Eagles May 14 2008 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

The night before my 7:30 a.m. AP World History final, I went to see the Eagles play at the new Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta. I can't think of a better way to prepare, can you? After a trip to Panda Express, possibly one of the greatest restaurants ever, and a ride on the shuttle bus with a driver who didn't know his way, I arrived at the new venue. It had just opened that week and its newness was apparent, especially if one compared it to Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre. This amphitheatre was much smaller, yet with a larger stage.

Behind the stage, a huge circular screen stood as tall as the wall supporting it. It was quite a sight to see, reminiscent of a Pink Floyd "Mr. Screen", foreshadowing the great graphics to come. With the time I had before the show, I began to observe the happenings from my seat on the lawn. Unlike the orderly reserved seating, the lawn was like 'the wild': people squeezing into any gap they could find that would get them closer to the stage (which included me), people yelling and throwing stuff, and people eventually yelling out requests for the band's most popular songs, the ones they were most likely going to play.

It wasn't long before the music in the background stopped and the crowd cheered. The backup musicians (and there were a ton) took the stage, dressed in all black, and prepared themselves at their instruments -- If you don't mind, I'm going to take a moment to say that I think too many backup musicians is just dumb. I like to see a band play their songs with maybe one or two backups, when needed, but that's just my opinion -- After the cheering for the backup musicians subsided, an even bigger uproar exploded from the crowd as Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmidt, and Joe Walsh walked onto the stage, in a row, each with a guitar in hand. They wore black tuxes with white shirts, giving them a distinct look from the backups. They lined up in front of the stage and to the left of their backup guitarist, Steuart Smith, and started the award winning new single off of Long Road Out of Eden, "How Long". The song was smooth and well performed - though, like the songs that were to come, close to the studio recording.

After that, the screen lit up, and the band played another hit off their new album: "Busy Being Fabulous", a country-ish song about ruined love. It was after this song that I was asked to return to the lawn, because I wasn't allowed to stand behind the back row of reserved seats. Go figure. Glenn announced to the crowd that, while they had our attention, they were going to play some more new songs. For this one, Timothy took the mic and Don went back to play percussion (with the backup drummer still on the drum set). Timothy sang their new song, "I Don't Want to Hear Anymore" with feeling, and soon Joe took the mic and sang the last of the new songs for the first set, "Guilty of the Crime". This song was enhanced with the first use of the huge screen behind them. During the chorus, it displayed an animation of jail bars that turned into a fret board.

All went dark. A single trumpet player took the stage and a reddish spot light shone on him. He played a mesmerizing solo that ended when the band morphed it into arguably their greatest song, the epic "Hotel California". As they played, the screen behind them lit up with the picture of the Beverly Hills Hotel that graces the cover of their famous 1976 album. Don was back behind the drum set where he belonged, not that backup guy. Joe and Steuart ended the song with its famous dual guitar solo and, before you knew it, Glenn took the mic and the band performed another of their classics, "Peaceful Easy Feeling".

After this classic, Timothy B. Schmidt took the mic again for a rendition of "I Can't Tell You Why". You could tell he was really getting into the song by the way he sang it. I imagine it would be hard for him not to, though, considering how challenging a vocal performance that song is in some parts. After this passionate performance, the lights dimmed and a dark night scene with a hazy sky and a huge full moon appeared on the screen behind the band, setting the mood perfectly for "Witchy Woman".

Glenn talked about their next song, claiming it was written in two sittings, and that now it would probably take five years, evoking a laugh from the audience. He got another laugh when he dedicated the song to his first wife, 'Plaintiff'. The band played their FM radio classic, "Lyin' Eyes". After this, Don Henley came out from back behind the drum set again, clutching an electric guitar. Scott Crago, the back-up drummer, started to play the beginning to Don's hit solo song, "Boys of Summer" and the band was off. The song was complemented by a black and white video shot in a similar style to the original music video. This display of animation was followed by another, when the band played "In the City", this time of a busy city. As with many songs in between Don being up front and being on the drum set, Don played percussion.

Several jazz musicians on saxophones came out to close the first set. The band kicked into "The Long Run" off the album of the same name, their last album before the original breakup. After the song, they assured the crowd they were only going to take a short break and that then they'd come back and play for a long time.

After about 30 minutes, the stage darkened and lit again with dim blue lights. A short synthesizer intro filled the arena before the four guys, lined up in front with their acoustics (except for the bass) and seated in chairs, played "No More Walks in the Wood", the first song off Long Road Out of Eden. This song showcased their vocal abilities as they sang the song in perfect harmony, with each member having their own section of the two screens on either side of the big circular screen. "No More Walks in the Wood" was directly followed by another new one, "Waiting in the Weeds", which was complemented by a cool sepia-toned animation.

Glenn announced that they were going to do another new one, and went into the slow "No More Cloudy Days" before he handed the mic over to Tim for one of their 90's hits, "Love Will Keep Us Alive". These slow songs were followed by another one, this time one of their biggest hits, the magnificent "Take It to the Limit". The stage was dimly lit throughout the song except during the choruses. Whenever the band belted, "Take it...." the stage would light up. Don sang it wonderfully, while leaving out the very high "pleases" at the end of the song. Luckily, a woman in back of me filled them in with her own version. I can't thank her enough.

The epic title track from their new album, "Long Road Out of Eden" followed. This social criticism was played beautifully, and was very Pink Floyd-like at times, especially the animations on the screen and the guitar solo. This was followed by another new one, "Somebody", and then "Walk Away". Joe showed quite a bit more energy during the latter song than in the other songs they had already performed and he played a great guitar solo. After these, the band went back to playing a classic: "One of These Nights". The high vocals were included in this song, by the way, unlike "Take It to the Limit". Following this song, Glenn introduced each member of their large touring band. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the names of all the backup performers.

The band was introduced, and then played a Joe Walsh solo career classic, "Life's Been Good". Joe dedicated the song to the young people in the crowd, because he said they're so screwed up due to their parents listening to this song all the time. An energetic Joe, sporting a hat with head-cam, sang in front of humorous videos of him and the rest of the Eagles. During the guitar solo, the head-cam switched on and showed people in the crowd on the big screen. He also changed the line about locking his doors "... in case I'm attacked" to "I lock my doors....and read the newspaper." This solo career song was followed by another solo career song of Don's. Although it was a good song, and popular, did anyone else notice they played quite a few solo songs and new songs?

"Dirty Laundry" was another social criticism with clips from TV shows like "Fox News" to prove Don's point. At the end, magazine covers flashed on the screen with funny covers that had headlines such as "Monkey sues Glenn Frey" and "Don Henley solves Global Warming". This non-Eagles song was followed by yet another, although it was probably the best non-Eagles song of the night. The band excitedly played the James Gang song, "Funk #49", supported with cool animations. During some parts of the song, the screen showed members of the Eagles swimming around in a fish bowl.

After "Funk #49", Glenn and Joe traded off guitar licks. When Joe played a fast one, Glenn just shrugged and gave up, and the band played "Heartache Tonight". The animation behind them was in the style of old movies or TV shows, showing clips of women slapping or hitting men. The song ended, and cheers erupted from the crowd. But the cheers grew even louder when the band played "Life in the Fast Lane", a song that needs no introduction. The song was performed with lots of energy, and before you knew it, it was over. The song ended, and the band left the stage.

Of course, as one would expect, they were going to play an encore. You've got to love encores because they play the crowd-pleasers or the fan favorites, and no solo stuff like "Rocky Mountain Way" by Joe Walsh, solo, or "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" by Don, solo. By this time, I was getting really sick of the solo stuff, almost to the point of being angry. This first encore ended, and thankfully there was another, because that would have just been a horrible ending.

The band returned a final time, and Glenn said they'd play us a couple more. He picked up his acoustic guitar and the band played the song most people think of when they think of the Eagles...."Take It Easy". This song was followed by the loudest cheers of the night, and the stage went dark again. The familiar piano intro to "Desperado" played, and Don, sans drum set or guitar, walked on stage in his suit. He was lit simply with a single spot light, and sang the classic song which ended the show. The band bowed their final bow and went backstage as lights filled the amphitheatre, all of us leaving with a peaceful, easy feeling.

-JJ