Chicago, IL 9-24-08, 9-25-08

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Oh yeah - I forgot to comment about Soda missing the M&G. I let her cry on my shoulder about that because, unfortunately, I knew EXACTLY how she felt. I still haven't gotten over my missed opportunity to meet Joe, but I just have to keep telling myself that it wasn't meant to be.

We will have another chance at that too, soda!

[Troubadour]

Wow, Maleah... I am grinning from ear to ear after looking through all of your pics! They are just fantastic, all of them. Of course, the Don ones made my heart beat a little faster I cannot put into words how much I am dying to see these guys live. I can totally understand your feelings upon seeing them. Nobody around me gets it either - thank goodness we have this place to share our excitement!

Thanks Soda, too, for the great reviews. I'm sorry about the M&G but I'm glad you had a wonderful time seeing the boys. Loved Glenn's comments about Sean Penn (LOL) and Glenn and Don's sleeping arrangements... As for Don chastising those people... Eek! If he directed something like that at me during a concert, I'd probably cry! (Note to self: sit down when they sit down, stand up when they stand up...)

[sodascouts]

As for Don chastising those people... Eek! If he directed something like that at me during a concert, I'd probably cry!

Seriously. It's not the first time Don has smacked down a fan at a concert (one time he snapped at a fan for waving an American flag when they were overseas. I kid you not). I wonder if he realizes how devastating that is to a fan, when someone you admire so much pours contempt over you? Why hurt a fan like that when they don't mean any harm?

It's a shame.

[Freypower]

Maleah, those photos left me gobsmacked. There were a couple of 'oh look, there is a camera' shots that had me shifting around in my seat if you know what I mean. There were some particularly excellent smiles from Don. Who said these guys hate each other and don't enjoy themselves on stage?

Thanks Soda for the review. Screwing up Somebody - I hope it wasn't too bad.

[Maleah]

Seriously. It's not the first time Don has smacked down a fan at a concert (one time he snapped at a fan for waving an American flag when they were overseas. I kid you not). I wonder if he realizes how devastating that is to a fan, when someone you admire so much pours contempt over you? Why hurt a fan like that when they don't mean any harm?

It's a shame.

It really is! If he were to say something like that to me....I would have cried too and it would have ruined the entire concert for me. To be completely honest with you....as much as I love the guy....my respect for him would go down a bit....if it were directed at me that is. I felt a little uncomfortable even with the looks on their faces in a couple of pics and I don't even know if they were really looking at me! lol!

FP I'm glad you liked them! Everytime I saw one of them smile, I tried really hard to capture it because they were such special moments!

[Troubadour]

It really is! If he were to say something like that to me....I would have cried too and it would have ruined the entire concert for me. To be completely honest with you....as much as I love the guy....my respect for him would go down a bit....if it were directed at me that is. I felt a little uncomfortable even with the looks on their faces in a couple of pics and I don't even know if they were really looking at me! lol!

I agree, hearing this kind of thing does leave me feeling a bit disappointed. (I'm not someone who thinks the guys are perfect or that they should be perpetually in a good mood, but the American flag story for example sounds really harsh - surely the fans were just showing that they were Americans too, and that they'd possibly travelled overseas to see the show?) Unless somebody is being completely rowdy and obnoxious - in which case, the security should deal with them - what's the point in upsetting someone and completely spoiling their night? I would feel about an inch tall if one of them directed a nasty comment at me, and I guarantee I would spend the rest of the concert - and beyond - feeling awful. I've thought about this before when I've read about Glenn glaring at someone throughout a whole song if they're filming or taking pictures... I mean, I can understand that to a degree, but surely it just makes the atmosphere uncomfortable and spoils the song for everyone if the singer looks preoccupied and annoyed?

I love the guys to bits and this doesn't change my perception of them, but I guess I'm a bit bemused as to why they would bother making some of these comments, especially if it's obvious the audience member meant no harm at all. Can you seriously berate someone for standing up at a concert?

[Prettymaid]

I'll bet the people behind the person standing were happy, although there were a million better ways to get that point across!

[Maleah]

It depends on what you say and how you say it. When we went to a Keith Urban concert here, there were some fans who kept holding up a HUGE sign for him to see. He acknowledged the sign twice and by the third time told them that he had seen it and they needed to put it down now because the people behind them would like to see. But the tone he used and how he said it didn't sound so mean. I'm sure the people with the sign were still disappointed.....but it wasn't said in a way that would have left them walking out feeling an inch high.

[sodascouts]

I'll bet the people behind the person standing were happy, although there were a million better ways to get that point across!

Yeah, they applauded!

I remember at a Glenn solo concert at Casino Rama, a lot of us went up to the front during Lyin' Eyes when we saw that the guards were cool with it. Glenn said, "It's OK for you to stay up here, but do me a favor - make sure you don't block the view of the people behind you." If he had ordered us to sit down so the front row could see better, I would have been mortified! I thought he handled that very well.

It's also why I was so glad Glenn didn't start a glare-fest on the first night in Chicago during TITTL. We rely on the performer to communicate the song's feeling - when they're communicating anger and annoyance instead, it definitely ruins it for everyone. It certainly ruined Peaceful Easy Feeling at Glenn's Crosslake concert. The way Glenn did the "Sean Penn" thing in Chicago makes me think that he's starting to realize such a disarming approach is far more effective and far less detrimental to the concert experience than the Frey-Eye.

And the guys must also realize that no matter what... some people are going to do it anyway. Once they make their wishes known, it's true that many people who initially might have filmed will choose not to do so. It's most effective on those within sight of the band, so the closer videos will be reduced a great deal, perhaps by as much as 90%. Perhaps that's their goal; perhaps they are resigned to the fact that, like mischievous children, the audience members out of their sight are more likely to defy them and film anyway. If you go to YouTube, you'll see that almost all the videos up are taken from a distance.

I wonder if they realize that the highest-quality videos are not taken from close to the stage, but rather from those in the tiers filming the screens?

At any rate, they have to understand that no strategy will be 100% effective. They don't have to like it, but they have to accept it: somebody's gonna film someone, before the night is through. Somebody's got their camera on. There's nothing they can do.

But as for me, I'll never be pulling out that camera to videotape them again.

[The Bomber]

Henley's annoyance came through loud and clear when he told those people to sit down. Funny thing is I think he believed he was being polite. Haha.

If you had told Henley in 1976 that in 2008 he'd be telling audience members to sit down, he'd have probably laughed in your face.

I never stand if I'm the only one though. I think standing at concerts should be a group thing. One person standing alone looks weird. If you can get the people around ya to stand, that works fine, but just you and a cople other people doesn't cut it.

Frey asking us not to film worked on me. Not that I could get any good video anyway from where I was sitting. We were at the back of the floor. Wish there were some photos from Thurs. since I couldn't get any.

Wanted to add something to the review. During encore breaks kids were waving their cell phones instead of lighters. HAHA!