show review: The Eagles

Wayne Blogged The...Show Review: The Eagles
TD Banknorth Garden. Boston, MA. July 28, 2008
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Don Henley has been singing Hotel California for 31 years. That's a longer amount of time than he was alive when he wrote it (lyrics only). And besides a half-step key change, not much has changed since 1977 when it comes to The Eagles performance of the classic. The same can be said with the dozens of other classics played at the GAHD'N last night.

The show opened with four songs off of The Long Road Out Of Eden, the group's first full-length album since 1979, which was released last year. They sounded sharp, if not a bit hesitant, from the opening bars of How Long. The only noticeable difference was not an auditory one, but a visual. They looked old.

Henley, who turned 61 less than a week ago, had his hair slicked back in a very 'grandpa' manner; Timothy B. Schmit looked a bit like a corpse when the lights hit him in an unflattering manner; Joe Walsh looks a bit like this man now (minus the mustache); and Glenn Frey...well, Frey actually hasn't changed much over the years...good for him.

The new songs were received decently by the crowd of over 12,000. And, just like the classics, they were crafted to perfection on the road. The only surprise, which may have only been noticed by me, was that the key to I Don't Wanna Hear Anymore was lowered for Mr.Schmit. Only surprising for two reasons: 1) Schmit is renowned for his high tenor, and 2) The song's new...why not just record it in a lower key?

The first old song the band launched into was Hotel California. The obligatory mega-jam between Joe Walsh and sideman-extrodinare Steuart Smith went smoothly, and the crowd seemed to be relieved that The Eagles still had it, and that they wouldn't just be playing the new stuff.

Eight songs later, the first half concluded. And after a short pee-break, the band came back on stage and launched into the haunting four part harmony of No More Walks In The Wood. Followed by Waiting In The Weeds...

Now, I have a bit of an issue with this song. I love it, so much. It's easily the best song off the new record, and an overall wonderfully written song. But my lord, the cliches. Here's a list of them, all featured in this 7 minute 47 second song:
-every dog will have his day -the dream was over -go down in flame -final scene, frozen frame -slowly fade away -waiting for the dust to settle down -outskirts of this lonesome town -sunlight in your hair -even though you're with somebody else, he'll never love you like I do -flavour of the week -fallen out of your good graces

My oh my.

But all is forgiven, the boys still have it. They proved that soon-to-be-senior-citizens still rock harder than the majority of younger bands today. And as Frey and Walsh joked around before the beginning of Heartache Tonight, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. These guys have gone through a lot together, but who knows how much longer this band can exist...they barely even tolerate eachother offstage, and they're not getting any younger. But for now, we can forget about all that and just enjoy, as Frey put it "The Eagles: Assisted Living Tour" as it's rolled into a town near you, most likely in wheelchairs.