Eagles Mostly Clip Political Wing
Author: Mark Brown
Publication: Rocky Mountain News
Date: September 29, 2004

Even though it was a political fund-raiser, Don Henley swore a few days before the show it would be all about the music. No political talk, no "message songs," just straight-up music.

You didn't buy that line, did you?

Several songs into his set, Henley surprised the crowd by pulling out a huge hit - for Tears for Fears. He sang their signature song, Everybody Wants to Rule the World. The meaning wasn't missed.

"Maybe that was a curveball for you, but I just felt like doing it," Henley told the bemused crowd.

There were other bits and pieces of politics - Dirty Laundry was dedicated to Rupert Murdoch, and he changed a line in The End of the Innocence to "lawyers clean up all details / since Cheney had to lie."

But otherwise, Henley and --co-Eagles Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit delivered on the promise, keeping the 100-minute set focused on the biggest hits of the Eagles and Henley's solo career. Henley's longest speech of the evening was to wax rhapsodic about the cheeseburgers at the Sunset Grill.

It's that solo career that filled the first 40 minutes, with Henley revisiting his own signature songs, including digging out the overlooked hit The Last Worthless Evening.

But with Frey and Schmit in the house, Henley knew what everyone was waiting for.

"All right, it's that time. I want to bring out a couple of very dear friends of mine," Henley announced to overwhelming cheers.

For the most part, they played it safe with the Eagles tunes, opening with Take It To the Limit, Peaceful, Easy Feeling; I Can't Tell You Why; Take It Easy - they all take on renewed freshness in a small hall.

It was only three-quarters of the Eagles - Joe Walsh is out of the country at the moment - but they didn't shy away from Walsh-heavy songs, including a roaring Life in the Fast Lane and a first encore that included Hotel California.

Anyone who thought they were in for a mostly mellow evening must have forgotten that Big Head Todd & the Monsters were on the bill. With just a handful of songs, the Colorado band stunned the crowd, with Todd Park Mohr's guitar playing lighting up the room.

Leo Kottke's opening set reminded everyone of his own guitar brilliance.