980s hits was The Heart of The Matter and my favourite Cass County performance was Train In The Distance. If I had to pick just one, I’d probably say The Last Resort as until last week I thought my only chance of hearing this song live would be an Eagles tribute band, so listening to Don sing it is much, much more special. It was incredible to think that the man standing and singing in front of me was there for just about everything the Eagles ever did as a band and during the sequence of The Last Resort, EOTI and HOTM I came close to welling up at the enormity of it all.

Overall: had a truly brilliant concert experience, we even managed to get out of the car park quickly after the show! Very happy to answer any questions about last night’s show. I’ll try to answer them as best I can!

L101
06-28-2016, 08:35 AM
It Don’t Matter to the Sun – Whisper it quietly, but I definitely preferred this version to the original! :steviesmack: I think getting Steuart to play acoustic guitar on it instead of having the keyboard worked a lot better. I felt it made more of an emotional connection than the original, Don sung it with feeling. (Don’t worry Stevie. I still love you!)



JCL - so glad you had a brilliant time at the concert !! I'll be there in Cork tomorrow night with DivineDon and if it is as good as you say - I'll be one happy person :grin:

But I was delighted to see that Don has Steuart playing acoustic guitar on IDMTTS - I've always felt that it would work better with acoustic guitar instead of keyboards - can't wait to hear it as I love that song (including the version with Stevie ;-) )

maryc2130
06-28-2016, 08:51 AM
JCL, I'm so glad you had a good time! Thank you for such a detailed and enthusiastic review. Reading it, I felt a little as though I were there, and I can't wait for Boston in September! I am thrilled with the set list, especially to have HOM, TITD, NYM and Train in the Distance. I am going with my son, and he's not a big country fan, so although I will miss not having a couple of songs from Cass Country, I"m glad for his sake that there aren't as many tracks from it as his show last fall (which I didn't get a chance to take in.) My son's favorite song of the Eagles or Don Henley is Boys of Summer, and he hasn't seen it live yet, so I'm really glad he's doing that one.

This song list and from all I've heard, Don's performances, are pretty incredible for an almost 70-year-old man. So many of the songs take a good, strong voice. Whatever you're doing to make this happen, Don, please keep doing it!!

NightMistBlue
06-28-2016, 08:57 AM
Thanks for the wonderfully detailed review, Jonny and I'm so glad you enjoyed the show.

It seems a bit odd that Don Henley is covering a Tears for Fears song. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic song, one of the best of the 80s.

thelastresort
06-28-2016, 09:01 AM
I will be brutally honest, I thought he performed better in Glasgow on Saturday night, there were certain parts last night when the vocals were ever so slightly off, not normally a problem but when it's at a concert with Don Henley's precision it's apparent - SBR was noticeably different, though that might just be to do with the acoustics of the venue. The setlist definitely isn't better for having Sunset Grill in either, which was the only change from Glasgow: it got a lukewarm reception at best where I was sat and really doesn't come across well live, certainly compared to his other solo stuff. The Last Resort again was my highlight, getting the same standing ovation it got at Glasgow (the only song pre-Boys of Summer to get one), as was the fantastic rendition of IDWTHA and Train in the Distance.

I noticed last night he specifically dedicated Desperado to Glenn, in Glasgow he just said the line about what a tough time it'd been.

shunlvswx
06-28-2016, 09:02 AM
This song list and from all I've heard, Don's performances, are pretty incredible for an almost 70-year-old man. So many of the songs take a good, strong voice. Whatever you're doing to make this happen, Don, please keep doing it!!

Don tries to keep his voice in top shape by not drinking wine a month before the tour(probably during the tour too. He says it swells up his vocal cords) and he can't talk too much before his shows. If you hear Don's voice hoarse, he had talked too much that day.

His voice is holding up, but I don't know how long he can continue to sing tenor. I still memorize how different his speaking and singing voice is. A baritone guy singing tenor. Not that many singers do that.

Thanks for the recap Jonny. I wish I could see Don this year, but I definitely will next year. I just hope he's close to me.

shunlvswx
06-28-2016, 09:05 AM
Thanks for the wonderfully detailed review, Jonny and I'm so glad you enjoyed the show.

It seems a bit odd that Don Henley is covering a Tears for Fears song. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic song, one of the best of the 80s.

Looking at other shows and setlist, I think Don has been singing Everybody Wants to Rule The World since 2004. Could be earlier than that, but that's the only year I first saw it on the setlist. So he's been singing it off and on for years. He definitely sung last year.

sodascouts
06-28-2016, 01:01 PM
Thank you so much for your amazing review, JCL! Wow, what a show!

I'm even more excited about my New Year's Eve show now!

Lovely that he dedicated "Desperado" to Glenn.

Brooke
06-28-2016, 02:08 PM
Johnny, thank you so much for such a wonderfully detailed review! I felt like I was right there with you! I can't ever remember all the details you have. I'm usually just too overwhelmed. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, but I knew you would. Don does not disappoint, ever, imo!

I'm sure 7BR sounded different than the Eagles doing it. And yes, he's been doing the Tears for Fears song for many years.

His tribute to Glenn was perfect too. I hope to get to see him again sometime.

buffyfan145
06-28-2016, 04:21 PM
I agree and thanks Jonny for the great review!!! :D

Jonny Come Lately
06-28-2016, 05:31 PM
Thank you to everyone for all the kind comments! I hope everyone's who going to see Don over the coming months has as great a time as I did. I'm sure you will!

Thanks to tlr for your comments too, it's interesting to get a different perspective on the show especially as I have no previous experience of a Don/Eagles show. I enjoyed Sunset Grill a lot myself, although I'll concede that it isn't that much of a crowd pleaser. On the flip side, I was thrilled to see how many other people loved The Last Resort (couldn't agree more with you there!) and THOTM. I did not know that Don didn't specifically dedicate Desperado to Glenn in Glasgow, which makes me feel even more privileged to have heard Don do it for him last night.

L101, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this version IDTTM, if you love the original I'm sure will enjoy the live take. Hope you and DD really enjoy your show tomorrow!

Freypower
06-28-2016, 07:04 PM
Great review JCL.

GA said that in Glasgow Don played (presumably acoustic) guitar during The Last Resort, which surprises me. I assume this was the case in Manchester too?

shunlvswx
06-28-2016, 08:58 PM
Somebody I know went to this show with his girlfriend. I was shocked he was fan of Don's. LOL He was over in England with one of the Osmond brothers on a very mini tour and I think he was staying over to speak time with his girlfriend who's from England.

They got tickets from a friend who couldn't go. So they decided to go see Don. I was soo jealous of them. LOL He said he never gotten the chance to see the Eagles in concert. He's either performing at the theater in Branson, MO with the Osmonds or on the road with them.

Jonny Come Lately
06-29-2016, 03:08 AM
GA said that in Glasgow Don played (presumably acoustic) guitar during The Last Resort, which surprises me. I assume this was the case in Manchester too?

That was certainly true at my show too, which surprised me too especially as IIRC he didn't play an instrument on the HFO version, but it was actually an electric guitar. I think it was a Telecaster (my knowledge of models is rudimentary but I can recognise the different shapes!).

EDIT: A rough guide off the top of my head, of the ones where I'm sure what he played:
- I think he played guitar on some of the rockers and just sang on others. He definitely played guitar on Dirty Laundry and LITFL, but specific details for most of the others escape me right now unfortunately!
- He sang Hotel California with no instrument, but then played percussion at the back during the guitar solos.
- He sang without an instrument on all of the songs from Cass County, same with Desperado and 7BR.

Ive always been a dreamer
06-29-2016, 10:47 PM
JCL - thank you for such a detailed and enthusiastic review. I agree with those who said I almost felt like I was right there while reading it. I'm so glad that Don did not disappoint.

eagles557
06-30-2016, 02:02 AM
Great review! I really enjoyed reading it. Glad you had such a great time!
The Last Resort is my favorite Eagles song and I am really looking forward to hearing it in July! :)

Question - was there an intermission at all? Thanks! :)

Philh
06-30-2016, 03:54 AM
Thanks Jonny- great review! We were in the front row and of course had the best view possible. There were no large video screens so the people right at the back couldn't have seen much.
I was surprised there were no Press photographers there.
My favourite quote from Don during the show was-
Don: "The next song is another one from Cass County"
Only one person cheered.
Don: "Well I'm going to sing it anyway because if I'm not having a good time, no one will have a good time".
I bought a T Shirt and was going to buy a mug but my wife thought £15 was excessive.
Maybe I'll sneak one at Hyde Park on Sunday.
There was no intermission during Don's set.
I agree with Jonny that it was good to see Steuart, Michael, Scott and Will. Lance on bass was excellent but would have been so good if Tim would have been chosen.

Glennsallnighter
06-30-2016, 05:24 AM
No there was no intermission. Just a short break as expected before the encore. At one point Don went off stage for about 5 minutes while his backing band sang

NightMistBlue
07-01-2016, 10:54 AM
Someone on Eagles Fastlane is saying the turn-out was very low, is that true? Only a few thousand in the audience and the capacity of the arena is 21,000.

thelastresort
07-01-2016, 01:15 PM
- He sang without an instrument on all of the songs from Cass County, same with Desperado and 7BR.

Acoustic guitar on When I Stop Dreaming ;)

thelastresort
07-01-2016, 01:16 PM
Someone on Eagles Fastlane is saying the turn-out was very low, is that true? Only a few thousand in the audience and the capacity of the arena is 21,000.

Yep, the front half was relatively well-filled but the rear of the venue was a third full at best. Glasgow had half of the top tier curtained off. Bloke sat next to me mentioned they had been trying to flog tickets left, right and centre in the days leading up to it.

sodascouts
07-01-2016, 08:29 PM
As a solo act, Don Henley can't be expected to sell 20,000+ seats! I think it probably sold comparably to his other shows - it's just that he typically holds his shows in smaller venues. For instance, I saw him at a venue that holds about 2500 seats, and it was just about sold out.

Philh
07-13-2016, 09:56 AM
I can't understand why the turnout was relatively low.
It was a Monday evening so the casual rock fan would be less likely to attend compared to a Friday or Saturday.
Don of course being one of the two main song writers in the Eagles (along with Glenn) surely should have attracted more fans especially now that Glenn has passed and there is now no hope of seeing the remaining Eagles live.
Radio in the UK concentrates on the Eagles' catalog. It's a shame that Cass County has not had more AirPlay but I guess that is the situation with radio today.
I guess that with The best will in the world, Don will not tour forever so we should see him and his contempories while we can.
It's probably a fact that if the Eagles had been playing (if Glenn was still here) it would have sold out, but in my opinion seeing Don perform Hotel California with his own band is just as good as seeing him with the Eagles- well almost.

Glennsallnighter
07-19-2016, 03:28 AM
Yep, the front half was relatively well-filled but the rear of the venue was a third full at best. Glasgow had half of the top tier curtained off. Bloke sat next to me mentioned they had been trying to flog tickets left, right and centre in the days leading up to it.

In Dublin I thought they would have curtained off the upper tier as usually happens with solo artists but no! The full arena was open.