A few observations about Eagles shows.

[Henley Honey]

I just went back and reread this thread. You know it's funny that one of the biggest complaints we always hear about the band's live performances is that they play songs note for note and don't improvise enough. I sure think that's a legitimate beef. However, I've always maintained that you can't argue with success. Going into their 40th year, this band is still selling tickets unequaled by very few other acts. Almost any casual fan that I've ever heard comment says that their show is one of the best concerts they have ever been too. So, I guess they must've gotten something right and figure there's no need to change the formula for success at this point. Just sayin' ...

I totally agree, Dreamer. I love the fact that they consistently deliver a perfect note-for-note performance. I think it would be almost impossible to maintain a beautifully blended five-part harmony if you were to change the arrangement or octave on the fly.

[Freypower]

But why do you want it to be note for note perfect? You know what the records sound like so why do you want them to sound exactly the same? Yes, it's difficult to be so note perfect all the time & their standards are very high, but why can't they relax a bit more even if there is a wrong note occasionally?

What would be wrong with the occasional bit of spontaneity?

I really am off beam here, it seems. Although I agree with EK (see previous page). Little differences, no matter how subtle, remind you you're at a live performance.

[timfan]

Well at least at the solo shows they seem to relax a bit and rearrange some songs... I LOVED Timothy`s Acoustic version of LWKUA from the Agoura Hills show!

[Freypower]

And I love the slowed down or what I call 'swamp' version of Smuggler's Blues which I finally got to see, although I am aware that others prefer the original 'rocky' version.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

But why do you want it to be note for note perfect? You know what the records sound like so why do you want them to sound exactly the same? Yes, it's difficult to be so note perfect all the time & their standards are very high, but why can't they relax a bit more even if there is a wrong note occasionally?

What would be wrong with the occasional bit of spontaneity?

I really am off beam here, it seems. Although I agree with EK (see previous page). Little differences, no matter how subtle, remind you you're at a live performance.

For me, I love to sing along and judging from what I've heard at Eagles concerts, a lot of people do. There's nothing more annoying than singing along, dancing along to a song and all the sudden it's different. I have to say, Seger's concert was pretty much spot-on to the originals and so the entire arena was singing along to every song.

I don't go to a lot of concerts because live performances are usually like fingernails on chalkboards for me. Vocals that are flat or off, or done differently and not as well. The artist has to have a reputation for sounding like the original or I won't buy a ticket. They cost way too much if you don't know what you're getting. Of course, that's just my opinion.

[Freypower]

There is not much 'dancing' to the Eagles because people have to stay in their seats.

As for singing, I could count on one hand the number of times people have done that in Sydney (the chorus of Take It To The Limit is one occasion). Perhaps it is different in the United States. In December 2010 Don tried to get the Sydney audience to sing along with BOML and they just wouldn't.

There are two extremes here. One is the Eagles where everything is done too perfectly and the other is Bob Dylan where you can be halfway through the song before you know what it is. While I obviously wish to recognise the song, if it sounds slightly different from the recorded version I am all for it.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

There is not much 'dancing' to the Eagles because people have to stay in their seats.

As for singing, I could count on one hand the number of times people have done that in Sydney (the chorus of Take It To The Limit is one occasion). Perhaps it is different in the United States. In December 2010 Don tried to get the Sydney audience to sing along with BOML and they just wouldn't.

There are two extremes here. One is the Eagles where everything is done too perfectly and the other is Bob Dylan where you can be halfway through the song before you know what it is. While I obviously wish to recognise the song, if it sounds slightly different from the recorded version I am all for it.

Really? I wonder if it's a difference in venue rules, or culture? I can honestly say that while I've only been to two Eagles concerts, at both I stood and danced more than half the time. (In DC, even my 70 year old mother danced half the time!). I didn't hear it as much at the Vegas concert, but the DC concert in 08, I could hear the audience on every song. The reporter who wrote the review for the Washington Post elected to not hear them sing with How Long, but did mention that with the exception of the LROOE songs, the audience sang along to every single song in their entirety. (At the recent Seger concert, I never sat down).

I can handle 'slightly', though I guess that's open to interpretation, but off-key and majorly different are not acceptable.

[Mrs Frey]

VA, you've raised a very good point regarding live performances in general. To me, the mark of a great musician/singer is when their vocals are as spot-on "live" as much as the recording is. I've heard some top musicians performing "live" on television, and their interpretations of their records are nowhere near as good as the originals. It is always disappointing for me.

The Eagles are so brilliant live: their vocals are magnificent. I noticed at the concert I attended that Don's voice sounded a bit strained when he started, but even then, not once did his pitch falter. As his voice warmed up, his singing just got better and better. A true professional.

As for dancing at Eagles concerts, the crowd was somewhat stiff at the O2 Arena, and when I attempted to dance, quite well into the performance mind you, I was asked by the elderly gentleman behind me to sit down, and later he explained that his wife cannot stand for long. Afterwards, though, I got up anyway, because I couldn't stand it anymore, and a lot of people in the front rows followed suit, so I was in the clear.

People need to loosen up. From what I saw on "Farewell 1", the Melbourne people certainly know how to shake it up!

[TimothyBFan]

We are hoping that their 40th anniversary DVD will include performances by artists who influenced them. One of these should be Glenn singing Buffalo Springfield's On The Way Home.

I haven't been on a whole lot the last couple of weeks so maybe I missed it somewhere, so please be patient with me.

Was it discussed somewhere here that the dvd (if indeed there is one) that fans would want covers of other's songs? If so, I must admit, I really wouldn't care that much for that. Personally, I want to see a 40th anniversary dvd of Eagles music and preferably, like it was mentioned the last couple of pages, of LROOE stuff which we have not previously had on other dvds. Granted, I will listen to whatever they are singing but I don't see there being much other than the usual Eagles stuff on a new dvd. I do think there might be talk of what brought them to where they are now and the artists that influenced them, but I doubt there would be actual performances. This is just my opinion tho.

[Freypower]

When Glenn performed On The Way Home he specifically stated that the Eagles had 'recorded' it. He said that part of the DVD would be to show the Eagles paying tribute to bands that influenced them, such as Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds & The Beach Boys. Presumably if the song he chose is On The Way Home, the other three will get to sing one each. My belief is that if this happens the songs will be filmed in a studio setting and be 'bonus' components of the DVD.

Further information on what Glenn said can be found in the Niagara Falls review threads but herre is what Soda wrote in the August 24 review. She did stress at the time that this was what MIGHT happen.

“Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the first year of the Eagles getting a record out.” He paused. “It turned out pretty good for me, actually,” he smiled. “So we’re trying to figure out what to do for the 40th anniversary of the Eagles besides just…” at this point someone yelled “TOUR!” And he said, “Yes, tour! You must know the other guys in the band.” We all laughed. “Anyway, we’re working on a DVD – The History of the Eagles – which we will hopefully put out next year. It will clear up a lot of misconceptions and lies that have been spread all around about us over the years… about feuds… all that kind of stuff. So actually, it has a lot of interviews, biography type stuff, should be an interesting project. So I said to the guys in band, ‘Well, maybe we should record some songs that were done by the guys that came before us, the bands that we really admire… the Byrds, the Beach Boys…' so we started talking about it and I’m not sure we’re gonna do it, but I hope we do.”

So that’s the Eagles news! However, in the context of the show, all of that was the preface to his introduction of the next song. He continued that the band was still discussing it, but “in the meantime, I said, ‘Well, heck, let’s at least see what a couple of these things sound like.' So, we recorded a song just about a week ago and we’re gonna do it for you now. The song is written by Neil Young. Neil Young is one of my favorite Canadians, along with Martin Short, Leonard Cohen,” he paused. “Those are the only people I can think of right now. But… anyway… we decided to record it. The story goes that Neil Young wrote it, they recorded it, and then he quit the band – Buffalo Springfield was only together for about a year and a half – so Richie Furay had to sing the song ‘cause Neil wasn’t around. So we’re going to do it for you now. This is called ‘On the Way Home.’” Now, the first night was the first time I had ever heard this song, so I was like “Hmm, what’s this?” at that point. I was so surprised that I didn’t really have a chance to listen carefully, although I enjoyed it! Well, this second night, I did listen carefully and I liked it even more!

You will note that I also said 'we are hoping' and 'should include On The Way Home' because it is not definite, but Glenn's performance of the song was absolutely stunning.