The Eagles to land Down Under
June 6, 2004
The legendary Eagles are poised to land Down Under. NUI TE KOA in Las Vegas tracks the hits and myths of the supergroup in this exclusive interview.
This is the escape plan: two encores, a quick dash to a private jet, then an hour's flight to Los Angeles. It's the same take-a-bow-and-run manoeuvre used by countless rock stars over the years, but on this night in Las Vegas, the getaway has an unusual sense of urgency.
"I haven't slept in Las Vegas in eight years," Irving Azoff, the Eagles' enigmatic manager, says backstage. "I'm not about to start now."
Azoff's breezy demeanour suggests neither petulance nor arrogance. This man, like the supergroup he represents, is simply at the top of his game.
And those at the top of their game get to sleep in their own beds, back in LA, two hours after taking their triumphant bows in Sin City.
On this night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the Eagles rekindle their artistic magic with songs and moods that, even 30 years on, still define the times with eerie precision.
"A good piece of material, no matter when it was written, or how long ago it was written, still has relevance in the world today," singer-songwriter-drummer Don Henley muses. "I think some of the songs speak as pointedly to current events as they did when they written 25 or 30 years ago.
"There is still as much decadence and illusion in the world as there was when Hotel California was written, if not more so. There is still as much love and romance among young people as there was when Wasted Time and New Kid In Town were written.
"The themes don't change. The universal truths don't vary.
"Actually," Henley smiles, "I think the songs are ageing quite well."
As are The Eagles: Henley, guitarist-singer Glenn Frey, lead guitarist-singer Joe Walsh, and bassist-singer Timothy B. Schmit.
Once, their drug and alcohol intake, and personality clashes, were as famous as their brutally honest songwriting and instinctive vocal harmonies.
Today, The Eagles are incredibly successful, unfathomably rich family men, and their lifestyles have changed accordingly.
Henley, Frey and Schmit tackled their addictions long ago. Walsh has been sober for 10 years.
"We had a reputation for playing hard," Henley says. "But we worked just as hard as we played.
"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!" Henley chuckles.
"We managed to perservere through the swamp of drugs and alcohol, and still be productive, and creative, and come out the other side.
"We're not necessarily proud of some of our legacy and I don't recommend it to young people. It was never our intention to glamourise that lifestyle, but every kid in the country was doing it.
"That doesn't make it right," Henley says, "but that's not what we want our legacy to be. That's not what we want to focus on. The music will be around, making people happy much longer than any road stories."
Backstage, The Eagles' dryly-named Farewell 1 tour is proudly alcohol free.
Their rider, in the context of what they used to be, is mind-bogglingly straight. All ask for hot tea, lemon and honey.
Walsh needs a blender to make vegetable juice. Frey enjoys ham sandwiches with potato chips on the side. Henley has a vegetarian plate. He drinks Evian.
His strict pre-show ritual is an aerobic workout. Henley rides an exercise bike in his dressing room for 30 minutes.
"I do the equivalent of eight or nine miles, or until I'm soaking wet," he says. "Then I take a lukewarm shower and that's my warm up.
"It gets my lungs aerated, my heart is going, the blood is racing to my brain and I feel sharp."
Frey, Walsh and Schmit also do weight training and stretches while on tour.
"That's how we contribute to the quality of the performance," Henley says.
"We're in better shape now than we were in the 1970s because we feel better mentally and physically."
Henley has a dressing room next to Walsh.
"Joe does his voice exercises, diligently," Henley says. "I can hear him through the wall, every night."
Walsh: "I drive him nuts!"
Henley: "No, I admire your perserverance. I can't do that."
"If I was still drinking, I wouldn't do any exercise," Walsh laughs.
"But, being as I don't drink anymore , I have to. It's like an athlete. You do the reps. You get in shape.
"I mean, look at the shape Mick Jagger is in. My God!"
Henley, jokingly: "And look at the shape Keith Richards is in."
From here, The Eagles are in the perfect position to assess their lot.
They conquered, fought, split, got a life, then re-grouped.
Live, they are in career-best form, above and beyond the then-defining Hell Freezes Over tour.
They plan to record a new album in 2005.
Azoff says those efforts has, to date, been "bogged down" by a mistaken plan to write music for radio programmers.
"The important thing for The Eagles is not to play that game," Azoff says.
"We have legions and legions of fans around the world. We need to give to them."
As Tequila Sunrise starts the second half of a greatest hits set, the 95-strong Farewell 1 production team plots its next move.
The escape plan is fixed. The Eagles fly tonight. Then the show moves to Tucson, Casper, Billings, Reno and Fresno.
But, for now, Frey is centre stage, deep in formalities.
"We are The Eagles," Frey says. "And we are proud to be America's most dysfunctional band."
The crowd cheers wildly.
The Eagles, even after all this time, are still telling the truth.
IT'S been almost 10 years since the band last toured Australia with the enormous sell-out success of their Hell Freezes Over tour.
This time around it's the Farewell 1 Tour – each show three hours.
Australian fans will have the choice of Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze tickets. Aside from premium seating Diamond tickets include a limited edition Farewell 1 seat cushion to keep; a VIP laminate with access into a special VIP function and tour program.
Fans who join the officials Eagles Fan Club at http://www.eaglesband.com will have the chance to buy prime tickets in all price categories prior to the general public on-sale concerts.
The Eagles will play Sydney on Friday, November 19 at the Sydney Superdome. Pre-sale tickets via internet pre-sale Tuesday June 15 at 10am – until Friday, June 18 at 10am.
Public on-sale tickets start Monday June 21 at 9am. Ticketek Phonecharge 9266 4800 or http://www.ticketek.com
Sunday, November 21, 2004 at 6:54AM 
