Singapore Photos

Joyce (Fan Review)

I am Joyce from Singapore and this is my first post on this site. I grew up listening to the Eagles and for 30 years, their songs never fail to touch my hearts and many people around me.

After close to a decade, I got to see them live yesterday at the Singapore Indoor stadium. Never had I have reservations over the quality of the performance, especially when it was made known that they would be bringing their own tour band, PA technician team,...right down to the catering... close to 100-people entourage. Of course I was ridiculed for the hefty price I paid for the tickets. But think of it this way, 10 years = 3,650 days. Apportion the ticket price over this period, what's that few hundred bucks really? 10 years ago, if the price were to be set at the current levels, I would have still went for the gig.

Yesterday was the first time I felt proud of audience in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. According to Straits Times, there were 11,300 people from all over SEA region, all here in full gear, all prepared to cheer on, all prepared to give their unreserved applause & salute to one of the world's most celebrated folk rock band. In 1999, the Record Industry Association of America recognised The Eagles "Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975" Album as the bestselling record of the century. Phew! (^^)'' ~

I overheard this group of middle-age gentlemen discussing their accomodation arrangements in Singapore after the concert during the 20 mins' break. Some were desperately looking for their "long-lost" friends, making calls and waving across the stadium. It wasn't just a reunion of a legendary country folk rock band afterall.

"Tequila Sunrise", "Lyin' Eyes"(Frey dedicated to it his first wife called "Plaintiff"), "Already Gone" (Frey dedicated it to George Bush), "Heartache Tonight", "New Kid in Town", "I Can't Tell You Why", "Love Will Keep Us Alive", "One of These Nights", "Take it to The Limit" (Frey said his current wife call this the credit card song), ....

And the solo from Don Henley (Dirty Laundry, Boys of Summer), Glen Frey (You Belong to The City from "Miami Vice")... all 27 songs . There were three encores and all three were the most memorable moments of the concert. "Hotel Calfornia" kicked off the encore session and the whole stadium were in roaring frenzy~ Imagine you on stage and 11,300 people singing to your song? I caught a glimpse of Don Henley smiling over the TV monitor when he heard the chorus from the floor as he played the drums and sang "Hotel California". Listening to The Eagles singing "Hotel California" live is such happiness~~

The finale song had to be "Desperado". The lights dimmed and as Don Henley scrooned this lovely classic, couples around me, started hugging each other and swayed to the tune of "Des~~pera~~do~" ... All of a sudden there were twinkles of light appearing in the audience stands... a sea of "handphone screenlights" began to illuminate the stadium. You can feel love and romance in the air tonight~~

It was a concert worth waiting for, worth every cent of it. Just like to say thank you to everyone present at the Singapore leg yesterday for making the evening such a memorable evening for me. I hope it was just a wonderful evening for you all too. m(_ _)m

Frank (Fan Review)

I was at the Singapore show last night. The set list followed those posted on this site (and the Bangkok review). My comments:

* Quite a show, especially in length and scope of material! Overall, very entertaining and enjoyable!

* All band members showed great energy except Henley. His voice and quite thin and he looked lethargic.

At times, the pacing was quite odd, with high-energy momentum abandoned while the band re-arranged for the next number.

* Good humor throughout the night, especially from Frey who dedicated Lyin'Eyes "... to my first wife, Plaintiff", and Already Gone to George Bush.

* Joe Walsh was, of course, a big crowd pleaser. I don't think the audience actually knew the old James Gang tunes, but the lick were great and the place was rockin'

* That said, rockin' for our Asian friends means occasionally standing (rarely dancing) and clapping loud when the songs end. Yet, I actually heard some pre-and in-song screams, and saw some dancing! The Singapore Indoor Stadium was sold out (11,000+), a fairly rare feat. (I saw some empty seats when Elton John played last year, and The Rolling Stones filled the place up for two nights but only with heavy promo and give-aways.)

As someone who saw The Eagles 25 years ago, I was pleased that we've all made it this far and could enjoy a fun night together...

FRank P., Singapore, Oct. 19

Eagles soar in S'pore (Straits Times)

Eagles soar in S'pore - OCT 19, 2004

TEACHER Margaret Yeo, 52, had her dream fulfilled at the Eagles concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last night. She had paid $499 - the most expensive ticket in the house - to catch her favourite band perform here for the first time. 'I've waited 30 years to see them. It was worth every cent I paid,' she said after the three-hour set which saw the legendary 1970s Californian country-rock band deliver three encores and 27 songs.

She was among the 11,300-strong audience, some of whom had come from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Made up of people from their teens to their 60s, they roared and applauded when the group - Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit - took to the stage at 8.30pm with The Long Run.

Other Eagles classics like Take It To The Limit and I Can't Tell You Why followed, as well as solo hits by the individual members, including Henley's Boys Of Summer and Frey's You Belong To The City. The band also performed in Bangkok for the first time last Friday. Tomorrow, they will make their debut in Hong Kong.

This is the Asian leg of their Farewell I concert that will also take them to Japan and Australia. -- Ong Soh Chin Life! deputy editor

Where Eagles dare (Straits Times)

Where Eagles dare - OCT 11, 2004

LEGENDARY rock group the Eagles decided to go for irony when deciding on a name for their current tour. Called the Farewell I Tour, they say it is a joke on artists like Simon And Garfunkel, who revisit the limelight by releasing albums or staging concerts after their so-called retirement, almost as if they are prisoners in their own Hotel California.

But if the Eagles are laughing at others, they are also making fun of themselves, as singer and guitarist Glenn Frey will tell you.

'We don't see ourselves doing this for very much longer,' says Frey, 55, on the phone from his manager's office in Los Angeles. 'But we might change our minds about that so we thought we'd better make a joke of it now.'

The American group will play in Singapore for the first time next Monday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Ninety-nine per cent of the 8,000 tickets have been sold, with a handful of higher-priced seats left, says a spokesman for organiser Lushington Entertainments.

On the phone, the Detroit-born musician speaks in a laidback drawl. He fields questions with just a pause that tells you he weighs his words before speaking.

When asked what one can expect from a flock of ageing rockers, he says: 'We've developed and matured in our sound. If anything, we're more experienced, more focused. We haven't declined any with age.'

He adds: 'I don't mean to boast, but we're good.'

Indeed, the Eagles, whose current line-up comprises drummer-vocalist Don Henley, guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and Frey, were one of the monster acts of the 1970s.

They had started out in 1971 as a backing band for singer Linda Ronstadt. The original group comprised guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner, who left in 1975 and 1976 respectively. They were replaced by Walsh and Schmit.

Guitarist Don Felder joined the group in 1975, but was fired in 2001. No reason was given for his termination, though he claimed he was wrongfully sacked and filed a lawsuit against the band.

The case is now in settlement stages.

Still, the Eagles have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, and can hold their own, legacy-wise, with acts like The Rolling Stones.

In fact, they have gone one better.

In 1999, the Record Industry Association of America recognised their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975 album as the bestselling record of the century.

That album, released in 1987, has sold 27 million albums in the United States. It has sold over 15,000 copies here.

But there has traditionally been bad blood inside the group, and their history has also been fraught with ego clashes.

They broke up in 1980 because of strained relations between members, particularly Frey and Henley, the chief architects of the Eagles sound.

Then, they told reporters that they would have to 'wait until hell freezes over' before they would ever perform together again.

The members went on to record solo albums, with Henley and Frey gaining moderate success.

Frey also guest-starred on TV series Miami Vice, Wiseguy and Nash Bridges.

But in 1994, the Eagles took flight again.

Frey and Henley had long considered a reunion, but the timing had never been right, and they still felt friction between them, they told reporters.

They released a new album of remastered tracks and new songs like Hole In The World. And, in a knowing nod to their earlier declarations, they called the record Hell Freezes Over.

It went straight to No. 1 on the US charts, selling over six million copies. The Eagles were back in business and the subsequent tour made US$79.4 million in the US.

But, as the band sang in Hotel California, they were still 'prisoners of their own device'.

'Relations were up and down on that tour,' Henley told Canadian newspaper Toronto Sun in 2000. 'There were still ghosts from the past that reared their ugly heads to make things unpleasant.'

The Eagles disbanded again and took another break before emerging in 1999 to play a New Year's Eve show with other greats like Jackson Browne and Ronstadt. The top tickets went for US$1,000.

Frey has said that his relationship with Henley has never been smooth. Yet in the past, he has referred to Henley as his 'longest successful romance'.

When asked about that now, he lets out a short barking laugh before saying: 'I have to say that he takes second place to my current marriage.'

Frey and Cindy, his wife of 14 years, have three children - daughter Taylor, 13, and sons Deacon, 11, and Otis, two. They divide their time among their homes in California, Colorado and Hawaii.

He was married for three years in 1985 but had no children from that marriage.

Turning serious, he says of Henley: 'It's like any worthwhile relationship - it has its peaks and valleys. The trick is just to find ways to make it work.

'The important thing is that we're still here, and that we're playing shows at a high level.'

SINGAPORE - AT LAST

THE EAGLES gave Singapore a miss twice after their 1994 reunion.

They were in negotiations to stage a South-east Asian leg of their Hell Freezes Over tour.

But Frey was struck by an illness that required major surgery and had to have part of his large intestine removed. Though he has been in and out of surgery since, he says that all is well now.

'My health has been great for several years. I'm ready to rock out.'

In 1995, they played in Japan and Australia, but bypassed Singapore because of Henley's plans to record a solo album.

Frey says all the band members have projects and are too busy to get together to write songs. He owns the independent label Mission Records which he founded in the late 1990s.

Is there any truth to reports that a studio album is due this year?

He says several tracks were indeed recorded but an album is nowhere in sight.

'Each of us is doing all sorts of things, so we're really slow when it comes to scheduling time to write and record.'

But he reveals that they may enter the studio to record next year. 'We'll have to see how it goes. Our priority is this tour. After that, we'll assess what we want to do next.'

Meanwhile, fans will have to be content with watching the band here on Oct 18.

Still, there is the matter of high ticket prices - the top-priced seats are $499.

What gives?

Without hesitation, he says: 'We actually didn't set those ticket prices. But what I want to say is that we never want to underprice ourselves - we're an elite act.

'We won't apologise for what the seats cost. It'll be worth it for a great show.'

The Eagles will perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct 18 at 8pm. Tickets at $350 and $499 from Sistic (6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg ).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LONG RUN

CURIOUS as to what plans the Eagles have hatched over the years? Here's an update:

DON HENLEY, 57

One of the founding members of the band, he co-wrote songs with Glenn Frey.

In 1982, he released his first solo album, I Can't Stand Still. A single, Dirty Laundry, peaked at No. 3 on the US charts.

Building The Perfect Beast album came two years later, anchored by hits like Boys Of Summer and Not Enough Love In The World. The third album, 1989's The End Of The Innocence, contained hits like New York Minute and How Bad Do You Want It?

Henley released his fourth solo album, Inside Job, in 2000.

He dated Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks in the 1970s but married long-time girlfriend Sharon in 1995. They have three children and live in his native Texas.

JOE WALSH, 57

He joined the group in 1975 to replace original guitarist Bernie Leadon, bringing a harder edge to the Eagles' sound. He had flown high previously with bands James Gang and Barnstorm.

He kept up a solo career when he was with the Eagles, releasing But Seriously, Folks... (1978).

The soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy generated Walsh's next solo smash, All Night Long, which hit the Top 20 in 1980.

His 1981 offering, There Goes The Neighborhood, featured his final Top 40 entry, A Life Of Illusion.

He has continued recording steadily up to today, and in the late 1980s toured with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band.

In 1994, he composed a duet with singer Lita Ford for the RoboCop television series soundtrack. He released a greatest hits album in 2000.

Like Henley, he dated singer Stevie Nicks in the 1970s. She claimed recently that he broke her heart. He is now married but remains close friends with Nicks.

TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT, 56

Replacing bassist Randy Meisner in 1976, Schmit was not around to contribute to the bestselling album Hotel California. But the Los Angeles-based guitarist released four solo albums to moderate success.

His 1987 hit Boys Night Out, from the album of the same name, was probably the biggest of his solo career.

His last album was Feed The Fire (2001).

Last year, he appeared in a rock documentary on the life of musician Warren Zevon, who died of cancer last September.

Schmit has two children from his current marriage.

Taking it To the Limit (Malaysia Star)

Excellent Glenn Interview:

Rock icons the Eagles look set to thrill the Asian masses soon, and the band’s Singapore concert stop on Oct 18 is bound to attract loads of Malaysian fans. BEVERLEY HON goes the distance and speaks to Glenn Frey, one of the Eagles’ founders.

THE Eagles once said that they would only get back together, “Oh, when hell freezes over.”

And when the band finally did put behind the years of bad blood for their first reunion in 1994, the result was the California rockers’ multi-platinum Hell Freezes Over album and a reunion tour which raked in a whopping US$75mil in ticket sales.

This year, the Eagles take flight again – charting new territories. Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit will be making their way to Asia in October for concerts in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok as part of the band’s current Farewell I worldwide tour. Since Kuala Lumpur is not on the list, the band’s Malaysian following is expected to head across the causeway on Oct 18 when the Eagles play the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Now that we know how the Hell Freezes Over tour got its name, just how did Farewell I come about?

“Don Henley said that when we started touring again in 2001 and we just thought it was hilarious. He thought it was pretty funny to call it Farewell I because it’s sort of a joke,” revealed guitarist Glenn Frey during a phone interview from Brentwood, Los Angeles.

“We don’t know how long we’re going to continue, we sort of take it year by year. But God, in case this is supposed to end, we decided we should call it Farewell I and then if we change our minds, we’ll do Farewell II.”

Frey added that the moniker is just their way of poking fun at themselves and other acts that have retired but keep coming back and claiming to put on the final performance. On that note, can an artiste ever say never?

“Well, that’s hard to say. I’ve learnt with this band to never say never. There never ceases to be certain surprises in the lifespan of this strange bird,” laughed Frey.

Frey and drummer Henley formed the Eagles in 1971 and the band went on to sell millions of albums, scoring several hit songs in the process, including Best of My Love, One of These Nights, New Kid in Town, and the popular Hotel California.

The group’s line-up at the time of their disbandment in the early 1980s comprised Frey, Henley, Walsh, Schmit and guitarist Don Felder, whom they later booted out of the band in February 2001. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1998.

The Farewell I tour in this region and dates in Japan and Australia will see the Eagles spending 50 days away from home, a relatively short period when you think about the kind of non-stop touring the band used to do in the 1970s.

“When you’re younger you can stay out on the road for a lot longer. You can do a lot of things for a lot longer when you’re younger. We’ve been out on the road for a long time but the difference now is that we take a lot better care of ourselves. We’re not party animals. We’ve had to retire that part of our life so it’s a little bit easier when you’re not outraging,” said the 56-year-old.

So does he miss the debauched days of booze, drugs, women and song?

“No, no. Glad I survived and glad to be moving on. But that’s the way we all are now,” Frey answered.

So having been there, done that and seen it all, is there anything the Eagles are or aren’t tired of hearing?

“We’re not tired of hearing applause,” Frey quipped.

“We never get tired of hearing people clap so it’ll be fun to come and play Singapore for the first time,” he said, adding that the band is excited about their Asian gig since they will be playing in places they have never been to before.

But what has happened to the new Eagles album? In 2001, the Eagles decided to work on a studio album and loaded their equipment into the studio on Sept 10 to start playing the next day – the very same infamous Sept 11 that changed America and the world.

“So we took a couple of days off just because no one really felt like anything that we were doing was very important. And then when we came back, one of the first tracks that we cut was Hole in the World and that song is sort of a lament about the sad fact that we can’t seem to get along,” recalled Detroit-born Frey. That tune was tacked on to the band’s The Complete Greatest Hits album released last year.

According to the guitarist-singer-songwriter, the band has recorded a few tracks, with some songs close to being finished. The group stopped recording for a while and then decided that they wanted to do this Asian tour. Frey thinks they may have a discussion early next year on how they want to proceed with the album.

And the fact that they don’t all live in the same town anymore makes recording this studio album even more difficult – Frey and Schmit live in Los Angeles while Walsh is in San Diego and Henley, in Texas. Recording the new album will mean time away from their families.

“Our lives are so much bigger now. We have so many other interests. First and foremost, everybody’s got a family and then also solo interests like charity work, playing private shows and acting. There’s a lot more to life these days than just the Eagles,” said Frey.

“(When) we were in our 20s, nobody was married. We were able to devote 24 hours a day to the Eagles. We all lived in LA and we were much more dedicated because we had the time. Now, it’s a little more difficult. Maybe some day, we’ll work it out, get enough material and complete it to put out a full CD. Or maybe we’ll try to work up a couple of new songs and play new material when we come to Asia,” he added.

The band’s Asian stint will also see them being away during their country’s crucial election month. Frey says that the group has thrown its support behind Democrat John Kerry and will “have to vote absentee ballot.”

Of late, American musicians and singers have been showing an increased interest in politics and have faced some kind of backlash for doing so. Linda Ronstadt was booed at then booted out of the Aladdin Hotel Casino in Las Vegas on July 18 after she praised Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael Moore and dedicated the Eagles tune, Desperado, to him while Henley was recently booed for making political comments between songs during his concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Orange County, California.

Megastar Bruce Springsteen along with the Dixie Chicks, R.E.M., the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, James Taylor, John Mellencamp and Bonnie Raitt will be in the Vote for Change tour in an effort to unseat President George W. Bush in the upcoming election. Springsteen’s announcement to participate in the anti-Bush concert tour prompted a candidate for US Senate to come up with a “Boycott the Boss” television spot that shows her urging her supporters to not buy Springsteen’s music as a show of solidarity to Bush.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with exercising your democratic rights to say what you want to say. George W. Bush has polarised our country with his outrageous behaviour in domestic and foreign policy so everybody’s got an opinion now,” commented Frey.

“The people in power in our country own all the television stations and radio stations and we, as artistes, just have our little PA systems. So if Linda Ronstadt wants to say something and dedicate Desperado to Michael Moore, I think she’s got every right to do it and if people in the audience don’t like or want to hear it, they can get up and walk out.

“The Eagles support John Kerry and we hope that for everybody’s sake, we can have a new president. I have a lot of Republican friends and we have to live together but like Bruce said, this isn’t just about what party you’re in. This is where you think we’re going. I know it’s a big issue right now,” he added.

On the personal front, the guys in the Eagles do their fair share of charity work. Frey says that they like giving back because they have been very fortunate and very blessed. Frey personally prefers helping children as he feels they tend to be the victims most of the time.

“Once you have problems when you’re an adult, that’s another story but kids usually never create the problems they face. Somebody else did. So it’s always nice to help out. There are economically disadvantaged kids in America and we try to help them out as much as possible but not in a loud way. God likes a quiet giver. We all continue to try to do our part,” he explained.

Concert tickets for The Eagles in Singapore on Oct 18 range from S$99 (RM217.80), S$125 (RM275), S$225 (RM495), S$350 (RM770) to S$499 (RM1,097.80). Ticket sales available now through www.sistic.com or call hotline 02-6731 4810 for group bookings. The Singapore Indoor Stadium concert is presented by Lushington Entertainments (www.lushington.com). Malaysian fans can also contact newly appointed Sistic agent Holiday Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd, Lot 13, KL City Air Terminal, Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station, or call 03-2273 2200 for ticket bookings and collections here.

Eagles Land in Singapore (TheStar Online)

Eagles land in Singapore

THE big ones always slip away to Singapore. The

Rolling Stones and David Bowie were two massive

concerts on the island republic that proved Malaysia

is nowhere near Singapore's pulling capabilities when

it comes to the heavyweights in the regional touring

circuit. The next stunner on the Singapore list is the

box-office-breaking The Eagles pencilling a date in

Singapore on Oct 18.

Singapore-based regional event organisers Lushington

Entertainments (Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers,

etc) has confirmed that The Eagles will land at the

Singapore Indoor Stadium for a one-night only show.

The Singapore concert date has been secured before the

band heads to sold-out shows in Japan and Australia

through October and November.



For a legendary act that cuts across the generations,

The Eagles need no introduction to music fans,

particularly hardcore country-rock fans bred on those

well-worn The Eagles, Desperado, One Of These Nights

and Hotel California LPs to the countless millions

that own the band's Greatest Hits, one of the biggest

selling records in the world.

Gram Parsons might have invented country-rock, but The

Eagles exploded it in the mainstream.

The 33-year-old Los Angeles band has had a variety of

line-ups but The Eagles on tour in 2004 is four-fifths

close to the real deal. The band includes

vocalist/drummer Don Henley, vocalist/guitarist Glenn

Frey, lead guitar Joe Walsh and bassist Timothy B.

Schmit.

The only missing member is Don Felder, sacked in 2001.

As the band's official website reveals, the tour is

called The Farewell 1 Tour mainly to "take the piss

out of bands like The Who and KISS and artistes like

Cher who seem to have a farewell tour every time they

go on the road."

Reports have shown The Eagles obliging concert-goers

with marathon sets stretching three hours, enabling

several encores and classics like Take It Easy, New

Kid In Town, Wasted Time, Can't Tell You Why, Life In

The Fastlane, Heartache Tonight, One of These Nights,

Lyin' Eyes, In the City, Already Gone, Tequila Sunrise

to share the spotlight with solo works from Don Henley

(The Boys of Summer, Sunset Grill, Dirty Laundry),

Glenn "Miami Vice" Frey (You Belong To The City) and

Joe Walsh (Life's Been Good, Rocky Mountain Way and

Funk #49).

The mighty Hotel California, obviously, is left to the

encores.

Concert tickets for The Eagles in Singapore Oct 18

range from S$99 (RM217.80), S$125 (RM275), S$225

(RM495), S$350 (RM770) to S$499 (RM1097.80). Ticket

sales start Aug 19 through (www.sistic.com.sg), or

call hotline 02-6731-4810 for group bookings.

The Eagles also play Hong Kong on Oct 20. Browse

(www.lushington.com) or (www.eaglesband.com).

Singapore

The Eagles will be appearing at the Indoor Stadium on October 18th. If you will be going to the show or have questions about the show, hit the comments button below and add a message. After the show, you can post your review here.