At last--a favorable review by the Chicago SouthTown Star:
BY STEVE METSCH, Staff Writer
The Eagles is "the band that would not die," Glenn Frey jokingly told their United Center audience Wednesday night.
In fact, they are not only alive and well, but in fine form, too, knocking out 30 songs over the course of their three-hour concert. Frey and his bandmates - Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and the irrepressible Joe Walsh cruised through songs from their 2007 release, the two-CD "Long Road Out of Eden," and dug into their 1970s catalog for huge hits, before turning their second set into an episode of "Joe Gone Wild."
The four core Eagles members were joined by nine backup musicians, including a four-man brass section that brought new sounds to familiar songs. The band opened with their big "How Long" and three other new songs, giving each a chance to tackle the lead vocal slot. An attempt to soothe egos in a band famed for its fighting? Who cares? They all sounded terrific.
Besides, time heals.
Frey, 60, called Henley "my friend since 1971," and talked in glowing terms of how they wrote "Lyin' Eyes" in two days. "Now," Frey said, "that would probably take two years."
Noting how the band began 37 years ago, Henley introduced "The Long Run" as "our theme song" and invited fans to sing along. The first set was heavy on ballads, including "I Can't Tell You Why" and "I Don't Want to Hear Any More," both featuring Schmit's beautiful vocals. Yes, Schmidt, 60, still effortlessly hits high notes. And, yes, he still has his trademark flowing locks.
The first set offered hints of what was to come when Walsh grabbed the spotlight with a fun new song, "Guilty of the Crime," and a rollicking version of "In the City" that had him playing solos off the bold brass section.
After a lengthy break - maybe the band was watching the White Sox and Cubs games as many fans were in the concourse - the Eagles returned--with the lovely harmonies of "No More Walks in the Woods." These guys may disagree, but they sure sing well together.
A few songs later, it was time for Walsh to steal the spotlight with sizzling solos on "Long Walk Out of Eden," Henley's biting political criticism of the war in Iraq. Then it was time to unleash Walsh. As always, the life of the party was up to the task.
The band went way back into Walsh's musical history with "Walk Away," a 1971 release from his James Gang days. Frey tried to match Walsh, 60, note for note at the start of "Funk #49," another James Gang song, before playfully tossing up his hands and conceding.
Among the night's many highlights was "Life's Been Good," Walsh's solo hit from 1978. The amusing indictment of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle was made even more enjoyable with video clips of the band through the years, and with his "the helmet cam," a videocamera mounted atop a hard hat that took shots of the audience that were beamed to three video screens.
Walsh's enthusiasm and superb playing seemed to inspire the entire band to rock a bit harder. "One of These Nights" never sounded better.--The same goes for "Heartache Tonight."
Henley took the spotlight with a dead-on takes of "The Boys of Summer" and "Hotel California," and his poke at the media, "Dirty Laundry." The Eagles had fun with that song, showing real tabloid headines along with phony magazine covers featuring stories like, "Monkey Sues Joe Walsh" and "Don Henley Solves Global Warming."
Frey handled most of the banter, telling fans--"Lyin' Eyes" was "about my first wife, 'Plaintiff,'" leading the horn section through some funky dance steps, and calling "Take It to the Limit" the band's "credit card song." He sounded best on "Peaceful Easy Feeling." You could almost feel the warm California breeze.
After finishing with a hard-rockin' "Life in the Fast Lane," the band returned for its first encore: Walsh's Chicago classic rock radio staple "Rocky Mountain Way," and Henley's "All She Wants to Do is Dance," complete with a dazzling light show. The second encore was all-Eagles: the timeless "Take it Easy," with Frey on the lead, and "Desperado," powered by Henley.
My only beef?
I know bands have to sell new product, but it would've been nice to hear them rock out on "Already Gone." The good news is tickets are available for tonight's concert in what Frey jokingly called "the Eagles' Assisted Living Tour."