Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Oh... and Don had stubble. (Worth an extra post, was it not?) ;)
Also, this may have been obvious by the shorter set list, but there was no break last night.
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Oh Yes Lou I love The Stubble on Don
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
I too love Don with stubble. I wonder if the guys mentioned anything about it being Independence Day? Probably not. After all, America won its independence by fighting a war with the Brits. ;)
Sounds like a great show!
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Okay, so he didn't really think they connected w/each other and obviously didn't like the show.
The thing that stuck out to me though is, this it the second review from this leg that I recall saying they can't hear Timothy's bass. Hmmm?????? I wonder what's up w/that?
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
The setlist was as follows:
How Long / Hear Any More / Limit / Guilty / HC / Peaceful / Can't Tell you / Witchy / Lyin' / These Nights / Walk Away / Summer / City / Long Run / Band intros / LBG / Laundry / Funk / Heartache // Fast Lane / Rocky / Desperado
After a horrendous 4 and a half hour bus journey to Glasgow we were running a little late but luckily we made it into the stadium just in time to see Paul Carrack. I've been a fan of his for a few years now and he can always be relied upon to put on a great show. Saturday was no exception and he kept me thoroughly entertained for the duration of his set.
About 8pm the Eagles sauntered on and went straight into How Long. The harmonies were perfect, Joe and Steuart were superb and Glen and Don were smiling throughout. At this point it became obvious that the show was going to be something special. Glen then said hello to everybody and something like "we are the ancient ones. The band that would not die."
A perfect rendition of I Don't Want To Hear Any More was up next followed by as curveball this early on in the shape of Take It To The Limit. I was sat fairly near the front and hearing the entire crowd behind me behind me singing along with the chorus made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Guilty Of The Crime was up next and it got a fairly muted response from the folk sat around me, it was as if many of them didn't really know it which I found quite surprising.
Next came the familiar trumpet intro and then THAT guitar line. There's nothing left to say about Hotel California that hasn't already been said. Don was in fine tune throughout and Joe and Steuart shone once again as they ripped into the solo and left 50,000 people amazed at how easy they made it look.
It should be noted at this point that the sound quality was outstanding throughout the show. I've been to a few concerts at Hampden and it can be very hit or miss but everything was crystal clear this time. Even when all the backing musicians were on stage the sound never became muddy and the levels were mixed perfectly. I've read of a few complaints from people sat in the upper tier but no problems from where we were sat.
Peaceful Easy Feeling was next, followed by I Can't Tell You Why. Timothy was outstanding here as usual and there was real passion in his voice throughout. He was rock solid the whole night with both his vocals and his playing but I do find it slightly disappointing that he appears content to stay in the background for so much of the show. A little playing to the crowd wouldn’t go amiss but I’m just nitpicking now.
Next was a 1-2-3 of Witchy Woman, Lyin' Eyes and One Of These Nights and this is where the crowd really started to loosen up. Plenty of people dancing here and much amusement was had watching a women respond to the security guard trying to stop her dancing in the aisle by attempting to stick her tongue down his throat. Around this point security appeared to realise they were fighting a losing battle and allowed the crowd to stand up and dance in the aisles. Please excuse the language but a slight downer was put on the night at this point when one dick tried to stop my girlfriend taking a picture of the band on her phone and then tried to take the phone off her when she continued. Probably wasn’t smart of her to blatantly carry on but she was doing nothing wrong, there’s no way her phone could be considered a professional piece of equipment.
At this point I noticed a couple of American flags being waved (one right in front of the stage) and also a saltire later on. After reading about what happened last time somebody did this I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the person that was about to be humiliated but no, nothing was said and the fan was allowed to carry on waving their flag throughout.
Walk Away was next and they seemed to lose the crowd again a little here but everybody was soon standing again for Boys Of Summer. This song is always a joy to watch as Don always gies it laldy and this show as no exception, he really did put everything into his performance.
A special mention has to go to Joe's solo during In The City. Relying heavily on his wah pedal he delivered perhaps the finest piece of guitar work all night. On a slightly related note his slide playing all night was exemplary and deserves special mention, I have seen many slide guitar players but there are few who can play the same way that Joe can, the man is in a class of his own.
Don then took centre stage for The Long Run and I have to agree with Carla’s comments about him during this song. Without a guitar and the subsequent need to stay near a microphone stand he was free to play to the crowd a little and really came alive for this number. Joe was also noteworthy for his clowning around in between singing lines at Timothy’s microphone.
After this the backing musicians and band were introduced. The last announcement was of course Joe and he received the loudest and longest cheer of the night, the fans love him and on the strength of this performance it’s not difficult to see why. At this point I should say that the entire band was superb and did their jobs beautifully. Nobody was too overpowering, they all added subtle arrangements that greatly enhanced the song being played.
After the intros Joe emerged wearing the helmet cam, but mounted on what I think was a baseball cap this time meaning it was silly time! Cue Life’s Been Good. More amazing fretwork from Joe and highly amusing as well but, ore importantly, it’s a great song at the theatrics enhance it rather than cover up deficiencies. Everybody on stage also appeared to crack a smile when the crowd roared “he’s cool.” It’s nice to see Joe just let loose during songs like this when he does more than the rest of the guys put together to dispel the myth that the Eagles are a boring band.
Another 1-2-3 to take us to the end of the main performance and all three songs were stunning. The whole crowd was dancing, security had finally given up trying to seat people and the whole place had a party atmosphere. Glen deserves a mention for Heartache, this was the song where he gave it his all, put his heart into the song and took the crowd along for the ride. It was nothing short of spellbinding.
After a brief break they were back to begin the encore with Take It Easy. I’ve never really been a fan of this song but they had the crowd up again as soon as they played the opening chords and they stayed up for the next 2 songs. While the harmonies were flawless throughout the show they were beautiful during this one. I thought long and hard about using that word but on reflection “beautiful” is the only word that does these 4 men justice.
Rocky Mountain Way was up next and I’m sure they turned Joe up during his solo here. The sound of the talkbox echoed round and round the stadium until it became a symphony of noise (but in a good way) and the resulting effect was amazing.
Time for Don to take centre stage again and we all knew what was coming. He sang Desperado perfectly while every word was sung back at him by 50 something thousand voices. I could be wrong but I think even the band looked a little surprised at the reaction from the crowd.
Show over and after spending a few minutes waving at the crowd they all disappeared leaving a stadium full of very happy punters to make their way into the night. I found the ticket prices to be very steep for my meagre student budget so I believe it’s a good endorsement of the show to say it was money well spent and I’m already counting down the days until they (hopefully) tour again. Roll on Farewell 2!
Pics to follow when I have a chance to upload them...
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Koala
If Walsh was the life, soul and rock and roll of the party, he faced an uphill battle to get the rest of the band on his side. Frey was charming but quick to switch off and drift into the background. Schmidt’s bass was inaudible, and Henley seemed humourlessly detached.
I feel I have to respond here, I'm not sure whether the reviewer was watching a different show to me, or I'd somehow managed to get so drunk I lost a grasp of reality after 4 or 5 pints or it's become cool to criticize the Eagles. If anybody has a different explaination I'd love to hear it...
I'm not quite sure if the reviewer was expecting Frey + his backing band but his comment was totally unfair. The Eagles are a group and, as such, of course he wasn't the centre of attention for the whole show. He had his moments as the other three also did.
The same riposte goes for the criticism of Don. He had his moments as did the other guys, there's nothing wrong with taking a back seat when the rest of your band is as talented as messers Frey, Timothy and Joe.
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009
Thanks for the detailed review Outlaw - glad you had a great time in spite of the "phone incident." I'm also relieved to hear that Don didn't chastise folks for waving flags on America's Independence Day, July 4!
Re: Glasgow, 4th July 2009