The Eagles are an impressive band with an amazing collection of hits that first made their presence known with their debut album in 1972. Their success was derived from performing songs that were at home on AM country stations as well as FM rock stations. There are few bands that you can play in any city across the country and find fans of all ages.
The Eagles now have four Henley, Frey, Schmidt and Walsh. Felder was fired in 2001 and the parties filed lawsuits against each other. On stage, the band is backed by a drummer/percussionist whose instrument selection depends on Henley’s playing, two keyboards, a horn section that also provides violin and percussion, and an outstanding guitarist named Steuart Smith, who recreates Felder’s mendo parts.
The first thing you notice about this DVD, which was recorded in November 2004 at the Rod Laver Arena, is that the video quality is excellent. The picture appears as vivid as if you were in the first row of a small club. I’m certain it was recorded in High-Definition video, but it doesn’t state it anywhere in the DVD booklet.
The concert opens with a string of six classics, but then things stop when they only play the song set. a> that I did not enjoy, Walsh’s “One Day at a Time.” He’s a serious buzzer about his recent sobriety. The lyrics are fun like most of Walsh’s and I’m glad it’s a sober work, but it’s not the time. It’s great if it helps someone, but if I’m with some friends or a date concert and I’m enjoying my night with a few cocktails, I don’t need a conversation.
The set list incorporated a lot of solo material into it, which I was pleasantly surprised by as some bands try to keep their work separate. They seem to really enjoy playing each other’s songs. Frey dances up a storm in Henley’s “Everybody Wants to Dance” and Henley can be seen laughing during Walsh’s “Good Life.” Recent compositions have also made their way into the set, the excellent 9/11-inspired “Hope in the World.”
After about an hour, they take a break, returning to the seats for a segment that focuses on their ballads and acoustic sound, such as “Tequila Rise” and “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”
Disc 2 opens with the aforementioned “Good Life” the best song ever about being a rock star. It gets even sillier as Walsh wears a helmet-cam for the audience participation part of the concert, showing his opinion and putting the audience on the screen during the concert. Disc 2 also features more on Walsh’s guitar playing guide. Most of these duties were dealt with by Faber in Disc, 1 .
The Eagles deliver quality work and the concert reminds you of talented singers and musicians. They create catchy, relatable songs that have great melodies and amazing vocal harmonies. They still sound great, although CNN’s Henley, who still sounds good, is understandably affected by his age.
A bonus feature is an 11-minute interview with the band. They talk about how lucky and grateful they are, and they talk about how much work goes into planning the show.
I recommend this DVD for fans and if you look at the set list, you may find one that you don’t know and repeat to yourself, “Oh, I know that song.” Parts of this NBC concert have previously appeared.
Disc 1:
1. to discover
2. New Kids in Town
3. Wasted time
4. Peaceful Easy Sentencing
5. I cannot say why
6. One of these Nights
7. One day in A Time
8. Lyin Eyes
9. Children of Summer
10. in the city
11
12. Silent Spring (Intro)
13. Tequila Park
14. Love makes us live
15. No Cloudy Days
16. A hole in the world
17. Accept the term
18. belong to the city
19 Go away
20. Sun Grill
Disc 2:
1. Life is good
2. O laundry
3. Funk #49
4. Heartache Tonight
5. Life in The Fast Lane
6. Hotel California
7. Rocky Mountain Road
8. All he wants to do is dance
9. Take it easy
10. Desperado
