Fans flock to see Eagles play stacks of classics

Leave it to US band The Eagles to sell out practically every show of their current tour of Australia. Being one of the biggest bands in the history of rock, it’s no wonder they’ve been bold enough to dub the tour ‘History of the Eagles’.

Indeed the two-and-a-half hour production covers all the important bits of the band’s evolution, from their humble formation in 1971, when Glenn Frey and Don Henley first encountered each another and knew they were destined to work together for a greater part of their lives, through a rollercoaster ride of a rock’n’roll antics, to a somewhat more subdued here-and-now.

That said, it’s not like these guys come across as washed-up rockers dishing out old hits for the sake of a buck and last-minute ditch at fame. Rather, The Eagles deliver a tight, finely tuned set that could only be the result of decades of ardent practice. And sheer talent, damn it!

There were no smoke, mirrors of excess use of visual or lighting effects at this gig – nothing needed to hide shoddy performance. Simply because The Eagles are excellent at what they do – which is deliver real music played on real instrument over which they sing realistic lyrics without the aid of electronic fakery.

This band could in fact be the poster children for a campaign such as 96FM’s ‘Real Music’ one – all of their repertoire is that sincere.

Frey and Henley start the show off in subtle mode, just them and their guitars, playing acoustically and talking about them early days. One by one, subsequent band members arrive (in order of when they joined the band, supposedly), each adding another interesting layer of texture to that rich Eagles sound. While Frey and Henley are considered by some fans as the main members of the fan (in part due to successful solo careers, too), no member of this band appears to have been treated super-specially. But one member did seem to steal the show – that being

Most of the hits were performed including ‘New Kid In Town’, ‘Heartache Tonight’, ‘Desperado’, ‘One Of These Nights’, and ‘The Long Run’, with an encore kicking off with ‘Hotel California’ (during which everyone stayed dead silent until the rapturous applause at the end) and a suitable one for the road, ‘Take It Easy’.

After witnessing a truckload of talent at this band’s first concert in Perth last night, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane can rest assured they have a lot to look forward to.  Antonino Tati

THE ‘HISTORY OF THE EAGLES’ TOUR CONTINUES WITH THE FOLLOWING DATES:

Thu 19 Feb                

Perth | Perth Arena (All Ages)

ticketek.com.au | 132 849

Sun 22 Feb                

Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena                    

Sun 24 Feb                

Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena                    

Thu 26 Feb                

Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena (New Show)

ticketek.com.au | 132 849

Sat 28 Feb                 

Macedon | Hanging Rock (Limited Tickets)

w/ special guests Kasey Chambers & Melody Pool

ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100

Mon 2 Mar                 

Sydney | Qantas Credit Union Arena      

Wed 4 Mar                 

Sydney | Allphones Arena                          

Fri 6 Mar                    

Sydney | Allphones Arena (New Show)

ticketek.com.au | 132 849

Sat 7 Mar                   

Hunter Valley | Hope Estate

w/ special guests Kasey Chambers & Melody Pool

SOLD OUT!

Tue 10 Mar                

Brisbane | Entertainment Centre

Wed 11 Mar               

Brisbane | Entertainment Centre (All Ages)

ticketek.com.au | 132 849