Eagles turn it on in second half after a start lacking in energy

CONCERT REVIEW

LISTENING TO the Eagles play hit after hit for 2 1/2 hours at the Blaisdell Arena Tuesday night left me with ringing ears, fond memories, impressed by the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famers discography but dulled by an all-too-choreographed show, with little spontaneity.

The group performed 23 songs, each a major hit by a band more than three decades old. Glenn Frey, Don Henley and company sang mostly as well as they ever did, playing to a near-capacity, multigenerational crowd of 6,500 who stood and cheered when just a single chord starting a song echoed through the venue.

The band took few artistic chances, understanding that their audience came to hear the hits played exactly like the recorded versions, although the band did sneak in some more recent songs and made some minor changes in the classics.

With few exceptions in the first portion of the concert, the core Eagles seemed to be going through the motions before they got to the real concert in the second half.

That made me wonder: Was this early malaise a sign of the old "End-of-the-tour-and-I'm-so-tired-of-singing-the-same-songs-the-same-way-night-after night"; or were they saving themselves for a more energetic and demanding second half? Fortunately, it turned out to be the latter, otherwise, you might as well buy the group's tour DVD.

The bottom line is that the Eagles didn't disappoint hard-core fans who paid as much as $250 a ticket, a Honolulu first, for a seat on the arena floor and surrounding loges.

The Honolulu concert series, which ends Saturday night, began with hits that dominated the '70s' airwaves: Jackson Browne's "Take it Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," and "One of These Nights," "New Kid in Town" and "Lyin' Eyes," which Frey "dedicated to my first wife, plaintiff" -- ha ha! -- then Henley's heartfelt and dark "The Boys of Summer."

Henley proved throughout the evening that he not only has mostly escaped aging, but that he's a musician of remarkable talent, whether playing the drums or guitar. His matured, gravelly voice adds more depth to his emotional lyrics, especially on "The Long Run" and "Sunset Grill," than when the group last performed here in 1995.

But the normally brilliant guitar maestro Joe Walsh was more of a wind-up toy in the first act, satisfied apparently with laid-back strumming rather than his usual attack.

The Eagles' quiet man, bassist Timothy Schmitt, used his solid high voice to feature hits like "I Can't Tell You Why" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive," then was all over the stage in rock-star style after intermission. New guitarist Steuert Smith veered from the night's style, doing a lot of the heavy musical lifting, cranking out interesting twists on familiar leads.

As for Frey, when he wasn't singing lead vocals, his background harmonies added depth and beauty, though, as he told a sympathetic audience, he's unable to hit some of the notes of three decades ago. Few seemed to care or notice.

Eagles Part 2 was a different show thanks to several solo songs that perked up the core quartet. There were dueling guitars, backed at varying times by a violinist, two keyboards, four horns and a percussionist.

Walsh, 55, also stirred the audience to a frenzy with "Life's Been Good" and in the encore "Rocky Mountain Way." With his light hair hanging loosely above his shoulders, Walsh got the crowd on its feet again when he donned a gimmicky "helmet cam," flashing shots of the crowd onto two video screens on each side of the stage. Walsh's guitar virtuosity shone on "In the City." (Word backstage was that Walsh might tour next year with his old band, the James Gang, while the rest of the Eagles take a rest.)

Henley, 56, summoned up more emotion on a confessional-like version of 1982's "Dirty Laundry."

The Eagles ended the night with five songs in three standing ovation encores, beginning with "Hotel California," leading off with a sombrero-wearing trumpet player offering a brief version of Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain." The evening ended with Don Henley's haunting "Desperado."

The Eagles' show was solid, if safe, with the boys doing a good job of at least appearing to be interested in their well-worn hits. It was obvious that it's been a while since the Eagles have put together new material. Maybe they can make some new hits for the sure-to-come "Farewell 2" tour.