Observations from Henley Fans

[Jennienygirl]

[QUOTE=HenleyFan]Ya'll asked for this.....here it is....



Before we move on to Stevie...we want to make a few comments about Don's demeanor during the shows. To be quite honest, in Jones Beach we were worried about him. He didn't talk....he barely smiled...we're hoping that the cold weather just had him extra concerned about his voice. If you saw the Jones Beach show, that was NOT typical of a Henley performance. It was like pod-Don was there. The Don we know and love was there in Pittsburgh...he even took time out to wave to us...which we treasure a lot. While he did seem better at both Hershey and Chicago, he still wasn't operating at his usual level. We think he took a lot of responsibility for getting the show over on time. He cut back his comments to leave room for Stevie. As we said...Don usually tells 3 or 4 long involved stories and interacts much more with the crowd...exchanging jokes and comments with them. We think he took his role as "opening act" a bit too seriously.

well im glad you cleared this up. I went to see them at jones beach and I was wondering why Don seemed so damn grumpy. He did not interact with the crowd at all.. but you have given an explanation to this....

[HenleyFan]

There have been a couple of posts asking us to explain about the Hall of Fame ceremonies back in 1998.

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria. All of the artists being inducted got free rooms in the regular part of the hotel. We ended up staying in a room between Bernie Leadon and Jeff Beck. Henley was 2 floors below us. The Waldorf also has a more ritzy part...the Towers. The Towers has its own private entrance. As far as we know, the members of FM stayed in the Towers.

During the weekend, inductees were all over the hotel....eating in the restaurants...chatting with each other in the hallways. We didn't see any of Fleetwood Mac until the night of the ceremony. The members of the Eagles and Santana came in and checked in like everyone else...using the same entrance everyday people did. I will never forget Don getting off the elevator holding a little shopping bag (the airline had lost his luggage) and looking for the rest of the band. We were told that FM used the private entrance in the Towers.

At the ceremony, each inductee had their own tables. The Eagles had 2 tables and had the longtime members of their road-crew there. The road-crew were like us....they didn't have seats, but the band kept passing them food...especially desserts. FM didn't sit together...it's possible that some of them were at tables elsewhere, but there wasn't a band section like there was for the Eagles. It just seemed odd. When it was time for FM to perform, they just showed up...they hadn't sat through the rest of the ceremony like everyone else.

It's nothing weird for rock-stars....just that night it was interesting to see the Eagles...a band that has a rep for not getting along sitting and joking together like it was a family celebration.

I honestly don't remember much about FM's speeches. It seemed they just went through the motions on their performance (to be fair...the Eagles did as well)..... What really seemed odd is that I recognized what they wore from The Dance. It seemed like FM was wearing their stage costumes and that it was just another performance. The highlight of the night was Santana. I remember standing there....trying to avoid Phil Spector and going WHOA....this is awesome. The other thing that didn't make the broadcast was Nona Hendryx's Dusty Springfield tribute...she did Son of a Preacher Man and it was stupendous.

L&M

[David]

Originally Posted by HenleyFan

We like Stevie...we just don't follow her and have to admit that we have no clue what most of her songs are about.

We follow her & still have no clue what most of her songs are about.

Before the shows we saw people on some Stevie boards threatening to beat Don in the face with a shovel.

Sweeet!

The whole Bootylicious/Dreams thing....sorry....we don't get it. Why play a recording of yourself before you come out? Maybe there's a tradition here we aren't aware of...but we found it just a bit cheesy.

No tradition. They used it on the previous tour.

Dreams....always a favorite song. Done really well. The guitar players are great....it's so freaky because Carlos looks EXACTLY like a guy I teach with.

Please, take him. Hide him or something so that Stevie can't find him.

Stand Back -- This is a fun song. This would be a good time to give props to all of Stevie's backing band and singers. Excellent! Taku is amazing. It would be great to see him and Danny Reyes (de los Reyes), Don's percussionist from a couple of years ago both on stage at the same time.

We'd be drowning in percussionists. Daniel de los Reyes played a few shows as Stevie's percussionist several years ago.

Beauty and the Beast--This is a beautiful song and maybe if we understood the whole Mick/Stevie thing it would be more poignant.

Mick & Stevie fell in love. It didn't work out. They split. But not before Mick went to bed with Stevie's good friend. You know, the usual stuff.

In Pittsburgh, though, he did take a few steps back when he came out. All those people must have freaked him out a bit.

HAHA!!!! A perfectly understandable reaction to mobs of Stevie Nicks fans pushing up against one.

Finally...we were so glad to find out that not all Stevie fans wanted to bash Don's face in with a shovel.

Most Stevie fans are peace-loving vegans who drink mineral water & hang crystals in their bedrooms. Don has nothing to fear: he could easily take down five of them at once.

[HenleyFan]

I hope we don't miss any of the questions that were asked.

Victim of Love. Do you know who this was written about or who inspired it?

I don't think they've ever said if it was about anyone specifically. It's part of the story on the Hotel California album, so we've always thought of it in that context.

Just out of curiosity, is Don considered a sex symbol with Eagles fans? With FM fans, it's Lindsey (although I don't share that sentiment), but I wondered if Don is considered *hot* with Eagles fans?

Each of the Eagles has a large group of those who think they are hot. Yes, Don is a hottie, but so are Timothy, Glenn and Joe. If you want examples of this, check out The Shallow End and Eye Candy on our message board. We personally think Don and Glenn are major hotties. We don't get the Timothy or Joe lust...but to each her own.

I had never heard of The Genie, but love DWYEC. Why is the latter never heard on the radio? Add to that Victim of Love?

Probably because they weren't released as singles.

So? Who are the women who inspired it? (Witchy Woman)

According to Don, during the early 70s there were always girls around who were "witches"...they made candles and had lots of ferns in their appartments. They always wanted to give the band membes homemade medicines. One girl in particular was named Patty. She had one blue eye and one green eye and claimed that because she was a witch, she could fix Don's bad back. Don...wanting to get laid...said sure...Don tells the story very well...using voices for both Patty and his own young, dumb horny self. Don says that these girls along with the fact that he had been reading a biography of Zelda Fitzgerald while having flu induced hallucinations all came together in the song Witchy Woman.

Incidentally, was it a Stevie or Don fan that asked you to sit down or do you know?

It was a Stevie fan.

do you know how similar the new Live In Melbourne DVD will be to Sydney?, because do you think it would be worth me buying.

The Live in Melbourne is the same show you saw in Sydney, with the addition of the two new songs. It is incredibly well done. For fans of classic rock, the sound and visual quality are AMAZING.

Are they going to release this on video I wonder?

They wanted to and there were talks of recording it. Unfortunately, though, the lawyers stepped in. Contractually, Don can't release any DVD within a certain time frame of the Eagles DVD coming out. His contract doesn't allow him to have competing products out. We also heard that he didn't feel that his voice was DVD quality.

I think that's it...except to say that David...you are hysterical!

L&M
www.eaglesfans.com

[upontheventura]

Re: The Hall Of Fame-
Stevie has always striked me as a really sheltered old school Rock and Roll star. I know she doesn't drive- she is driven. She is known for having a big ego, as is Lindsay. And she always stays at the BEST hotels- and she was actually staying at the Waldorf during 9/11. Her dad was a corporate executive so she grew up rich. Stevie has always struck me as down to earth, yet every bit the STAH. But I think she is EXTREMELY shy as well. I don't know.

[David]

Originally Posted by HenleyFan

I think that's it...except to say that David...you are hysterical!

Oh, I'm all business. So do you Eagles fans have any soundboards of any of the dozens of appearances of Stevie with Henley or of the tour with Walsh? Let's get the two fan camps trading. We have some crystal-clear recordings of studio sessions of "Leather & Lace" & "The Highwayman" with Don. Lotsa different takes & some in-studio chit-chat.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by David

We have some crystal-clear recordings of studio sessions of "Leather & Lace" & "The Highwayman" with Don. Lotsa different takes & some in-studio chit-chat.

*does not have aforementioned goodies*

[ELIUD]

Hey HenleyFan,

I really appreciate your comments and your insight to the Don. If they get together again and make it to Dallas, I will surely not miss this show.

But let me clear this up, Stevie Nicks was wearing a black jacket/skirt ensemble at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that she didn't wear on the Dance DVD. I know that, to the casual fan - all her clothes look the same but they're different. I won't confirm what the rest of Fleetwood Mac were wearing as they could all have been naked and I wouldn't have noticed.

Actually, I'd have checked out Lindsey's cute little boney ass.

[lagringader&r]

Thanks for the answers. The Witchy Woman story was especially interesting.

As for the RRHOF thing, well I admit that doesn't paint a pretty picture. I think Kelly might have said it best that, at least as far as Stevie goes, she was probably really nervous and tongue-tied. Lindsey seems to say everything as a rehearsed speech and it's a joke that he carries a dictionary everywhere he goes. I admit, though, that seeing them seclude themselves from the others and from each other probably didn't give everyone else the warm fuzzy tingles about them. They're also notorious for not getting along with each other, so they were probably in one of those modes at the time. 1998 was sort of a pivotal time in them all getting back on the same page. I love FM to death, but I do know that they come off as very guarded and maybe even moreso than other bands. Why, I don't know. So, there's really no defending it. They acted like total divas! Often, I think Lindsey is even more of a diva than Stevie. They're good with the fans but in those situations, they could probably use a few lessons in playing well with others and being more accessible. I totally agree with Kelly that they have huge egos. That can't exactly make a non-fan a fan, so I can't say I blame you for being put-off by them.

On edit: In John's defense, he's not into the glitzy, R&R BS, so I wouldn't count him in with the divas of the band. Mick? Well, I think Mick might be the biggest of all.

[ShangriLaTroubl]

Henleyfan, I'm not surprised at all about Fleetwood Mac using the private entrances and all..sounds just like them. I dont know about the Eagles, but FM totally embraces the riches and luxuries of celebrity. They arrive at their concert in seperate limos (sometimes with a police escort), almost like a presidential motercade--lol..so yes they are very spoiled...When they leave they either go to their hotel, or private 737 jet to the next city...oh yeah they don't stay in the same hotels either. With Fleetwood Mac tour's it's almost like they don't see eachother until the soundcheck...which is kinda weird, but just how it is.

Do the Eagles hang out during down time with eachother on tour? Do they ride in the same cars? Do the members drive when they are at home (Fleetwood Mac does that, except Stevie has hasn't had a drivers' license in 20+ years)

Chris

[sparky]

Henley Fan

Thanks for the review. It is a hoot to get the POV of a non Stevie fan.

I have a question for you, a silly one to be sure...

What was the reaction among Eagles/Henley fans to Joe Walsh and his new "hair" that magically appeared on the Hell Freezes Over Tour ? I find it profoundly distracting and ridiculous. Do the fans comment on it much ?

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by HenleyFan

Ya'll asked for this.....here it is....


Okay....it certainly has been a wild week. We had originally planned on going to only one show and that turned into 4 shows. We actually decided to just drive 18 hours to Chicago the day before we had to leave. We enjoyed each of the shows we saw...some more than others and thought we'd write down our impressions...both as die-hard fans of Don and casual fans of Stevie.

Some background first. We've seen the Eagles in concert almost 70 times and Don solo about 40. We've met Don several times. We are fans of Don because he's an extremely witty, funny, kind and talented musician. His solo shows are full of stories and wise-cracks. He smiles and bounds around the stage. We also enjoy going to the shows because his backing band is an incredibly talented group of individuals. They don't make them any nicer than Scott Crago...that's for sure.

That being said, we were a bit apprehensive about going to the shared shows. We've seen Fleetwood Mac once...from really bad seats and just didn't get into it. We also saw FM at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and were a bit put out by their attitude as compared to the other nominees that year. We've seen Stevie at the RAC concert and at the 2 Concerts for Bio-diversity shows back in what was it...1998. We like Stevie...we just don't follow her and have to admit that we have no clue what most of her songs are about.

We were additionally apprehensive because we know that quite a few Stevie fans have no time for Don...partially because of the GQ interview and for numerous other reasons that have been outlined here at the Ledge. Before the shows we saw people on some Stevie boards threatening to beat Don in the face with a shovel. Inexplicably, we also saw several posts going on and on about how Don has no lips. Just an aside...his lips are lovely.

Anyway...that was our attitude going into the shows. We were interested to see what Stevie would do but weren't looking forward to sitting through it multiple times (nightmares of Don's double-bill with Sting in 1991 still stick out in our minds). We were also a little afraid of the shovel-bearing, lip-disparaging crowds of Stevie fans we'd have to share the show with. Add to that...a few days before the show, we learned of the Edge Walk. That further added to our apprehension.

So...here's a run-down of the shows we saw mixed together....song by song.

The Genie--We like it when Don starts his shows with a non-hit album track. He's done this in the past..most notably with Driving With Your Eyes Closed. The Genie is an okay song, but with a crowd full of non-fans it may not have been the best decision. We can only guess it was included as part of his spooky suite of songs.

Witchy Woman--Is always a favorite. We miss, though, the story Don tells during his solo shows about the women who inspired it. He makes little voices and it's incredibly cute.

I Put a Spell On You -- Covers are our favorite. This one really show-cased keyboard player Will Hollis' talent (Will is a sweetie as well). Lisa isn't sure she likes this one. Melissa enjoys it because it allows Don to wail.

Hotel California -- We'll have to reserve judgment on this one. Stevie's phrasing didn't exactly seem to fit the spirit of the song. It was cool to hear it. Quite honestly, neither of us really like this song anyway...so anything to make it fresh is always a good thing.

New York Minute--Again....Stevie's phrasing on this seemed odd to us. We were also disappointed that we didn't get to hear Don sing the "...pulled my coat around my shoulders" line. Again, though...this song is not a personal fave so we weren't indignant about it.

Last Worthless Evening -- This was awesome. The song really works well as a duet. You can picture the man and the woman sitting in a smoky room singing this to each other. Don's harmonies on this were also really, really cool.

Boys of Summer--A great song. In Chicago someone actually asked us to sit down during this one. Whatever.

Heart of the Matter-- Not a fave. Would rather have replaced this with a cover or a more obscure track.

Dirty Laundry -- Always fun....we thought Don would dedicate this to Michael Jackson in Hershey...but he didn't.

Life in the Fast Lane-- It's always a treat to see Don out from behind the drums for this one.

All She Wants to Do is Dance-- A fun song.

End of the Innocence-- The first night we saw this in Jones Beach...this was the last song Don did. It seemed like an odd way to peter out an otherwise great show.

Desperado -- This is always great. We were sad to see, though, that I Will Not Go Quietly wasn't in the set. That's a great way to end a show.

Before we move on to Stevie...we want to make a few comments about Don's demeanor during the shows. To be quite honest, in Jones Beach we were worried about him. He didn't talk....he barely smiled...we're hoping that the cold weather just had him extra concerned about his voice. If you saw the Jones Beach show, that was NOT typical of a Henley performance. It was like pod-Don was there. The Don we know and love was there in Pittsburgh...he even took time out to wave to us...which we treasure a lot. While he did seem better at both Hershey and Chicago, he still wasn't operating at his usual level. We think he took a lot of responsibility for getting the show over on time. He cut back his comments to leave room for Stevie. As we said...Don usually tells 3 or 4 long involved stories and interacts much more with the crowd...exchanging jokes and comments with them. We think he took his role as "opening act" a bit too seriously.

On to Stevie's set....

The whole Bootylicious/Dreams thing....sorry....we don't get it. Why play a recording of yourself before you come out? Maybe there's a tradition here we aren't aware of...but we found it just a bit cheesy....especially when the giant Stevie started spinning on stage.

Outside the Rain ... didn't know this song before the tour. It's catchy....Stevie is adorable when she comes out and the crowd does go wild. It's a different mentality than Eagles fans. Don't get us wrong....Eagles fans are just as devoted and crazy...we just express it in different ways.

Dreams....always a favorite song. Done really well. The guitar players are great....it's so freaky because Carlos looks EXACTLY like a guy I teach with.

Wardrobe Change....this seemed to break the momentum of the show.

Rhiannon--Very cool....love it.

Enchanted-- Didn't know this song before the tour...but it's catchy. I find myself singing this one just out of the blue.

Gold Dust Woman -- The highlight of the show for us. Amazing vocals by both Don and Stevie. Don seems born to sing those lines. And of course the dancing at the end is just breathtaking (anything where we get to see Don move his straight hips.....)

Stop Dragging My Heart Around -- Don playing the tambourine has a special place in both our hearts. This was excellent.

Circle Dance -- They should rush into the studio and record this immediately. Perfection.

Stand Back -- This is a fun song. This would be a good time to give props to all of Stevie's backing band and singers. Excellent! Taku is amazing. It would be great to see him and Danny Reyes (de los Reyes), Don's percussionist from a couple of years ago both on stage at the same time.

Beauty and the Beast--This is a beautiful song and maybe if we understood the whole Mick/Stevie thing it would be more poignant. The flim clips were lovely, though and Stevie's voice was excellent.

Edge -- Fun and funky....we were worried about this...especially for Jones Beach where we had 1st row seats....nobody comes between us and Don at the end of a show. We knew it was coming and pushed up to the 2 feet to the front of the stage to ensure that nobody would stand in front of us. It's neat what Stevie does...Don would never do it...partially because he gets sick at the drop of hat. Lisa let some people behind her stick their hands up and Mel put up one hand. Stevie grabbed it for a really long time and kind of stuck our her tongue in a playful way. I think she figured out we were there primarily for Don. All in all, this wasn't as traumatic as we thought it would be. Don seemed very amused by the whole thing. In Pittsburgh, though, he did take a few steps back when he came out. All those people must have freaked him out a bit.

Combined Set

Leather and Lace...we've seen this several times before and it is always excellent.

SYWTBARARS...We love it when Don ends with a fast cover and this was no exception. Last summer he closed with Everybody Wants to Rule the World which was a treat. The dueling tamborines were a lot of fun.

Wow....I've gone on a long time. I'm sure I'll remember more.

Just a few last comments. Something we said seems to be getting taken out of context. When we were first trying to understand the Edge Walk, we mentioned a "velvet rope" and this seems to be used now to disparage Don. During Eagles shows there is a rope at the front of the stage because they have a camera set up on tracks that runs the entire length of the stage. This is where the footage for the screens comes from. There's a camera woman and a guy who manages the cable who have to have free passage back and forth at the front of the stage. During Don solo shows...there is nothing there that the venue doesn't already have set-up. So please don't go thinking that Don has to erect barriers to keep him safe from fans.

There's also been lots of comments about how Stevie loosens Don up. In all actuality, Don seemed more reserved on these shows. Yes there were lots of smiles and some really cute, goofy moments....but Don is much more loose when he's on his own. He pulls back when he's with the Eagles as well. We think it's just his way of showing respect for the others on stage with him.

Finally...we were so glad to find out that not all Stevie fans wanted to bash Don's face in with a shovel. There are party poopers at every concert and we discovered that the majority of the poopers weren't die-hard fans to begin with. I had "Stevie" people ask me to sit down during Don's fast songs, but there were also some "Don folks" who didn't act the greatest either. All in all, everyone was great. This has been a ton of fun and we hope they do it again next summer.

L&M

I just wanted to say that I applaud your passion for Don and the Eagles Even though I prefer Stevie and Fleetwood Mac, I think it's fantastic that anyone gives a damn that much about an artist

[Serrart]

Thanks a lot for the great review and comments Henley Fan. I must say that this tour changed radically in a positive way my idea of Don Henley as an artist.

Romy

[HenleyFan]

Most people were a little shocked at Joe's bleached blond hair, but the general consensus was that it looked good on him. It's looking a more natural color these days, I think.

L&M

Originally Posted by sparky

What was the reaction among Eagles/Henley fans to Joe Walsh and his new "hair" that magically appeared on the Hell Freezes Over Tour ? I find it profoundly distracting and ridiculous. Do the fans comment on it much ?

[HenleyFan]

The Eagles don't hang out with each on tour. They don't see each other until sound check. They arrive in separate SUVs and fly from show to show in their private plane (dubbed Eagle One). So that's pretty much the same as FM.

At home they all drive. Glenn and Don talk about doing car pool to get the kids to school. They seem to lead fairly normal lives off stage. People mention seeing Don around Dallas at Home Depot or the local grocery store. Don himself has talked about his frustration with using the self-check out at the store. I know I'd pay to see him scan his own groceries.

L&M

Originally Posted by ShangriLaTroubl

Do the Eagles hang out during down time with eachother on tour? Do they ride in the same cars? Do the members drive when they are at home (Fleetwood Mac does that, except Stevie has hasn't had a drivers' license in 20+ years)