 EAGLES
Farewell I Tour: Live in Mebourne DVD
Warner Music Group 2005
www.eaglesband.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
The Legendary Eagles head down-under to film a sold out live performance
during their Farewell I Tour last year. The set list was so big
that they needed two discs to contain it. DVD specs: 16x9 aspect
/ 5.1 DTS sound & PCM stereo.
Genre
Rock / classic / soft rock / pop-rock
The Good
Disc one packs a punch with its twenty songs. You get a nice mix of Eagles hits; “The
Long Run”, “I can’t Tell You Why”, “Lyin’ Eyes”, “Tequila
Sunrise”, “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, and Take It To the Limit,
and a few solo hits; “The Boys of Summer”, “You Belong to the
City”, and “Sunset Grill”. If that’s not enough for you,
the Eagle’s if shell out a few new tunes. Joe Walsh contributes a song
he wrote about being sober called “One Day at a Time”, and Glen Frey & Don
Henley chime in with a song they wrote the night after September 11th called “Hole
in the World”. An interesting note about this song is that the group was
sent to enter the studio on that day.
Disc two is a ten song set that serves as a best of the best as the concert
nears its conclusion. You’re still getting the solo songs; “Life’s
Been Good”, “Dirty Laundry”, “Mountain Way”,
and “All She Wants to Do is Dance”, and now you’re getting
the mega-hits; “Heartache Tonight”, “Life in the Fast Lane”,
Hotel California”, “Take It Easy” and “Desperado”.
The second disc also contains the only bonus feature which is an interview
with the group. There’s not much to it, but the Eagles talk about their
sound, each other, and what’s changed. Be sure to find out what the ‘circle
of fear’ is.
Now that I’ve talked about the content, let’s talk about the show.
If I had to sum it up into one word, it would be sensational. Every member’s
performance is damn near perfect. I mean, even the solos are note for note.
There’s no denying their talent and musicianship with this performance.
Frey sound wonderful vocally and nails down all of his piano and guitar parts
with ease. Don Henley is the consummate frontman who also shows that time has
not conquered his voice or drumming skills.
Bassist Timothy Schmit’s
falsetto is still as pleasant and soothing, and Joe Walsh (still wacky) displays
his knack for the fretboard without breaking a sweat. The group’s five
part harmonies are the heart and soul of the music, and despite different music
styles and voices, manage to make it sound exceptional. The stage is rather
large with a decent amount of back-up player in the shadows. The brass and
string section really add texture to the music. The Eagles really know how
to work the crowd by bringing the energy up for the up-tempo numbers, and bringing
it back down for the ballads.
The Bad
It’s sad that I know a few of the Eagles songs from television commercials
that they’ve appeared in.
The Verdict
Whether you buy a ticket to their live performance (cha-ching) or buy this DVD,
rest assured that you won’t regret spending your hard-earned money. It’s
well worth it!
Did You Know?
Bob Seger is one of the co-writers on “Heartache Tonight”.
Rating:  out
of 5
--George Dionne
|
