Desperados Return (Melbourne Herald Sun)

Desperados return

By NUI TE HOKA

06jun04

US supergroup the Eagles will perform at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, November 14.

Industry pundits say this tour, travelling under the cheeky moniker Farewell 1, may be the band's final bow in Australia.

Promoter Michael Gudinski initially backed away from those predictions, saying: "Honestly, I think the title Farewell 1 is funny. It has innuendo."

Then he said: "Realistically, I never expected the Eagles to play here again.

"But, after this tour, I would be very surprised if they toured this part of the world again."

The Eagles last visited Australia in 1995 with their critically acclaimed Hell Freezes Over shows.

Farewell 1 will be a three-hour greatest hits set. Expect to hear classics Hotel California and Desperado.

Singer-drummer Don Henley said the band was proud of its hit-making legacy.

"I don't think nostalgia is a dirty word," he said.

"I think our songs are very closely attached to places and events in people's lives.

"Whatever it is, it's very powerful and meaningful to people all over the world, and that's good enough for me."

Also good for both Henley and guitarist Joe Walsh are dramatic lifestyle change.

Once a notorious party machine rife with tension, they said the Eagles were now respectable family men.

They had personal trainers and drank Evian.

"We had a reputation for playing hard," Henley said.

"But we worked extremely hard, and still do. We rehearse. We tour. We are extremely professional and that is why we are still around.

"If we had done nothing but party, like our reputation says, we wouldn't be here.

"We put in the effort -- even in the fog.

"We managed to persevere through the swamp of drugs and alcohol, and still be productive and creative, and come out the other side.

"The music will be around, making people happy, much longer than any road stories."

The Eagles - Henley, Walsh, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit -- are also, perhaps for the first time, at peace with each other.

"These are four married guys with families," manager Irving Azoff said.

"That, and the removal of all the temptations of youth, has given them a better perspective.

"It goes full circle. The natural inclination of an entertainer is to get a little bit self-destructive.

"But these are four guys who went through that, and are successful beyond imagination - financially and with family.

"It's a business partnership, a creative partnership.

"They feel blessed that fans continue to embrace it."

The Eagles, with Henley and Frey always the core, formed in 1971, split in 1980 and reformed in 1994.

The band's Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 28 million sales in the US alone, is the top selling album of all time. They have sold 120 million albums worldwide.

Tickets for the Eagles' Australian shows will go on sale on June 21. Get today's ie liftout for the full report.