Indianapolis 10-12-2010

[Koala]

Thanks for the setlist (I love it)! Looking forward to hear more!

[cheryl]

Rick - Yes. They didn't open the doors until 7:00. Somewhere around 7:15 you could hear music coming from the arena but it was muffled and I didn"t recognize any of it so I thought it was just recorded music over the sound system. Because I just had a knee replaced the customer relations people arranged for someone to take me down to the floor in a wheelchair;you can't go down without an excort. I asked the usher about an opening act and he said that was them playing now. That's when I started to feel great about seeing the 3 hour show. The usher who took care of me after the show is the one who said JD paid Irving to let him open these shows.
More to come later;got some notes to put together first.

[Prettymaid]

Okay, here goes.

Pre-Concert

We got to Indy with plenty of time to spare. In fact, they weren't even letting people in yet, so we decided to go across the street to The Pub, a bar which was obviously catering to Eagles concert goers. The inside was packed, so we got our drinks and headed outside, where the local radio rock station, Q95, was giving away 3 pairs of concert tickets. The guy would draw a ticket out of the box, announce the name of the winner, and when nobody came forward went inside to see if the winner was there. It was fun to hear the screams of delight coming from the bar as the winners claimed their tickets!

At this point it was about an hour before showtime, so we headed over to the Fieldhouse and walked into the arena to find our seats. To my surprise and delight, JD and The Straight Shot were already playing. It's no secret that I wasn't exactly thrilled when I heard we were going to have an opening act. I was afraid they would cut into valuable Eagles time. I shouldn't have worried. Their set was finished in plenty of time for the Eagles to start at 8:00 ET. And I have to admit, JD was so gracious about the whole thing. The arena wasn't even a quarter full while they played, and he kept making comments like, "You're going to really enjoy the Eagles. They are the only show you can go to where every song they play is a hit!" and towards the end of their set, "How do we sound out there? We need to know because we also do the Eagles sound check."
Their still not my cup of tea, but they did a good version of Little Feat's Let It Roll.

Although I stated earlier that JD quit in plenty of time for the Eagles to start on time, of course they didn't. They started at their usual 'fashionably late' 20 minutes after. It was okay, because it gave us a chance to visit with our concert 'neighbors'. We were 3rd row, directly in front of Steuart. It would have been nice to have been a few feet closer to center, but I was happy and ready to rock!

The Eagles Show

At 8:20 the lights went down, the backing musicians made their way on stage from the right and then also from the right Timothy came into sight followed by Don, Glenn and Joe. The crowd roared!

7 Bridges Road - The lights came up and there they were, bigger than life! Hubby has said that when we saw them last year in Indy from the 2nd row center his first thought as the lights went up was that they were Disney Animatronics up there. (For those of you who have been to Walt Disney World, think Hall Of Presidents.) He couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that they were real! I think that's a good analogy. It takes a few seconds to grasp that these are the Eagles! The crowd was still roaring as they began 7BR, so I didn't get to clearly hear the beginning as I would have liked, but it was incredible hearing that song live. They did do the shortened version though.

How Long - One of my personal favorites and a great way to start the show. I always try to pick out their voices as they harmonize but I never can. Well, I can never pick out Joe, anyway. Hubby jokes that they turn his microphone off. The harmonies are so smooth and Glenn and Don do such a great job on the verses. Love it!

After HL Glenn did his usual "check your ticket stub" bit, but this time he said, "We're those darn Eagles!", a hint of the playfulness to come!

I Don't Want To Hear Anymore - Timothy was in fine vocal form tonight, as usual. I wish we could have been a little closer to him to receive some of that Timmy Love. I did wave to him a couple of times when he came to our side of the stage, but he didn't see me.

Guilty Of The Crime - Joe's turn. He's gotten more playful vocally on this one - changes it up just a little. It makes it fun to hear. At the part where he sings, "Take a look at me baby, tell me what do you see", he looked over at Glenn and Glenn stuck his tongue out at Joe! I couldn't see if Joe stuck his tongue out too, as he was turned away from us, but the face Glenn made was priceless! Lots of playfulness!

Hotel California - This got the crowd on their feet! It was a little sad to not see Bill Armstrong doing the trumpet solo, but Les Lovitt does a fine job. This song ended with another tremendous roar of the crowd and I could clearly see the guys were moved by our response (especially Don and Glenn because I was looking at them). They were smiling and looking humble. No drumming for Don. I sort of felt like I was seeing history being made with Don unable to drum on the ones you expect him to.

I'd better pick up the pace here! At this rate I'll still be posting tonight!

Peaceful Easy Feeling - One of my old personal favorites, Glenn's voice is so soothing on this one. Funny, but the faces he makes and the thing he does with his hand to his ear almost makes you think he's dissatisfied with his vocals sometimes, but I thought he sounded great all night.

I Can't Tell You Why - My favorite of the three Tim does, this song is so soothing it just lulls you. As has been said before, the guitar at the end is gorgeous.

Witchy Woman - Don introduced this song as he has been, mentioning that it's almost Halloween and that this is for all of the witches out there. "Witches - with a 'W'...not a 'B'." Now here's the part where Don started to steal a little piece of my heart. After his powerful falsetto part where he wails, the crowd gave him a huge cheer, and clearly moved, he said, "Thank you", right during the song! You really had to be there to appreciate it. I've mentioned before that I'm not normally a fan of falsetto, but I have always liked Don's during this song and One Of These Nights. It's especially thrilling to see him do it live. Honestly, it raised the hairs on the back of my neck. And his appreciation was apparent.

Lyin Eyes - Glenn introed this one as usual, and went back to dedicating it to his first wife 'Plaintiff'. I have to admit that I like the song but my mind tends to always wander during it - there's so many verses!

Boys Of Summer - Okay, everybody's back on their feet again for this one. What a great song live, with the wierd noises (love 'em!) and the rocking tempo. Here again, Don is the liveliest I've ever seen him, and playful, practically giddy. It's here I come to a realization and turn to Hubby and say, "He's on drugs!" Now of couse I'm joking around here and have absolutely no idea if Don is on medication or not, but his silliness and playful humor throughout the night seem so out of character (I'm only basing this statement on the two times I've seen him previously) that something seems to have gotten into him. Could it be that his knee problems (which I saw no indication of) make it necessary for him to take some pain medication? After all, he's standing on stage for hours, night after night. If so, to paraphrase the famous quote from the restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what he's having."

In The City - Hearing this live again made me think of the song's recent debate in the Survivor game and made me smile, knowing that I'm getting to hear one of my favorite Joe songs. You know that gesture Don gives at the beginning of Get Over It in the DVD? Let's just say I gave a mental one of those to everyone who voted it off "prematurly". Just kidding!

The Long Run - It might have been at this point that Don looked at Joe's jacket and called it "spiffy". Again, a very playful Don coming out tonight! He said they were going to play one more, take a short break, and then come back and play until curfew! Lol! Oh, and TLR? Forgive me for every bad thing I said about you in the Survivor game.

As they all walked by us to leave the stage, I shouted out to Timothy, "Willie says hi!", but he didn't seem to hear me. Oh well TBF, I tried!

[Brooke]

Great so far, Pm! Loved Don's giddiness! Glad to hear he's evidently feeling very well! lol

Can't wait for part 2!

[TimothyBFan]

As they all walked by us to leave the stage, I shouted out to Timothy, "Willie says hi!", but he didn't seem to hear me. Oh well TBF, I tried!

WTH? Oh...I bet it's because he didn't want to blow our cover! Phew---you almost messed it up and let the cat out of the bag.

Great review. You brought tears of emotion with this part...

The lights came up and there they were, bigger than life! Hubby has said that when we saw them last year in Indy from the 2nd row center his first thought as the lights went up was that they were Disney Animatronics up there. He couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that they were real! I think that's a good analogy. It takes a few seconds to grasp that these are the Eagles!

I know exactly what you mean!!! They have been my heroes for so long that it was unbelievable that they were right there in front of me the first time I ever saw them!!

Anxiously awaiting part 2.

[luvthelighthouse]

Man, I'm always impressed with these detailed reviews. For me, the night goes by so quickly, I hardly remember anything!

[Troubadour]

Cathy - LOVE YOU! Awesome review so far, I'm enjoying every word. I wish I could have been there with you guys. It sounds amazing.

You knew I was going to highlight these parts. I can't tell you how happy (and a wee bit emotional) they made me. WISH I could have seen this for real.

Witchy Woman - Don introduced this song as he has been, mentioning that it's almost Halloween and that this is for all of the witches out there. "Witches - with a 'W'...not a 'B'." Now here's the part where Don started to steal a little piece of my heart. After his powerful falsetto part where he wails, the crowd gave him a huge cheer, and clearly moved, he said, "Thank you", right during the song! You really had to be there to appreciate it. I've mentioned before that I'm not normally a fan of falsetto, but I have always liked Don's during this song and One Of These Nights. It's especially thrilling to see him do it live. Honestly, it raised the hairs on the back of my neck. And his appreciation was apparent.

Boys Of Summer - Okay, everybody's back on their feet again for this one. What a great song live, with the wierd noises (love 'em!) and the rocking tempo. Here again, Don is the liveliest I've ever seen him, and playful, practically giddy. It's here I come to a realization and turn to Hubby and say, "He's on drugs!" Now of couse I'm joking around here and have absolutely no idea if Don is on medication or not, but his silliness and playful humor throughout the night seem so out of character (I'm only basing this statement on the two times I've seen him previously) that something seems to have gotten into him. Could it be that his knee problems (which I saw no indication of) make it necessary for him to take some pain medication? After all, he's standing on stage for hours, night after night. If so, to paraphrase the famous quote from the restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what he's having."

The bit about giving the Get Over It gesture to all the people who voted off In The City prematurely cracked me up! It really does ROCK, live.

[Shadowland07]

The concert was amazing!!!!! Henley sounded amazing, his falsettos on Witchy Woman and One of These Nights were off the hook lol.

[Prettymaid]

During the intermission Cheryl came up and we were able to talk for a few minutes. She mentioned the good mood Don seemed to be in and I agreed. It's always nice to meet another Borderer and I'm glad we got the chance.

No More Walks In THe Wood - Sorry, this has never been a favorite of mine. While I can appreciate the famous Eagles harmony I just don't like the melody of this song or the way it flows. But if the Eagles choose to open their second set with it, who am I to argue? Just sit and enjoy.

Waiting In The Weeds - I have come to love this song so much more than I used to, mostly thanks to all of you on here who have sung its praises for so long. The lyrics, the melody and the way Don's vocals just grab you and say, "Listen to every word because this is important" makes this one of the most beautiful of their 'new' songs. And to hear it live? *Sigh*

No More Cloudy Days - It's hard not to be redundant. This is another 'new' one that I absolutely love. Where I had to be convinced about WITW and it took time for me to grow fond of it, NMCD had me from hello. The rhythmic guitar, the uplifting lyrics and Glenn's vocals are all reasons why I love it, not to mention the sax at the end. Glenn introduced it in his usual way, saying "We're moving from the horticultural part of the show to the meteorological part of the show", or something like that. Glenn was also in very good spirits throughout the night. It was obvious that he was having fun. You have to wonder how they do it night after night. How do they sing the very same songs, most of them thirty year old at least, and enjoy themselves? Well, the answer of course is that sometimes they don't. We've talked on here before about how they sometimes seem stoic and robotic. But I like to think that it's the audience that gives them that added energy on certain nights, and the audience last night was superb, a really energized, appreciative crowd. The Eagles fed off of us.

Love Will Keep us Alive - Almost word for word and movement for movement Timothy did the exact same thing he did in the F1 DVD. He said, "It's my turn to say hello", and he pointed up to his right and said, "I see you up there", getting a roar from the rafters. Then he pointed up to his left and said, "And you", and got the same response from that side. I'm sorry that I can't say too much about Timothy. We just weren't close enough to see him perform, and he didn't say anything different. But Timothy always, always exudes love for his fans and appreciation for the fact that we came to see them. He just never seems to be in a bad mood.

Best Of My Love - This is where being a Borderer comes in handy. The uninformed fan would not know that they recently added this to their set list, or what a treat it is to be hearing it live. Hearing this song takes me back to the days where it was a new hit being played on the radio. It's a beautiful song, and once again Don seemed to recognize our love for it.

Take It To The Limit - Well dang, I can't hear this song anymore without thinking of Soda! I love it too - always have, and my finger automatically points to the sky everytime they sing "Take it" *stop* "To the Limit, One More Time!"

Long Road Out Of Eden - As most of us here have said, this is one of those songs that plays so much better live than on the record. Every musician's part can be appreciated here, from Steuart's haunting guitar (how does he do that??!!) to Don's sincere vocals to Joe's steely guitar work to Scott's amazing drumming. It all adds up to 10 minutes of GREAT music.

Walk Away - Here we go! This one never wavers from one performance to the next, always high energy as if the Eagles are saying, "Oh, have we given you the idea that we're done rockin'? Well we're NOT!" My favorite Joe song.

One Of These Nights - I mentioned this song earlier when talking about WW. Love Don's falsetto on this one too. I wish I could do a better job of describing Don's attitude last night, but unfortunately I didn't take notes (except for the set list) and my memory is not good for specifics. Maybe Cheryl can help me out here. He was just downright silly at times and it was contageous. I loved it, and because of it Don was the star of the show for me.

Next were the band intros. I had noticed as soon as the show started that there were three keyboard players in the back up band - Wil Hollis, Michael Thompson and somebody who looked familiar to me but who I didn't know by name until he was introduced as Richard Davis. Some of you may be able to answer - has he been playing with them lately? Are there normally three keyboard players and I just never noticed before? The rest of the intros went pretty much as usual. It seemed like Don got the biggest applause last night, but maybe that was just my perception from his friendly demeanor and the fact that he has been ill.

Life's Been Good - This is my least favorite of Joe's live songs, maybe because it's been done to death. But there's a reason for that. It's clearly a fan favorite. And don't get me wrong - I was up and rockin' with everybody else! Joe did the thing before this song (after he's introduced) where he goes to a kleenex box and rapidly tears one after another out of the box, throwing them into the air.

Dirty Laundry - I don't think the crowd sat down again. This song kept them going! "Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down!"

Funk 49 - Also known in reviewer's world as What You Tryin' To Hand Me (that has always cracked me up!)

Heartache Tonight - Will it win in the Survivor game tonight? If so it deserves it based on this performance. Sometimes it was hard to hear Glenn's vocals over the music, but they rocked it.

Life In the Fast Lane - Well, Don was out in front for this one too - no drumming allowed. No jumping allowed either apparently. But there was still plenty of energy.

Encore
Take It Easy - Who doesn't love this one? Apparently no one in Conseco Fieldhouse. You could feel the love.

Rocky Mountain Way - Again with the Borderers. I thought to myself, Rick is going to love this in Louisville. When Joe started the talk box part, Glenn just stood there looking at him with his mouth open. I even said to Hubby, "Look at Glenn!" It was as if he was trying to decipher what Joe was saying. Also, I think it was near the end of this song that Glenn looked over at Steuart and made a silly gesture with his hand and his guitar and Stueart laughed out loud and made the same motion to Glenn. I can't remember what the gesture was but they were both getting a kick out of it!

Desperado - Didn't this used to start with just Don up front? It seemed like last night they were all at their mikes from the beginning, but I could be wrong.

I'm so glad we went. I have a new appreciation for Don, that's for sure. And they all put on a good show. I want to see them again!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well PM - that was a purely entertaining review! I'm with you, even though Glenn is my obvious favorite, I have so much love, respect, and admiration for all of these guys. Each one of them is such a unique talent and personality that combines to make them the ...

EAGLES!!!

That's why I always take issue with anyone that tries to undermine any of the guys. They have come up with a recipe that obviously works extremely well, and all four of the guys are such an important ingredient in the formula.

As far as Richard Davis, he is a co-producer on the LROOE album. You just never noticed but, I believe he has actually been with them through the entire LROOE tour.