Since the advent of digital media,many concerts from various artists made the crossover from video to dvd but this concert featuring The Eagles at their best is way above the sound quality one would expect from a live recording.I had wanted to see this gig for a long time and once I loaded the disc,I spent 2 and a half hours being mesmerised by pure gold.There is no doubt about it,after over 35 years these guys can still rock.
The first thing that amazed me was the quality of the picture,,there is so much clarity you feel as if you could just reach out and grab a guitar yourself and start jamming along.The overall sound too is just as breathtaking,with each members harmonies coming through so clearly that you can see just how much work goes into the songs that Eagles fans everywhere have listened to for generations.
The concert begins with Don Henley and 'The Long Run'.For some reason I expected Don to be sat behind his drum kit but I now know that if theres a way that he dosent have to play drums he will opt for it.This is down to back problems he developed after years of playing and having to keep his head at an unnatural angle for his microphone.Great song to start with and settled the audience in for 2 and a half hours of magic.10/10
Glen Frey was next to sing,and he welcomed the audience before performing 'New Kid In Town',there is nobody else I could imagine doing this number,his voice still as distinct as ever.Certainly worked for the crowd at this concert.10/10
Don was back with song 3,' Wasted Time'.A personal favourite of mine from ' Hell Freezes Over' and once again,delivered as only Henley can,a highlight for me.10/10.Glen was back with 'Peaceful Easy Feeling',another song from way back that still sounds great today,not their best song ever but still enjoyable to hear live 10/10.Next up was Timothy,what a singer ,what a voice,The man responsible for the high part harmonies,He can still perform ' I Cant Tell You Why' note perfect.Listening to him sing gives me goose bumps and again,the audience at this concert went crazy for him.10/10,Next song is ' One Of These Nights',I love this track because for me it depicts what the Eagles are about and when the high part harmonies kick in so clearly you know that this show is about natural ability,and not technical back up.10/10
Ive always loved Joe Walshs voice,and he appears as lead vocalist for the first time on Track 6,a new song called "One Day At A Time",full of references to his battles with alcoholism.Joe has this natural wit about him that continues to been seen at various intervals through the show,(watch out for the hard hat camera).Lyrically,this song is strong and a lot of thought, based on personal experiences did go into its production.8/10 but only because I need to hear it more.
Don returned with his biggest solo hit to date,' The Boys Of Summer',This song is the sound of a generation,timeless and one of Henleys best compostitons,definitely fits in well with the entire repertoire of the concert and delivered well to a now addicted audience.10/10 easily.Joe Walsh returns with "In The City",Timothys bass lines in this song make it for me,and again when the harmonies kick in the talents of these guys are once again there to be in awe at.10/10.Glen is back with "Already Gone,another one of my personal favourites full of Harmonies and a clever key change for the final chorus.Thrilled to see it in there and delievered brilliantly once again 10/10.After the musical intro to Silent Springs,Glen Frey started into "Tequila Sunrise" to rapturous applause from the Australian audience,One of the first songs collaborated on by Frey and Henley,He harmonises so well with Frey on a song thats obviously a big favourite down under 10/10.Timothy returns with "Love Will Keep Us Alive,a track penned for the Hell Freezes Over album.Brilliant song and brilliant Vocals 10/10.Glen sings the 2nd of the brand new songs entitled,"No More Cloudy days"Great song that I look forward to hearing again and again,Freys voice in excellent form.could listen to him forever 10/10.Hole In The World is the 3rd new song on the set list and in Don Henleys own words,features the Eagles 5 part harmonies.Written in tribute to the victims of 9/11,I found the song to be once again arranged to perfection,lyrically and vocally the Eagles have their brand all over it,Great Song 10/10."Take It To The Limit",or as Glen Freys ex-wife calls it."The Credit Card Song",has only recently been put into "Live" action.One would wonder as to why that is???Amazing delivery of an old classic and loved by the audience 10/10.The next 3 tracks,"You Belong To The City ","Walk Away" and Sunset Grill were included in this concert where "End Of The Innocence",Heart Of The Matter and Help Me Through The Night were not,It made me wonder why but I still enjoyed the performances,8/10.
Disc 2 begins where Disc 1 ended,Some more hits of the solo nature from Mssrs Henley and Walsh,"Lifes Been Good" "Dirty Laundry",and Funk #49,Great songs that I enjoyed a lot 9/10.
"Heartache Tonight" is and was always another of my favourite tracks aswell as "Life In The Fast Lane",Vocals,Harmonies and pure musicianship once again come through so effortlessly for these guys,Both songs 10/10.Don Felder once said that The Eagles peaked to soon and would never be able to write another song like "Hotel California".Everyones got their own opinions on this but for me that song, although a renowned classic was never my favourite Eagles track,I liked the song but didnt go raving about it.Once again here ,its performance by its composers is flawless, and earned them a standing ovation for a thrilled Australian audience.10/10.The last 3 songs of this concert were "All She Wants To Do Is Dance",Take It Easy and Desperado,There is no Eagles concert imaginable without Take it easy or Desperado,Probably 2 of the first songs you would think of if you were a big fan of this group.All she wants to to is dance gets 8/10 while the latter two walk away with 10/10 each.Overall its a fantastic show by pure veterans who look so much more relaxed than they did on Hell Freezes Over,They were having fun while delivering a reportoire of classics from the 70's to the present day,however Stuart Smith dosent do it for me as replacement for Don Felder,Im sure that he's every bit as good a player as Don,but theres something that he's missing and I cant put my finger on it.Still you cant argue with talent and there were 4 other guys on stage that blew myself and the audience away.This is a must for the Eagles Fan or anyone who simply is a music fan ,if you dont already have...Get ASAP