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Thread: Thackerville, OK 5-17-09

  1. #1
    Stuck on the Border DonFan's Avatar
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    Default Thackerville, OK 5-17-09

    From McKinneyNews.com:

    Don Henley Hits Thackerville

    What do you do when you find out one of the most prolific and talented singer-songwriters of the last century is playing within (bionic) earshot of McKinney? Well, hell, you jump in the car, smash the gas, and blow down the highway about seventy miles or so to Thackerville, Oklahoma – if, of course, you’ve got the cash ($75-$110) to play with the big boys.

    Sunday evening, Don Henley (perhaps you recognize the name) of the Eagles fame (surely you’ve heard of them) took 80 minutes of his spare time (the mother ship is heading for Europe in a couple of weeks to continue its tour in support of the band’s latest multi-platinum selling, “The Long Road Out of Eden”) to set the historical record straight to about 1,500 mostly old-schoolers at the Winstar Casino who were more than willing to be schooled by Henley’s particular brand of intellectual artistry: poignant and poetic social commentary presented in a easily digested – pop -- musical format.

    Henley, in what appeared to be a clean black button-down shirt and faded jeans, took to the stage with a throbbing – and scathing – “Dirty Laundry,” a nod to the superficial, “bubble-headed bleach blonde” sensibilities of a sensational national press, winding his way through a plethora of hits from his first three solo albums, mixing in a handful of 70's-era Eagles classics – that he penned – for good measure.

    The infamously curmudgeonly Henley was quite affable on this Sunday night, taking time to regale the audience with a chalk-dry wit and juicy asides related to the songs known the world over.

    “It was 42 degrees….a real picnic,” Henley deadpanned referencing an outdoor gig he had just performed the night before in North-Eastern Oklahoma.

    At another juncture, Henley introduced the foreboding guitar and drum-driven “Witchy Woman,” a song about a woman – “not Stevie Nicks” – that he knew in Los Angeles in 1972.

    Later, Henley, born in Gilmer, Texas, tantalized the audience with an introduction to his mid-80s hit, “Last Worthless Evening.”

    It’s about a “beautiful blonde actress who I will not name,” said Henley. The woman, Henley said, was sitting at a table with Jack Nicholson at a party with a lot of famous people. She didn’t go home with Nicholson, and Henley “went home and wrote [a] song” about the experience.

    It wasn’t until 61-year-old Henley, his distressed, rusted-nail voice easily as strong as it was thirty years ago, tackled the “Heart of Matter,” that a real glimpse was offered into the heart of a man wrestling with his legacy – and mortality.

    Within the context of a song about time and forgiveness, Henley, in an obvious acknowledgement of the passing of time and his own fleeting relevancy, sang, “fans seem to scatter” instead of “friends seem to scatter.”

    An insignificant error, you might be tempted to surmise. But for a guy like Henley, this was no error.

    Indeed, it must be difficult – no matter what the paycheck – looking at a roomful of mostly gray hair and the inevitable downslide of one's career.

    And perhaps this, though unspoken, was what the night was about. It was about an aging rocker-poet coming to terms with his own demise in front of an aging audience confronting its own.

    “This is a show for has-beens,” a woman said with an air of regret before the show began. I didn’t want to honor her repellant suggestion. But in the end, she was right. Time, no matter the magnitude of talent, will not be denied.

    Surely Don Henley knew – and knows – as much.
    ************************************

    Overall a fairly good review, but I think the writer must've been feeling HIS own mortality a bit. Has-beens? I don't think so!

    Black button-down and faded jeans--YES!!!

  2. #2
    Stuck on the Border Prettymaid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Geez, I don't know whether to smile or cry after that review!
    ~ Cathy ~

    And I dream I'm on vacation 'Cause I like the way that sounds,
    It's a perfect occupation for me.

  3. #3
    Border Rebel carol7lynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Ouch!"chalk-dry wit"(Huh?)... "own fleeting relevancy" .... "Aging rock-poet" ...."demise"...."aging audience confronting its own demise" Yikes!

    Me thinks the reviewer doth protest too much and was more concerned with nit picking than anything else.

    CarolLynn
    oCalGal

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    Stuck on the Border TimothyBFan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Very nice start but the last few paragraphs were pretty bogus I think! I don't know anyone, whether they like the Eagles or not, would call them "has beens".
    He sings it high, he plays it low

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    Stuck on the Border luvthelighthouse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    This person obviously knows nothing. Has been's do not sell out stadiums globally.

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    Out on the Border
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Quote Originally Posted by luvthelighthouse View Post
    This person obviously knows nothing. Has been's do not sell out stadiums globally.
    You got that right!
    Last edited by Jojo; 05-18-2009 at 10:56 AM.

  7. #7
    Stuck on the Border EagleLady's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Awww Lou, sounds like you had a great time, and Don Noticed you!

  8. #8
    Stuck on the Border Stars's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Troub, so glad you and Peek had such a wonderful time at both shows, and that Don saw you and your sign!!!
    I know what you mean about going through withdrawal-I had the same problem back in November! However, you do have the Eagles to look forward to in the summer, and I'm sure you'll have the time of your life at that concert too!

  9. #9
    Stuck on the Border Peekaboo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Ok, first of all, was that dude that wrote that review even there? Was he really at the same concert as us? That review was load of crap because Don was in very fine form last night both vocally and visually. And we heard Don sing "Friends seem to scatter" and not "Fans seem to scatter." Trust us, we were especially into this song.

    I'm not going to completely complain about our supposed "3rd Row" seats because we did have a great view but still I feel a little bit decieved. Apparently the first 2 rows were held for comp and promotional seats. When we first got there last night, we heard that they were doing drawings for Henley tickets and I'm assuming that whoever won those got to sit right up front . I've already expressed my feelings about this before in another thread so i'll just leave it at that.

    There was some crazy guy in the "actual" second row right in front of Don who was dancing throughout the majority of the concert. During All She Wants To Do Is Dance he got right up front and was dancing like a mad man. I didn't see this but Lou said that Don was watching him for a minute with a look of mild bemusement. Don wasn't angry at the guy and he didn't smile but he had to have found that funny because a lot of people (including us) were laughing at the guy.

    I have the best friend in the whole world . I mentioned before that my friend, Christie, that went with me to the show in Columbia offered to switch seats with Lou. Well, while Lou and I were rockin out and enjoying the show from our seats, Christie was in her seat working her magic. She somehow managed to get me and Lou a Don Henley pick. We couldn't believe it when she gave them to us. I am forever grateful for her for doing that. I'm still in shock that she did that for us. She is the BEST!!!

    ~Jess~


    Stranded "on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
    Such a fine sight to see."

  10. #10
    Stuck on the Border Peekaboo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Don in Thackerville, OK

    Like at Downstream the night before, we didn't get many pictures that turned out all that great.





    ~Jess~


    Stranded "on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
    Such a fine sight to see."

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