 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
ReviewNo farewell for EaglesBy GINA VIVINETTO, Times Pop Music Critic© St. Petersburg Times published May 14, 2003 TAMPA - Nearly 13,000 lovers of classic rock rejoiced as one of the genre's finest acts, the Eagles, reunited to perform Tuesday at the St. Pete Times Forum. It was the third show of the band's "Farewell 1" tour, one that singer-guitarist Glenn Frey joked to the crowd would probably the first of many "farewell" tours for the notoriously feuding band, which broke up in the early 1980s, and reunited a little more than a decade later for its cleverly titled "Hell Freezes Over" tour. Fans of 1970s icons were reminded that although the Eagles wrote many of that decade's most passionately themed songs, its members are committed to technical virtuosity. That was evident from the night's first tune, a blasting, horn-rich rendition of The Long Run, sung by Don Henley, the band's drummer. On that song and on many others, Henley stepped out from behind his drum kit to handle vocals, letting hired gun Scott Crago beat the skins. The tender ballad New Kid In Town, steeped in somber slide guitar, came next, with Frey and Henley, now behind the drums, sharing vocal duties. The Eagles' hits, and many were performed throughout the more than three-hour concert, garnered the most fan reaction. The band delivered a perfect rendition of Peaceful Easy Feeling, a sexy, swaggering Take It To The Limit, on which Frey played piano, and the country rootsy Take it Easy. The crowd also cheered for the solo hits scored by Henley and Frey after the band broke up. Henley played guitar while singing the Baby-Boomer-comes-of-middle-age anthem Boys Of Summer. Henley's gravelly voice also fueled Sunset Grille and Dirty Laundry. Frey's tunes from the 1980s, including the faux-bohemian theme You Belong to the City, are guilty of inducing fashion flashbacks of men in pastel suits and sockless loafers thanks to their role on the Miami Vice soundtracks. That song's stinging saxophone did not conceal that Frey's voice is no longer rugged enough to handle the bombastic lyrics. While the Eagles' California sound surfed genres, its roots were always steeped in Americana. The band's songs rely on a formula of country flourishes such as pristine slide guitar, delicate singalong harmonies and good old-fashioned story telling. The strains of melancholy violin hovered on Lyin' Eyes, with Henley keeping the song's giddy up beat. The rest of the band may have cut their hair long ago and achieved solo superstardom in the slick 1980s, but bassist Timothy B. Schmit keeps the Eagles' spirit alive with shoulder-length hair and his ever-angelic voice. Schmit's falsetto was a thing of beauty on I Can't Tell You Why. Guitarist Joe Walsh should be chastised for keeping too low a profile during the band's first set, allowing backing guitarist Stuart Smith to handle every spicy lead. That is, until Walsh charged in with the famous crunchy riffage of Walk Away, his monster hit from his days in the James Gang. It was if someone unleashed Walsh during the band's second set. By far the band's most goofy member - sort of the Falstaff of the Eagles - Walsh hammed it up on his solo smash Life's Been Good, playing the song's lead while prowling around the stage, delivering its lyrics about a shamelessly spoiled rock star with laughter. Leave it to Walsh to provide the needed contrast to the show's precise perfection. If a band ever needed its tie unloosened, Walsh, with his shaggy white hair, loopy smile and fidgety fingers on the frets, is still the man to do it. To contact Gina Vivinetto e-mail gina@sptimes.com  © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
In the news Review
From the wire |
