Hampton, VA 1-12-09

[eaglesvet]

That second reviewer knows his stuff...right on target, I'm sure we all would agree! Even from the high neighborhood!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I meant to mention this in my review earlier, but forgot about it. However, when I read this quote in a review of the Charlotte show, it reminded me of what I wanted to say:

"And they played too much of “Long Road out of Eden” Wednesday. That was the studio album the Eagles released in 2007."

Because we did the seat-sharing at the Hampton show, I was able to make some interesting observations about the fan reactions in the two different sections as I shuffled back and forth. As usual, the floor seats close to the stage had a large number of hardcore fans, whereas the other section where I was sitting for part of the evening had more casual fans. To be honest, it's been a while since I sat in a section with the more casual fans at an Eagles concert, so I didn't have a feel for their reaction to the LROOE material until Monday night. The casual fans seemed to be familiar with and sang along with How Long and to a lesser extent, Busy Being Fabulous. However, they didn't seem to be familiar with the other songs. They listened politely, and actually seemed to be receptive to the new material albeit not overly enthusiastic. I didn't hear any complaints until after the song Long Road Out of Eden. Most of the casual fans watched the video with interest and even applauded the exceptional guitar work. However, when the song ended, I noticed a disparity. While the hardcores were giving a standing ovation, I heard several negative comments from a few of the casual fans. Some that come to mind were “That’s some heavy $hit for a rock concert”, “Thank God – the end”, and “Could that have been any longer”? Obviously, these comments caught my attention and I want to emphasize that most of the casual fans didn’t comment. However, it did make me wonder about how receptive the casual fans really are to all of the new songs in general. I was wondering if anyone else had any observations or thoughts about this.

[Peekaboo]

At the last Tulsa concert i was sitting next to a couple on the floor and i remember when Waiting In The Weeds started, the women turned to her husband and asked him what the song was. He seemed to be a little more familiar with the new cd than she did and told her it was from the new album. They seemed to be pretty receptive of the new songs but to back up what Dreamer said, it's easier to be more receptive when your sitting on the floor section with the guys right in front of you.

About a month ago, i was talking with a customer at work about the Eagles and I was having to talk him into trying out the new album. He didn't think that the new material could stand up to the classics. I told him to give it a chance and that he might be surprised about how great it is. I hope he took my advice.

[TimothyBFan]

One of our vinyl club friends had the same opinion-no way could it be as good as the old stuff. So I had him take the cd home and take a listen. He ended up getting a copy of it! One down-Millions to go!

[EasyFeeling]

I can understand what Dreamer said. I have to say I don't like every new song on the album and I hope I don't fall asleep while they are playing Long Road Out Of Eden. It's much too long for a concert and I'm not so enthusiastic about this song anyway. I wish they would replace it by another song like LGTIT.

[Peekaboo]

EF, i think you'd be surprised about how great LROOE is in concert. I wasn't that big of a fan of the song either until I saw it performed live. Now it's one of my favorites on the album. Don's vocals are great and Joe is simply amazing on the guitar solo.

[sodascouts]

I agree. LROOE was one of my least-favorite tracks and I thought it would be a dud live, but the dramatic visuals brought it to life and now I enjoy it more on the album as well.

[tbsfan]

I've always liked the song but the live version is so intense musically that it's a much different experience than the recorded version.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I agree with all of you. Personally, I love the version on the album, but I think the live version with the video and guitars is even more incredible. However, I do understand how long and intense it may seem in a live show for someone who isn't familiar with the song.

The same could be said for the other new songs as well. For example, Waiting In the Weeds is obviously loved by the hardcore fans, but it just seemed to get a luke warm reception among the casual fans.

[EasyFeeling]

Ok, I think you all are right. Guess I might like the live version much more.