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Thread: Aspen, CO 09-04-10

  1. #31
    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Soda is probably going to include it in her review, but in case it is a while before she is able to post, here are the backup musicians, Mike ...

    Danny Grenier - guitar
    Wayne Perry - bass
    Michael Thompson - piano
    Will Hollis - piano
    Al Garth - sax
    Scott Crago - drums
    Richie Mangicaro - percussion

    I think I've got them all.

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

  2. #32

    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Just got home from work. (yes the boss cut my vacation short and called me in today) In spite of having to go back to the real world I am still on my concert high. That was the most incredibly fun show I have ever been to. It felt like one giant party. Honestly I think some of that atmosphere came from the fact that everyone was on their feet. How can you listen to such wonderful music and not dance the night away. The one minor disappointment was I really wanted a Party of Two t-shirt and they didn't merchandise our boys. A couple of funny things happened surrounding the trip...
    Driving home from work Thursday evening I was listening to the radio when they played one of those station identification sound bytes that they have artists speak on and I heard, "Hello, this is Glenn Frey". On the drive into Aspen the highway information signs kept saying variations of "The heat is on. Statewide DUI crackdown". And when I got in the car to drive home from the BART station last night The Last Resort was playing. Go figure.
    Anyway it was an incredible experience. I had so much fun meeting Cami, Ann and Harold, not to mention causing trouble with Nancy and Kay again. I mean hanging out with them again. Yeah...that's it. It was just so much fun. Glenn and Joe seemed to be having a great time too. Maybe they were feeding off us as much as we were feeding off them. lol There was a little girl next to me, sitting on the barricade(which had me totally paranoid) who was about 8 years old. She was so cute!! She kept yelling things like "Rock on Glenn Frey" "I love you" "Rock on". I was dying!

  3. #33
    Stuck on the Border MikeA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Awwww, PLS and IABAD......it sounds like, really far out! They certainly didn't have a bunch of amateurs backing them did they!

    How was the "stage set"? Just lighting or did they have any kind of production going on? Man I'd have loved to have been there! But I'm just tickled plum pink for all of you who DID make it there!

    MikeA

  4. #34
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Before the show, as they were setting up, I strained to see if there were any band members about. I knew Jonathan Clark wasn't going to be there thanks to Facebook and I wondered who of Glenn's band made the trip. I saw Danny Grenier off to the side and the famous tech Victor testing the instruments and mics... when who should come out to join him but little Mr. Otis Frey himself! I'm infamously bad at remembering ages and birthdays of my own family members, much less Glenn's, but I think he's seven (Dreamer and PLS are much better at such things and can correct me if I'm wrong). He was wearing a plaid shirt like his daddy. Too precious.


    TIME TO ROCK!!!!
    "Ladies and Gentleman, we present to you Hall of Fame members and Grammy award winners Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh!!!"

    [Audience erupts!!!]

    As you've seen from the photos, Glenn came out in jeans, a white T-shirt, and a plaid shirt over it; Joe Walsh came out in black jeans with a black shirt and black jacket which he soon removed. Glenn, however, soon had his leather jacket on. I was pleased with what I saw. Photos truly don't do him justice!

    Note: some of these memories may be out of order - anyone at the show feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

    From the outset it was apparent they were in a good mood. Both were grinning and started rocking from the first second!


    Walk Away

    Without further ado, they plunged into the rocker "Walk Away." That catchy opening riff gets folks going every time and the song's energy keeps them there! The little girls next to me and I were literally jumping up and down, and everyone around me was rocking out as the adrenaline of the entire crowd surged with the song. The crowd was wild for them already and would just get more amped up as the show progressed. They had us at hello!


    Peaceful Easy Feeling
    Glenn introduced this song with the simple statement "The Gallery, 1971." I got it but I wondered who else did - lucky for most of the crowd, Glenn explained the comment later. It was so thrilling to imagine Glenn and the Eagles almost 40 years ago - a completely green band with exactly one show under their belt - playing that very song for a small crowd just a few miles away from where we were standing.

    He did the little "ooohs" that I love so much during the instrumental bit before the last verse. It's funny how the little things like that stand out as you listen.

    The song gave me that warm feeling it always does. I love it!


    Ordinary Average Guy

    Glenn and Joe were really cutting up before and during this one. First, they talked about how much fun they had playing as "The Party of Two" and that they do about four or five shows a year.

    Then, into the song intro! Joe began by saying, with a completely straight face as he always does, that while he and Glenn are rock stars, they're really just ordinary average guys. They take out the trash and mow their lawns (side note: I believe the trash but the lawns? You can't tell me they don't have lawn service!)

    Glenn chimed in that yeah, they're totally ordinary, besides the planes and mansions and all.

    Joe soberly agreed and told us we would have a chance to sing along at the end... then they started it up! They were cracking themselves up with the lyrics, making faces and playing around. When Joe sang "average ex-wives" (instead of "average wives") he held up several fingers, although I'm not sure he got all the way to four! In another spot, the lyrics were changed from "My friend's got a Chrysler; I have a Dodge" to the following... Joe: "I've got a condo" Glenn: "I've got a lodge." Both: "We're just ordinary average guys." LOL! During the break in the song with the sound of the strike, Glenn pretended to bowl. There were also some weird guitar noises emanating from either Glenn or Joe that were making them laugh as well. Of course, we in the audience were eating it up, and at the end were glad to chant "ORDINARY AVERAGE GUYS!" with them. At this point, Glenn flung his arms out and held them that way as if he were displaying himself as just one of us plain folks! Too funny!


    Lyin' Eyes
    Before going into this, Glenn said he smelled smoke... cigar smoke... and that people should be smoking other things besides cigars! (I should say that I smelled some nasty skunk smell which PLS informed me was 'skunk weed.' My response: "People smoke something that smells like SKUNKS?")

    He then introduced Lyin' Eyes as a song he wrote in 1975 with Don Henley... and, yes, he dedicated it to his first wife Plaintiff. (No comment.)

    He added "much" after "she won't have to worry," as he likes to do sometimes. I always enjoy the harmonies on this one, especially on the chorus.

    I happened to hear around me at this time a lot of young kids - and I mean like 14 - singing along with this song. They loved it as much as their parents did. The guys must be so gratified when they see things like that.


    Take It Easy

    Before this, Glenn gave a shout out to all his friends in the audience and said that a lot of people there knew them from when they were a lot wilder in the 70s and 80s. He joked that he and Joe got into so much trouble there they had to leave the valley for a while.

    He then told a story which I hadn't heard all the details of before: that of the Eagles' first stint in Aspen. He had mentioned the Gallery before heading into Peaceful Easy Feeling, but now he explained it.

    He said something like, "When the Eagles first got together in 1971, we came up here and played a lot of gigs. We got paid $500 a week and we did four shows a night. Nobody knew who we were, and the first time we played at 8:00, we had about 50 people in the audience. When we played again at 9:00, we had 100. At 10:00 we had 200 and by the time we played our last show of the night, there were about 450 or 500 people there." As he said this, he happened to be facing our way, and the pride on his face was as evident as the emotion in his voice. I couldn't stop smiling as I imagined how he must have felt to see that kind of response at a time when he was so young and uncertain, a kid who probably was afraid his new band would bomb as badly as Longbranch Pennywhistle. He must have felt validated, encouraged, excited... all at the Gallery in Aspen in 1971 (he said The Gallery was gone and some other establishment now occupied its space, but I didn't catch the name). He ended his speech with "And I think we opened with this..."

    Cue the opening chords of Take It Easy.

    It was sung with gusto, the infusion of all those memories giving it extra power. Terrific.

    After that, Joe commented, "I don't remember much about 1971 but people tell me I had a really good time." He went on to say that he had fond memories of Aspen, too, but he couldn't really ski. He then told a hilarious story (which will sadly lose a great deal in translation here): he remembered one time when he was attempting to ski and he kept falling. He said, "As I lay there in the ground thinking 'Man, I have to get up AGAIN' some little kid skis right into me and says 'YOU STINK.'" The audience roared with laughter.

    Glenn chimed in, "And your ski suit was BRIGHT YELLOW." (Was he there??) Joe joked about how he ridiculous he looked in that bright yellow ski suit. I wish I could remember exactly what he said, but I just remember laughing at it.


    In the City

    Oddly, Joe introduced this Eagles song by talking about how he "was in a gang once" and gave the usual jokes about it being a gang where he had to be home at 8:30 to practice the clarinet. Dreamer thinks he got confused and that he thought they were about to do the James Gang's Funk 49, but regardless, he saved it by saying "So these people making a movie asked me if I knew anything about gangs and I said yeah, so they asked me to write a song about it, and here it is." He then added "With the uncut, unedited introduction!" I was intrigued but it turned out that was just as joke as the intro was the same as always. I did notice that Joe changed up the guitar solo, not only here but on other songs as well.


    You Belong to the City

    I love this song - its building intensity, its drama, that interplay between guitar and sax, Glenn at the keyboard... and, to my delight, he sang it without falsetto! Danny Grenier joined him on the verses like Tim used to do when the Eagles performed it. The audience was completely into this and while it seemed at the end Glenn wasn't quite satisfied with how the song went down, everybody else was loving it... including me!


    Funk 49

    Once again, myself and the little girls next to me were inspired to jump up and down as this song's famous riffs took off! Glenn and Joe did their little "guitar duel" bit beforehand and, as usual, had lots of fun with it. At one point, they shook their heads at each other, made faces with their tongues hanging out... what a hoot! Joe let loose with that guitar. What a terrific song.


    The Heat Is On
    Another crowd pleaser and yes, another jumper as we rocked out to the chorus! Some of us were waving our arms back and forth every time he sang "ooooh, woah-hoooo" in the chorus and I saw grins plastered across faces all around. Everybody knows this song, and everybody loves it! Glenn played a cool guitar solo here - again, much to my delight and the crowd's.


    Life's Been Good

    Another song where they really cut up. Some funny moments: After Joe sings about his mansion and "Glenn tells me it's nice," Glenn kind of shrugged, waved his hand, and went "Eehhhh." Joe sang "Who is it?" after the doorbell instead of the next verse. Glenn made some funny noises on his guitar or something that cracked Joe up. When Joe sang, "my fans they can't wait" Glenn yelled "HURRY UP!"

    Joe came over to our side of the stage to play his solo, and up close, I noticed how bright his eyes were. They were absolutely burning. He was obviously having a blast. He then did his cute little duckwalk. Unfortunately for the VIP section, he didn't have time to make it over there. Joe fans, you will be happy to hear that Joe got major props from everyone all night long, including myself. I went crazy when he was playing that solo right in front of us.


    Band Intros
    I see Dreamer's already posted the names of the supporting musicians. I want to add that Glenn introduced Joe with the typical but nevertheless hilarious "A man who needs no introduction... famous to law enforcement and hotel staff around the country... a man who never met a hotel room he couldn't trash..... former resident of Boulder, Colorado.... JOE WALSH!" The audience ROARED! After a long moment, Glenn introduced himself with "And I'm Glenn Frey from Detroit... where mother is half a word" line but at that point people were cheering so loudly for him I could barely hear the Detroit joke. This audience was absolutely adoring!

    I think it might have been at this point that Glenn commented about the extra-special VIP section that was elevated above the stage on the side. He indicated them and said something like, "I don't know if you can see them or not, but there are about 40 people by the side of the stage here who are all as high as nine ski instructors on payday!" They loved that, of course! I tried to see if I recognized any of them but to no avail, as I was too far away to make out features.

    I also realized that if they were doing band intros, they must be entering the home stretch. As I had hoped for a two-hour set, I was bummed about that, but oh well.


    Heartache Tonight
    When the audience recognized this, they once again erupted. This song never fails to please. I glanced behind me and noticed people of all ages singing along. It's an ageless hit. Teach the children well!


    Life in the Fast Lane
    As GL already said, Glenn and Joe shared lead vocals equally - Joe sang the first verse, Glenn the second, and they went back and forth on the third. I loved it. Man, it is so freaking cool to see an Eagles song like this done so differently and still sounding so incredible.

    Then they said their fake goodbyes and went off for a bit. They were out for a while, and let me tell you something folks, the audience was doing some sustained screaming like you wouldn't believe. I was getting hoarse myself but my voice was only one of thousands clamoring for their return.

    [first encore]

    Rocky Mountain Way

    We all knew this was coming! I figured they would do it and Desperado, and I was half right (and theoretically entirely right). I wondered if they would share lead on this like they had done for LITFL since they both had performed it solo in the past, but it was all Joe.

    Now, I didn't see this myself as the cameraman was in the way, but Dreamer, GL, and WT tell me that during the talk box solo Glenn actually got down, looked at Joe's talkbox thingy and mouthed "I want one of those!"

    After the song, off they went again! I was nervous. I thought that they would save RMW for their last encore, but it had already been pulled out. Would they come back one more time? I honestly didn't think so unless it was to do Desperado, but I continued screeching for them with the rest of the crowd anyway.

    [second encore]

    I Hear You Knocking

    Then, they came back out one more time, Glenn toweling himself off. The audience continued to roar. I figured it would be Desperado time, but instead Glenn announced that they were going to do "an old favorite of mine, a song I loved ever since I heard it done by Dave Edmunds in 1971." He quickly added that it was first done by Smiley Lewis, giving credit where credit is due.

    After rocking this one so hard that later, drunken and/or high people would still be singing it on the bus home, our guys were off for good.

    I wondered at there being no Desperado, but honestly I didn't miss it hugely because I like it when the show ends with a rocker rather than a ballad. End with a BANG, I say!

    From start to finish, I loved every minute of that show. Singing along, dancing, soaking up the atmosphere along with the the music and the palpable energy radiating off of Glenn and Joe... it was absolutely exhilarating.

    It was the best party I've ever been to, that's for sure!

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  5. #35
    Border Rebel Wildthyme's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeA View Post
    How was the "stage set"? Just lighting or did they have any kind of production going on? Man I'd have loved to have been there! But I'm just tickled plum pink for all of you who DID make it there!
    There wasn't a lot of production involved. The lighting they used was pretty straightforward. No spots or rotating lights or anything like you see at the Eagles shows. The stage was well lit but they used the same lights that all the groups used. They did have a simple light show of colors and patterns going on on the screen behind them but that was about it for "flash".

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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    sodascouts - Man that was a great write up. How do you do that? I wrote some an hour after the concert and couldn't remember 99% of that. Your comments though did bring it back and yup, you nailed it

    One comment from Joe I'll add before Lyin' Eyes after Glenn's cigar comment. Joe said (paraphrased)If you're smoking a cigar at 9,000', you're a better man then me.

    I would love to have a copy of the stage video and sound board, I suspect there was more interplay that we'd only catch in replays.
    My thoughts & pictures from Glenn and Joe in Aspen here
    Follow my journey to almost free TV here.
    Random thoughts from Curmudgeon Dave here

  7. #37
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Thanks for the compliment, CDave, and the extra info! The above write-up was the result of me writing down the memories of six different people, so I had an advantage over you.

    A post-show note: afterwards, our little "party of six" Border Gang went to eat at an Italian restaurant nearby. Who should we see come in but Michael Thompson!

    I suggested we send him a drink to show our appreciation for his contribution to a great show. He was kind enough to come over and thank us personally not once but twice, and talked to us each time for several minutes.

    I told him that we fans appreciated how kind he was to us and, after rattling off a few examples of times when he'd done some nice things such as wave from the stage and give us unsolicited guitar picks after a show just because he recognized us as devoted Frey fans and he knew it would make us happy, we all thought he was a pretty special guy. He seemed a bit embarrassed by the praise but it was 100% sincere and deserved. We love us some Michael Thompson!

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  8. #38
    Stuck on the Border GlennLover's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    Quote Originally Posted by Wildthyme View Post
    There wasn't a lot of production involved. The lighting they used was pretty straightforward. No spots or rotating lights or anything like you see at the Eagles shows. The stage was well lit but they used the same lights that all the groups used. They did have a simple light show of colors and patterns going on on the screen behind them but that was about it for "flash".
    I hardly noticed the small light show in back. They certainly didn't need any! I think all eyes & ears were on Glenn & Joe, I know mine were! I didn't want to miss one note or nuance!

    PLS, sorry you had to go back to work early! As Harold & I walked away after saying goodbye to you, Soda, Dreamer & WT & started up the stairs from the Snowmass Village Mall, the PA systen was playing "Take It To The Limit" . What a way to end a PERFECT day!

    I thought of a few things to add but I just cooked some chicken so I must go eat supper. We have a kitchen as it's a condo.

    I have a few tidbits to tell about Glenn that I heard from a gal that was working in one of the shops in the Mall. Nothing too exciting but remind me if I forget to post it.

    Glad the show was on Saturday! It was beautiful here today but tonight it has turned very cold! Brrrrr

  9. #39

    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    I had forgotten the "singing" on the bus. It took me awhile to figure out what song it was. lol I've never understood people who go to a show and get soooo drunk. Not to say I don't drink at shows...I had a couple that night. (Surprisingly, I managed to dance without spilling a drop thru most of the boys' set) But to get so drunk you won't remember much of the show seems pointless to me.

    Otis is 8...the same as my oldest grandson.

  10. #40
    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Party of 2 in Aspen

    First of all - great job with the review as always Nanc!

    And GL - hurry back here and spill the beans about your Glenn trivia.

    Otis is so adorable. When I saw him before the show started, it's funny because I noticed right away that his shirt was just like one of Glenn's. I think I even joked with Cami and Ann that I bet I knew what Glenn would be wearing, and sure enough he did. The only difference was that Otis was wearing a black (or navy) tee shirt instead of a white one like Dad's. I think I saw Cindy come in over at the side stage as well. I can't say for sure that it was her, but it sure looked like her from where I was standing.

    And Michael Thompson really is a super nice guy. He has always been very sweet to us since we started attending a lot of Glenn's solo shows. and he seemed very appreciative when we bought the drink for him.

    One other thing regarding the stage set up, there was a large screen on each side of the stage. I glanced at them occasionally, but not very often. Okay, those are my random thoughts for now. I'm sure I'll think of more later. OMG - I love it when my brain gets freyed like this!!!

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

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