Eagles take it to the limit at JPJ

Media General News Service
Published: May 21, 2008

The desert highway is still dark, and the wind is still cool in their hair.

In other words, the Eagles have still got it.

The venerable band that captured the essence of the 1970s by inviting us into the Hotel California dropped into Charlottesville Wed-nesday night and put on a masterful show at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena.

A near-capacity crowd of more than 13,000 cheered every song — old and new — and set the tone early, offering a standing ovation before the first note was played.

Eagles guitarist and co-founder Glenn Frey spoke for his bandmates — and undoubtedly a significant portion of the Boomer-heavy audience, paying a top ticket price of $150 — when he said from the stage early in the show that he not only was glad to be in Charlottesville, but, “We’re glad to be anywhere.”

Frey turns 60 next fall; Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit are already there. But one of the best-selling bands of all time hasn’t missed a beat, proving that by putting out “Long Road Out of Eden,” their first album of new material in almost three decades last fall.

The band performed almost half of the songs from the new album, including the title track, a Henley commentary on war and imperialism that mentions Julius Caesar. It’s a rare 10-minute song worth the time.

“How Long,” a bouncy J.D.Souther composition, harkens back to the band’s early days, and “Busy Being Fabulous” is funny and biting at once. The best, though, might have been Henley’s “Waiting in the Weeds,” a beautifully haunting piece that in a live performance requires what Henley has termed “aerobic gymnastics.”

The band was nattily attired in black suits, white shirts and dark-striped ties, looking more like accountants than a rock band. But they didn’t play like accountants. The show really kicked into gear 20 minutes after it started when Henley put down his guitar, loosened his tie and stepped behind the drum kit. A trumpet intro led into the opening chords of “Hotel California,” and the place, predictably, went wild.

Playing in some configuration or another since 1971, the band had a lot of ground to cover to please its ardent fans and gave it a shot, playing deep into the night

Frey sang lead on several songs, including “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Lyin’ Eyes.” Henley offered his solo hit, “Boys of Summer.” Schmit fronted on “I Can’t Tell You Why” and “Love Will Keep Us Alive.” It was the irrepressible Walsh, who really revved things up with a soaring version of “In the City” and the always-rousing “Life’s Been Good.”

A week into its U.S. tour, the band was backed by nine additional musicians, including the talented Steuart Smith, who has assumed the role of the discharged Don Felder and might as well be the fifth Eagle.