One of These Nights: The Eagles at JQH Arena November 16, 2008

The Eagles concert that I’ve been writing about for weeks has come and gone, but the sights and sounds of it are still lingering in my head. I’ve been trying for several days to think of how I would describe it here on this blog, and I realized that I’m just simply not an eloquent enough writer to fully capture the experience.

So instead, I’ll share some of my favorite moments, a few pictures, and, yes, a bootleg video!

The concert was the inaugural event at JQH Arena, which is located in what used to be the parking lot of the old student center where I pomp and circumstanced my way to two degrees at Missouri State University. The location was especially nice for me as it provided an opportunity for me to spend a little time on the campus where I made some of the best friends and had some of the most fun of my life. 

Once I got into the arena, I made my away all the way to the back to where my seats were. I found my seat, and had a few minutes to size up the new arena. For one, it’s pretty nice sized, especially for Springfield. And my seats were very “unique.” I was kind of a behind angle of the stage, and right by one of the big screens – I could literally almost reach out and touch the screen. I was a little bummed at first, until I realized the angle was great for seeing both every bit of action on stage and a REALLY close up of the guys on the big screen. The only major flaw was not being able to see the backdrop screen behind the stage, which showed images and lights to help set the mood of each song. 

This photo shows pretty well what my view was like … it shows Henley and Frey on the screen at the left, and the whole stage below. 

I chatted a bit with the guy next to me, who was on vacation in Branson from Minnesota, and had heard about the concert on the radio. (His accent was so dense that I initially thought he was Scottish!). Finally, the arena and the stage went dark. From my view, I could see the guys walk up the stairs to the stage and head to the four microphones set up at the front of the stage. With no introduction, no talking, nothing, the lights went on and the first chords of “How Long” started out.

The excitement never stopped from that point on. 

After performing several new songs off of Long Road Out of Eden, the guys got into some more classics. At one point as “Hotel California” opened, the energy inside the Q was indescribable. The song opened with a long trumpet player who had a single red spotlight centered on him as he played the haunting notes on the trumpet. Now “Hotel California” is far from my favorite Eagles song, but it is such a classic song that seeing it live was amazing. The normally loud crowd was almost silent in a stunned awe as three guitars wailed, two percussion sets drummed, several keyboards sounded, and an entire horn section blew to create an amazing musical moment. 

“Peaceful Easy Feeling” had the whole arena singing along, and the stage literally lit up in driving yellow and red for “Witchy Woman.” I previously had kind of liked Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” but after hearing all of the guys perform it live, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite songs! After a set of 12 songs – which ended with “The Long Run,” a song and album which marked a significant point in the Eagles musical career, there was a 20 minute or so intermission. 

The second half of the show opened with three more songs from Long Road Out of Eden, including “Waiting in the Weeds.” Again, there are no words to describe this song. I really do think it’s one of the most well-written songs I’ve ever heard, and has layers upon layers of meanings. 

Anyway, the second half included an interesting mix of the guy’s solo music – which was dominated by Joe Walsh’s tunes and absent of any of Glenn Frey’s, which was a little disappointing – as well as some newer and older songs. 

“Take It To the Limit” was another song that turned out to be quite the sing along, and if you can ignore the drunk ladies who were marveling at an even drunker lady in the aisle to our left, you can enjoy that particular moment with my video:

The introductions in the middle of the second half of the concert was one of my favorite parts of the show. Glenn seems to do most of the talking for the band, and he’s actually got some pretty funny jokes to throw out. He introduced all of the guys in the band.

Timothy B. Schmit and Glenn (my two favorites!) got great ovations, but Henley’s and Walsh’s were just unbelievable. In fact, Henley had to eventually tell the crowd to stop cheering and screaming, and, according to some, seemed to get choked up. I don’t think so, but whatever! 

After a series of rockin’ songs dominated by Joe Walsh’s screaming guitar solos, the guys were gone. Obviously, not for long, as they came back out for an incredible encore of “Take It Easy” and “Desperado.”

I really could probably write about the concert endlessly, and to answer Todd’s question, it most definitely overtakes the #1 spot on my list of top concert moments. I love my Pat Green and all the others, but those concerts paled in comparison to the incredible three-and-a-half hour show that the Eagles put on. 

Here are a few more photos from my weird seats:

 

Opening Up with 'How Long'

'I Can't Tell You Why' with Schmit out front, Walsh & Frey on keyboards, and Henley on drums

 

Saying goodbye to Springfield

 

I remember now why these guys are my favorites of all time! 

Eagles Update: E Minus Three November 10, 2008

So begins the official countdown to my Eagles concert! Just as an official update, I do, in fact, have a ticket to the concert in my possession. The seat sucks, I paid more than twice the face value for it, but you know … I don’t care. I’m going to be in the arena, and that was my primary concern. 

Now the ticket says no cameras. They’re wrong. There will be at least one camera in the stands … and that camera will be mine. Unless I get taken down at the door, frisked, and the camera forcibly removed, I’ll have it in my possession and taking photos! 

Three nights from now, I’ll be at “the Q” with “the Es.” (That was stupid, I know). 

In celebration, here’s a little live “Take It Easy.” In all fairness, this is a few years old, but most of the videos from the Long Road Out of Eden tour are low-quality, so this is what we got:

Official Countdown: E Minus Three Days

(And Official Ruling: Glenn Frey is ridiculously sexy, no matter how old he is!)

A Musical Memory Lane October 21, 2008

If it’s not clear by nearly every other page at the Peephole, I love music. I especially love experiencing music in live settings with other folks around. While I’m not really an extrovert and don’t really love crowds, I love the excitement and buzz that’s in the air at a concert.

The mother of all concerts, though, may become a reality for me in a few weeks. That’s right … the Eagles concert that I’ve mentioned no less than half a dozen times! The catch is that I might be going by myself, which should prove to be interesting. I’ve never gone to a concert alone, but single tickets are selling for around $100, where sets of two tickets jump up to around $400. It’s something I’m still contemplating, but I’m very definitely leaning towards going for it. 

At any rate, that got me to thinking to all of the concerts and other live performances I’ve seen, and I thought it might be fun to compile a list of some top moments from those experiences. 

So here, in quite specific order, are my Top 10 Live Music Moments of all time!!

10. Highway 101 – “Whiskey, If You Were a Woman” (1988)

My first concert ever was Holly Dunn & Highway 101 at Stone Mountain, Georgia. I was somewhere in the range of 7 to 8 years old, and I very distinctly recall dancing and singing (screaming) the lyrics to “Whiskey, If You Were a Woman” as I stood by the blanket my family was spread out on. I had no idea what I was talking about when I sang (screamed) “Whiskey, if you were a woman, I’d fight you and I’d win.” Nope. No clue. I knew what whiskey was (kind of). I knew what women were (Like, my mom). But I sure thought I meant every word to that song when I was singing it. 

9. Garth Brooks – “We Shall Be Free” (2007)

Last fall, Garth Brooks created a media frenzy when he announced that he would be coming out of retirement for one concert for one night in one city. That city ended up being Kansas City, and I ended up getting tickets thanks to the fast thinking of one of my friends. The whole craziness around the concert was cool enough, but there was a specific moment in the show that was just sort of awe-inspiring. We had floor seats that were just about in the middle of the floor of the Sprint Center. In the middle of “We Shall Be Free,” I turned a full circle and looked up and around me. A full 20,000 people were singing along with the song, and I realized that at that moment, those people believed in every word of that song. It sounds cheesy to say now, but it really was an amazing feeling and an amazing moment to be a part of. 

8. Tim McGraw / Kenny Chesney – Or Not (2001)

Back in 2001, I got tickets to go see Tim McGraw & Kenny Chesney when they had a tour stop in Houston. I went down to Houston with Justin, my boyfriend at the time, and my parents, and we spent a beautiful, sunny day shopping, eating, and playing in Houston. As we headed over toward the concert, we noticed a few clouds rolling in but didn’t think much of it. No less then 15 minutes later, we were drenched and cowering under blankets as lightning crashed & thunder boomed around us. We sat in the storm – literally in the open, just getting drenched – for about an hour before we decided to call it done and head home. We listened the concert, which ended up starting about half an hour after we left, on the radio for part the drive home. 

7. Tiffany – I Think … No, I Know We’re Alone Now (2001)

This is the second of two concerts that made the list without a chord of music ever being played. I went to school for a year at Stephen F. Austin State University, where I was sure to enroll in at least one class with Derick each semester. One semester, we noticed fliers up around campus that said Tiffany (“Yes, THAT Tiffany,” as the fliers said) would be performing on campus one afternoon. Derick & I decided to skip Dr. Bob’s media class that we had together, and go see Tiffany. About two dozen – oh yeah, two dozen – other folks thought the novelty of it would be worth it as well, and we all gathered down by the Ag Pond to see the one-hit wonder. It started to sprinkle a bit, and then turned to a nice little rain … and that crazy chick never got off the bus. Seriously. Tiffany thought she was too good for a little rain. We stood in the rain to hear her bubble gum pop crap music, and we wanted to hear it. But no. She was a diva, and couldn’t make it off the bus. Our solution? Still skip class, and go to IHOP instead! It was a good day, Tiffany or no Tiffany. 

6. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge – “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” (2005)

Part of my former job as a travel writer for a vacation company was to go on vacation and write about the experience from a tourist’s perspective. One such trip took me & a co-worker to Nashville, Tennessee. I’d always wanted to visit Nashville, so I was absolutely thrilled about the chance. One evening, after eating at a local barbecue place about two feet from the back door of the Ryman Auditorium, we headed down to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. (If you know anything about the history of Nashville & country music, you know Tootsie’s). Tootsie’s is a crammed, tiny little joint, and that night – like every night – it was literally PACKED with people. It’s really quite difficult to move at all. Anyway, a few minutes after we arrived, the band that was playing the downstairs room started into David Allen Coe’s “You Never Even Call Me By My Name.” It’s the quintessential country sing-a-long song, so I joined in with the dozens of folks crammed into this tiny piece of purple history as we sang every word. I’ve never felt more connected to a hundred drunk strangers in my life. 

5. Ronnie Milsap at the Grand Ole Opry (2006)

After my initial work-related trip to Nashville, I decided to take my parents back to Music City for a personal vacation. They had never been themselves, and I knew they would absolutely love it. My parents both grew up working on farms, listening to the Opry, living that almost metaphorical rural life that we hear about. I knew seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry would be something special for both of them, and I couldn’t wait to take them. We had a great lineup of performers the night we were there, including some older, legendary artists and some newer superstars. But when Ronnie Milsap walked out on stage, my mom literally started crying. I joke with them now that I’m going to write a country song called “Momma Cried at the Opry,” but seeing what an experience it was for them to be sitting at the Opry, listening to the music they have been listening to their entire lives was quite a treat for me. 

4. Dierks Bentley and the Little White Tank Top Army – (2006)

Most of my friends don’t share my taste in music, so when a couple agreed to go see Dierks Bentley with me, I was elated. I could probably create a top 25 moments from that concert to their own list, but if I had to pick just one top moment, it would be the shout-out we got from Dierks himself. That’s right. Cool kids that we were, we made posters that signified us as cadets in the Little White Tank Top Army, and Dierks saw them once we got our skinny girl up onto the shoulders of our big guy with one of the posters. If I remember correctly, our shout-out came in response to our “Domestic, Light and Hot” poster as he was singing “Domestic, Light and Cold.” Saaaaa-weeeeet!!

3. Sugarland – Cheap Casinos, Shadows on the Wall, & Wanting To (2007)

Just an FYI, if you ever decide to see a concert at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma, think twice. The concert venue is seriously, seriously lacking, and if you’re less than 6’0″ tall, don’t expect to see much. Early last year, my special someone and I went to see Sugarland at Buffalo Run. We have someone differing tastes in music, but Sugarland is one place where we seem to come together musically, and “Want To” has always sort of been our song … so naturally, we decided to go see them. Like I said, the venue sucked. I’m not quite 5’4″, so I couldn’t see a thing but the shadows of Jennifer & Christian on the wall. Still, there’s definitely something special about hearing “your song” performed live while you’re singing along and in the arms of someone you care about, and despite the crappy facilities, it was one of the most memorable concerts as a whole I’ve ever been to. 

2. Cross Canadian Ragweed / Dierks Bentley / Wade Bowen … Mudfest (2007)

So I know it sounds like all of my concert moments contain rain … and yeah, I guess a lot of them do. Anyway, last year I went to see Ragweed, Dierks Bentley, and Wade Bowen at an outdoor venue. The concert was on a Friday night following what had been one of the worst weeks of my life, and I had considered not going because of some issues that were going on. I made the right call to go, because it ended up being unbelievably cool. First of all, Ragweed is just amazing live. Any concert that they were a part of would make my top 5 regardless, but add in about two hours of pouring rain before the show on a muddy baseball field, and you’re talking about a good time. I mistakingly wore flip flops to this event, and within no time they had quite literally been sucked into the mud pit that was the “VIP” area at the edge of the stage, never to be seen again. The mud at this show was unbelievable – think the “new” Woodstock, but with drunk rednecks instead of stoned hippies & grunge kids. I was standing barefoot, literally up to my knees in mud about six feet from the stage, and enjoying what was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. Unforgettable. (Also, my car never forgot the amount of mud I took into it afterwards … )

1. Pat Green (2006)

Rivaled only by the Eagles, Pat Green is my favorite artist of all time. When I lived in Texas, I had the chance to see him once, but the jerks I worked with wouldn’t cover for me, so I missed the show. Then I moved to Missouri, and unless you head up to St. Louis or Kansas City, it’s close to impossible to see any decent shows. So when I found out that Pat Green was going to be playing in Springfield, I quite literally cried. I also quite literally immediately called my friends and began enacting a plan to get to the show. I got Meet & Greet passes, two of my friends took a 9 hour round trip journey to get here, and we crammed into one of Springfield’s little downtown bars for the show that I had been dreaming about for years. We met Pat, which was awesome, and the show was fantastic, as I knew it would be. But the coolest thing was my friends’ and their willingness to go along with me to a concert that they really had little interest in … of course, the presence of alcohol always seems to help persuade them, but still, it’s something I’ll always be grateful to them for. 

And here are a few honorable mentions that deserve to be remembered as well:

• Seeing Confederate Railroad perform at the Angelina County Fair … OK, my upbringing sounds so much more hillbilly than it really was, I swear! (1996)
• Falling asleep in the bleachers between the Sikeston Jaycees Rodeo & the concert featuring Emerson Drive and Joe Nichols – it was something crazy, like two hours. (2004)
• Asking who Howie Day was when my friends were asking who Jimmy Wayne was at the May Day concert my last semester of college (2004)
• Quite literally losing my pants after a night of live music on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, AR (2005)
• Being one of the youngest people in the crowd to see Ricky Skaggs (2008)
• Realizing that, oh yes, Josh Turner is the sexiest man alive (2008)
• Laughing with my brother about the bored 9-year-old fiddle player in a local bluegrass band (2008)
• Getting hit on by very scary, very old men on Commercial Street while watching a friend’s band at Lindbergh’s (2008)

Karaoke in Your Underwear

In As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” 

How right Will was …

The recent upgrade of MySpace Music has been received with phenomenal praise, and is helping launch MySpace well beyond the realm of “social networking” and into something even bigger. But today, I took to exploring the new MySpace Karaoke, and I have to admit that this feature is entertaining, fun, and, frankly, brilliant. 

American Idol, egocentrism, YouTube, and the entire Web 2.0 realm have all had incredible impacts on our culture, and I think MySpace karaoke is sort of the meeting place of all of the those phenomena. There are literally thousands of videos of random people sitting in their bedrooms (or kitchens, or bathrooms, or living rooms, or front porchs) singing, rapping, squealing, dancing, and otherwise busting loose in front of their cameras – and in front of the world. 

Now I love karaoke. Seriously. I can’t sing to save my life, but I have gotten brave enough (translation: intoxicated enough) to get up with friends to sing a few times. My songs of choice in past endeavors have included “The Real Slim Shady” (a complete disaster); “If I Could Turn Back Time” (which led to a HILARIOUS video); “Bohemian Rhapsody” (disastrous, but so much fun); “Joy to the World” (Three Dog Night, not the Christmas song); and a couple of others. Normally, though, I go to watch, listen, laugh, and sing along from the safety of my table. 

With MySpace Karaoke, I don’t even have to leave my apartment. (Although the karaoke bar is quite literally about 120 feet from my front door, so I BARELY have to leave anyway). But I can now enjoy karaoke on a Tuesday evening without ever having to put on my clothes. (Not that I sit around on Tuesday evenings naked …).

If you haven’t looked around on MySpace Karaoke yet, please allow me to provide you with this brief sampling:

“So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” – Chris
This guy did it all right. All black room w/ no light, so we can’t see his kids playing in the background and his family pictures up on the wall. It also helps give a cool Kissish / Sinead O’Connerish feel. Bonus: You can read along with the lyrics in his glasses! Score!

“Hallelujah” – Jerry G.
I absolutely love Jeff Buckley’s version of this song, and this kid actually did a really good job with it … try to stick it out through the awkward long instrumental intro, and it’ll be enjoyable.

“How Blue” – Renee
Seeing Renee sing Reba McEntire reminded me, for some reason, of my mom, who has an incredible voice. She has old recordings of my grandparents singing together, and I would give anything to have something similar with my mom (and my dad, though it’s pretty clear where my inability to sing a lick came from). So thanks to Renee & Reba, I’m going to do my darndest to get my momma to record a couple of these just for me!! (We’ll see if that ever happens!)

Say what you will about any of these people’s singing talent or otherwise. They have more nerve than I ever would, and they’re all clearly enjoying themselves themselves. We’re enjoying their performances. 

And that’s what music – and karaoke – is all about!

Dance With Me, Baby, Like It’s 1923 … October 4, 2008

This song (and it’s accompanying video!) makes me want to take swing dance lessons even more than I already did. 

And side note: Derick introduced me to Derek James’ music – and it’s pretty much wonderful, so check it out if you have a chance!

A Song For …

So I’m a little biased about this site, but check out A Song For …  if you get a chance. It’s one of my brother’s sites, but even if it wasn’t, I would love it. The basic premise is that it features videos & audio files that each offer the perfect song for various situations and experiences. 

Do it!!

The Eagles Have Landed September 24, 2008

It turns out that my favorite band of all time, The Eagles, will be playing in my humble little town in November. Now normally to see bands of that caliber, we Ozarkians have to travel to St. Louis, Kansas City, or Little Rock. But my alma mater is unveiling a brand new and supposedly pretty much amazing arena in November, and The Eagles are sort of kicking things off to showcase that yes, Springfield can handle the big time. 

So naturally, I was ridiculously excited when I learned that my band would be playing. Several years ago, I developed this list of things I wanted to do before 40. Seeing The Eagles live was one of the items on that list, and one that I felt confident would never come to pass. 

Here’s the catch – tickets are priced as high as the Eagles egos. The “cheap seats” are $125, which, to be honest, seems insane to sit and watch four old guys stumble around a stage for a couple of hours. Those old guys happen to be songwriting and harmonizing geniuses. I probably don’t want to go alone, which means I’d have to find someone either willing to pay that much to see the band, or would have to just get two tickets and make someone go with me. 

So it’s a tough call for me – do I spend what I consider to be an outrageous amount of money for a concert and take what will probably be my only chance to see the greatest American band of all time (yeah, I went there!), or do I crank up the iPod to my Eagles playlist and sit outside the arena rocking out in my car on the night of the concert?