University of South Carolina Libraries
*v v_ fc/ -? Eagles, one 01 at Clemson's H< TINA MORGAN Editor in Chief Hell froze over again Sunday. The Eagles played in Clemson to a crowd of about 54,000 peo pie at Death Valley Stadium. By the sound of things, they have not lost the intensity they had in 1972, when they released their first single, "Take it Easy." Miles of cars filled the Clemson campus, and many fans had cook outs while waiting for opening act Michael Stanley to take the stage. Fans, who belonged to Generation X , the tfaby tfoomei Generation and beyond, filed into the stadium and passed the hours with beach balls, periodic screaming and the ever-present promotional gimmicks like airplanes carrying messages over the stadium. Fans were finally rewarded for braving the hot and humid day when the band took the stage. The band showed its professionalism by beginning within an hour of their scheduled stagetime. Without a word, they hit the opening note of "Hotel California," silencing the rowdy The r ^ p|p I I I l??,J iMm J?| ! ' : ^<KL mk ,y?yffr ?-v v ^ t the legendary bands from the 1970s Death Valley Stadium. When the gro >11 Hat crowd and defying their vow not to perform again until hell froze over. Don Henley hit every drum note like the seasoned veteran he is. Don Felder, guitarist and sometime vocalist, surprised the crowd by sporting a new closermnned heard, while Glenn Frev r i 7 ^ contradicted the darrk, somber backdrop with a yellow tropical shirt. For two-and-a-half hours, the crowd heard favorites like "Wasted Time," "Lyin' Eyes," "One of These Nights" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling." After the sun set, two large video1 oAfftono rro\ro aunin/AnD Ck ffAAf] 5"TV V?V1J VllV M view of the on-stage antics. Henley, Frey and Joe Walsh each had moments of personal release when they played songs from their solo careers. Henley's "Boys of Summer" was a nice surprise and fit in nicely with other tast-beat songs such as "Dirty Laundry" and "All She Wants to Do is Dance." * Fray's "You Belong in the City" seemed ironic in the mostly rural Clemson area but was received as well as it was played. Perhaps more ironic, Gamecock Wedm 0 _ t, performed Sunday night to a crowc up originally broke up, they said the; :h Fro: "The Heat is On," performed by Frey, started with the low wail of a sexy sax just as the first cool breezes of night began to 1IU w. Timothy B. Schmit gave the lovers in the audience a chance for a few stolen glances and ample time for holding hands when he sang lead on the band's 1994 release "Love Will Keep Us Alive." Walsh's "Average, Ordinary Guy" was accompanied by a video of Walsh's finer moments of strange looks and long hair. Much to the delight of those who usually take themselves too seriously, he donned a large hat made of balloons for the song. Extra guitar riffs were added to many of the band's tunes to highlight the expertise of Walsh and Felder. An elaborate backdrop is one of the best indicators of a topnotch band, and the Eaeles managed to show their skill with a highly technical show, full of lighting effects that gave the audience the feel of being deep in the mountains or in the midst of hell. Ambiguity is not often well-carried, but this is ssday, June 19,1996 * > , M M mMi mkWMt ?2 **. ^ ?aL-..< Photos by Roto* I of about 54,000 singing, dancing, i would get back together when h? ten O one band it works well for. With such a large crowd, the Eagles pro- Mjj vided ample opportunity to beat the traffic by mm *4 stopping and restarting H# the show three times. Towards the end, the taitmui were rewarded wmm with "Desperado," "Tequila Sunrise" and "Take it Easy." Overall, the show should have left everyone in the audience veryH satisfied. An older man | wearing a panama hat, | black socks and white tennis shoes danced like the twist had just Eagles pc been discovered, and the teenagers in the crowd sang along to old favorites like "In the City." At times, the audience and band harmonized so well, one would have thought it was a planned event, not a spontaneous adventure. It's hard to characterize the performance of a well-established band without using such trite terms as "inspiring," "clas - I I ^ rt Walton The Gamecock and cheering fans ?ll froze over. ver l "'WM ^ 'MfrWm x (left), Joe Walsh (right) and the other rformed Sunday night in Clemson. sic" and "great," but the Eagles are all of these things. Concert-goers held up cell riVinnQC rriuo tVinop at hnniP a pilVUVa W T V VI1VWV V?v I1VA.W v. listen, cried when they relived memories and stood for most of the performance. It was a shame when the band parted ways, but getting back together has brought a freshness to their music. Who said hell wouldn't freeze over?