Shortened Setlists Here to Stay?

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well, I guess I’ll weigh in on this topic as well. I certainly understand and agree that I don’t like this shortened set list. I’ve said many times before that I think the guys should be doing a three-hour show for the cost of their tickets. However, I’m also hoping that they are doing the shorter set list just for this leg of the tour. Right now, I think the band is in a transition period, and that, hopefully, they will put on incredible shows for their 40th anniversary year that will blow their fans away. As far as the ticket prices, of course, we would all love to pay lower prices, but that is just not likely to happen with this band. As I have maintained before, they are simply taking advantage of our capitalistic society and, sorry, but I don’t consider it to be illegal or immoral for them to charge whatever the market will bear. Nor does it make those who are willing to pay those prices bad people – it just makes them lucky as far as I’m concerned. At the very least, I don’t believe capitalism is evil and I accept that it is what it is and beyond my control. I also respect each individual’s decision about whether or not they want to go to any shows. However, I think it is very unfair to claim that these guys don’t care about their fans because of the price they charge for a show. I totally agree with Soda and ltl here - I’m one that happens to believe they care a lot about their fans.

As for the next issue – WOW! What a difference a few decades make … talk about some extremes in attitudes. We go from a time when it was considered cool to get totally wasted on alcohol and drugs and trashing hotel rooms to now where someone is considered a bad person for flipping the bird or requesting fresh fruit. It seems to me that there is room for some middle ground here. As I said earlier, these guys are rock stars and don't pretend to be anything more. If they had, then I’d be first in line to criticize their hypocrisy. I will say that I do have a far different standard for rock stars than I do for members of the clergy. But, without defending their behavior, as far as I’m concerned, all rock stars are created equal.

[Freypower]

One more comment on the grapes/tour demands: they may not be coming from the band members themselves. They could be coming from either Irving's team OR from the local promoter.

Surely Irving's team as you put it are requesting what the band wants. It is the band who are going to be using the fruit, carpet, etc. That is what 'riders' are; the band's requests for food & drink. I very much doubt that the local promoter is even involved.

[EaglesKiwi]

Surely Irving's team as you put it are requesting what the band wants. It is the band who are going to be using the fruit, carpet, etc. That is what 'riders' are; the band's requests for food & drink. I very much doubt that the local promoter is even involved.

You could be absolutely right, FP - but from my experience working in 5-star hotels, it was frequently the local contact who made requests in addition to whatever was coming from the guests themselves (whether entertainers, heads of state & their entourages or whatever - even tour groups from different countries). And the specific wording doesn't necessarily come from the guests.

[WalshFan88]

Here's my thoughts on this whole thing. Bear with me for a long-winded post.

First, I'll always be an Eagles fan. Period! If you don't think I am a true Eagles fan, you do not know me at all. These guys have changed my life with their album "Hotel California". It inspired me to play guitar and do something with my life. I was in a deep sad dark place when I first heard this album, on the verge of suicide. Joe and Felder's guitar playing lit a fire in me and gave me hope and inspiration. Don and Glenn's lyrics spoke to me and touched my heart and soul. The guitar solos on the title track took my breath away and made me want to play guitar like them, my heroes. It makes me so happy to listen to that album. I play it all the time when I need some motivation. It is the soundtrack of my life. It saved my life. No doubt about it. That album is the reason I'm still here today. I thank them all very much.

Second, I am rather disappointed by their actions and what I've been hearing, as I've said previously. I'm also not one to use excuses and so the whole 'but they are rockstars" bit does nothing for me. Also the Eagles aren't that type of band to where I would expect that kind of behavior from. As Willie said, I'd expect it from Axl Rose of GnR or maybe even Mick Jagger of The Stones but I don't expect it from the Eagles. Sure, the Eagles partied but they really weren't that out of control compared to other rock bands. It seems shocking to me of everything I've been reading and seeing. I'm not too happy TBH.

Third, the Don photo does disgust me. I'm sorry, but that is lame and immature. I find it very childish. I think some have calmed down about it here because at first everyone seemed upset too but now really are changing their thoughts on it and seem like it's no big deal. For me I still think the same of it. It's immature. He is how old?! I'm only 22 and I sure as heck wouldn't do that. Again, I'm not going to give him any excuses either. It's uncalled for IMO.

Fourth, the setlists are just not up to snuff. I'm sorry but if I'm paying that much money to go see them, I want to get my money's worth and hear the songs I want to hear. The current setlist is highly unsatisfactory for me. I want ONE solo song EACH. The rest of them need to be Eagles songs. Also keep the LROOE numbers in check with the hits and the older numbers. People know them by their hits and their 70s work. That's what I want to hear. Not LROOE front to back. If people want that, then when they play two nights, one needs to be more of the old stuff and one be more of modern stuff and people can choose which show they want to see. It doesn't need to be said again that I'm not the biggest LROOE fan, but that's beside the point. The point is, if I'm paying money to see them, I want to hear what I want, and I want the full set and I want them to play the songs I love. I want AG, NKIT, OOTN, BOML, etc back in the setlist. I also would like to see them play VOL and GOI and some of the lesser played songs again. But those two are not requirements unlike the others I've mentioned. But I'm not gonna pay their prices for the shows they are doing now. I hope all of you can understand.

Last, the whole rider thing with the grapes MAY or MAY NOT be the direct doing of the band. But if it IS the direct doing of the band and it's not just "so they will pay attention to the rider" but if they are that picky about it, I'm sorry but that is lame. I find stuff like that very disappointing. I sure don't expect it from these guys. Also with the whole interview thing that went bad, it just leaves me feeling disappointed, especially in Don. Don will always be my favorite singer and definitely my favorite Eagles vocalist, but his personality, ego, and attitude really do irritate and disgust me at times. He has a streak of immaturity that I find very disappointing to me as a fan of his music/work.

I'm an Eagles fan and always will be an Eagles fan but I can't help but to feel disappointed about recent events. Also I hope the setlists change before their tour next year. As far as paying ticket prices, I will have to see. It may not be a deal breaker to all of you and maybe it would be different if I hadn't seen them before and saw that killer Chicago 2008 show and known how great it was. Think of it like this. Say you love Spaghetti for instance. And you have just ate at the finest Italian restaurant in the world. Now, go home and eat a can of Spaghetti-Os and tell me you aren't disappointed, frustrated, and unfulfilled. Same deal. There is no going back. I'm sorry but if I went to one of these recent shows with this setlist, I'd feel like I only get fulfilled part way/unsatisfied. And if I don't go, I don't think it's fair to say that I am not a true Eagles fan (not saying anyone has). Now if they do a more fulfilling set, I'll be first in line. I love the Eagles and no matter what, I will ALWAYS be a fan. But you can't expect me to pay these ticket prices and be happy with the setlist and what they are doing now and say that I'm not a fan if I don't go. And as far as "this may be the last time they tour", if that is true, that's all the more reason for me NOT to go. I want to remember them by that great Chicago 3 hour show and not some watered down show where they didn't play my favorites. Just my opinion. And I respect others as well.

Rant over.

[TimothyBFan]

One more point I would like to make and then I promise I'm done on this subject (perhaps) and will just agree to disagree on this one.

How many times have we seen in print or live interviews where one of them says, "we've grown up" or "we've matured" or "we're all family men and have quit doing that stuff"? So even they admit they aren't the "rock stars" they once were.

I only hope that they are/were able to explain that picture, etc... to their younger, impressionable children when they're asked "why is Daddy or Uncle Don doing that in that picture?". Just saying...

Acting mature doesn't mean you have to act like a clergy man. I for one would NOT want any of my Rock Gods to act that way!

[Troubadour]

I think sometimes though that our perceptions are perhaps not accurate or fair. Why is it okay for Ozzy or any of The Who band members or The Stones to flip off press, and not for Don Henley? Obviously it's not the smartest thing to do, but it was a moment that got caught on camera. I can think of numerous rock stars, actors and other 'celebrities' who have physically assaulted the paparazzi. The Eagles have never been angels and never claimed to be. (In fact, when you read in detail about some of their escapades, they're as bad as those of Led Zep or The Stones.) I think a lot of our perceptions come from the style of music they make. More laid-back, for want of a better word, mellow, soft rock with beautiful lyrics. For the same reasons, I have a perception of James Taylor being a sort of mellow, intelligent, generally lovely, shy and sweet human being... and yet he was one of the biggest junkies around through the '70s and '80s! Even Waddy Wachtel said to James: "You're lucky you're a f**king folk guy, man. If you were a rock star, you'd have been dead a long time ago. You can't act the way you do and get away with it." I can appreciate the disappointment over the photo of Don, and I don't particularly condone it... but I'm willing to forgive him for what was presumably a moment of frustration. How many of us have done it while driving, for example? It ain't clever, it ain't pretty, but we're all human. Would we have been more willing to laugh it off if Joe had done the same thing? Some of you may still have been disappointed, but I'm willing to bet that the response may have been slightly different in that situation.

Moving on, I absolutely sympathise with the concerns about ticket prices. One of the main justifications for the high prices when the LROOE tour started came simply from Glenn: "We put on a three and a half hour show." Well, now that you don't, how do you justify charging the same amount of money? It isn't fair. Unfortunately though, as Dreamer said, it's the business and, if they can get people to pay that amount of money for tickets, they'll continue to charge it. The whole ticketing thing makes me mad - but it's certainly not just the Eagles. I totally understand if they cannot continue to play three and a half hour shows (they have been hinting at this for a while) but it would be nice if they did fans the service of lowering the prices a little to compensate for this. I will be very surprised if this happens, though.

[WalshFan88]

One more point I would like to make and then I promise I'm done on this subject (perhaps) and will just agree to disagree on this one.

How many times have we seen in print or live interviews where one of them says, "we've grown up" or "we've matured" or "we're all family men and have quit doing that stuff"? So even they admit they aren't the "rock stars" they once were.

I only hope that they are/were able to explain that picture, etc... to their younger, impressionable children when they're asked "why is Daddy or Uncle Don doing that in that picture?". Just saying...

Acting mature doesn't mean you have to act like a clergy man. I for one would NOT want any of my Rock Gods to act that way!

Fully agree TBF! I also have one more thing to say as well...

I didn't say it was okay for the Stones or GnR to do it. I just said it wouldn't shock me if they did. It's unexpected of the Eagles, at least for me. As far as if Joe, Glenn, or Tim did that, I certainly would feel the same way. Believe me, I'm not giving Don a hard time at all.

[Henley Honey]

Here's my thoughts on this whole thing. Bear with me for a long-winded post.

First, I'll always be an Eagles fan. Period! If you don't think I am a true Eagles fan, you do not know me at all. These guys have changed my life with their album "Hotel California". It inspired me to play guitar and do something with my life. I was in a deep sad dark place when I first heard this album, on the verge of suicide. Joe and Felder's guitar playing lit a fire in me and gave me hope and inspiration. Don and Glenn's lyrics spoke to me and touched my heart and soul. The guitar solos on the title track took my breath away and made me want to play guitar like them, my heroes. It makes me so happy to listen to that album. I play it all the time when I need some motivation. It is the soundtrack of my life. It saved my life. No doubt about it. That album is the reason I'm still here today. I thank them all very much.

I don't think you can put a price on what the Eagles' songs have done for and meant to Austin and so many other people. Thanks for sharing that with us, Austin. I'm glad they were able to do that for you. They are the literal soundtrack for millions of people's lives and while they are musicians, lyricists, composers and artists, the band at its core is a business. It's what they do for a living. They have a finite amount of time to tour and the ticket prices are going to reflect that. Simple supply and demand. Doesn't make it right. Doesn't make it fair. But its business.

[Freypower]

Here's my thoughts on this whole thing. Bear with me for a long-winded post.


Fourth, the setlists are just not up to snuff. I'm sorry but if I'm paying that much money to go see them, I want to get my money's worth and hear the songs I want to hear. The current setlist is highly unsatisfactory for me. I want ONE solo song EACH. The rest of them need to be Eagles songs. Also keep the LROOE numbers in check with the hits and the older numbers. People know them by their hits and their 70s work. That's what I want to hear. Not LROOE front to back. If people want that, then when they play two nights, one needs to be more of the old stuff and one be more of modern stuff and people can choose which show they want to see. It doesn't need to be said again that I'm not the biggest LROOE fan, but that's beside the point. The point is, if I'm paying money to see them, I want to hear what I want, and I want the full set and I want them to play the songs I love. I want AG, NKIT, OOTN, BOML, etc back in the setlist. I also would like to see them play VOL and GOI and some of the lesser played songs again. But those two are not requirements unlike the others I've mentioned. But I'm not gonna pay their prices for the shows they are doing now. I hope all of you can understand.

For a start you keep saying you don't want to hear LROOE front to back. Well, you're not. They have dropped EVERY SONG from it except for How Long and the title track. I thought that would make you happy. For me, I am deeply disappointed that they have just apparently discarded those songs. I still think they never gave Somebody in particular a chance to become the crowd pleaser that it could have. I am also disappointed that they never tried playing some of the other songs live.

I have made it clear that I am unhappy with the endless retention of the solo songs at the expense of Eagles songs and I am also unhappy with the retention of a couple of Eagles songs that are not favourites of mine. I have said that I think Don & Joe are too dominant in the second half & that Glenn's songs are wasted because they are all at the beginning. I'm unhappy with the downgrading of Take It Easy. But what can I do? I don't think I wll be seeing them again. So I guess I should not complain about it.

[WalshFan88]

For a start you keep saying you don't want to hear LROOE front to back. Well, you're not. They have dropped EVERY SONG from it except for How Long and the title track. I thought that would make you happy. For me, I am deeply disappointed that they have just apparently discarded those songs. I still think they never gave Somebody in particular a chance to become the crowd pleaser that it could have. I am also disappointed that they never tried playing some of the other songs live.

I know - I'm talking about the fact if they do have a big setlist again. I'd just prefer hearing AG, NKIT, OOTN, JD, VOL, GOI, etc.