NO FIREWORKS – BUT EAGLES CAN STILL SOAR
TIM DE LISLE Eagles
Anfield, Liverpool Touring until tonight HHHHH
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler For All Our Days That Tear The Heart
Out now HHHHH
Stadium pop is evolving fast, with the design now looming almost as large as it does indoors. Not that anybody has told the Eagles. ‘No fireworks, no wind machines, no butt-whacking dance routines,’ says their leader, Don Henley, greeting us like a grumpy tour rep. ‘Just a bunch of guys with guitars.’
He’s not kidding. As a spectacle this 50th-anniversary show, which reaches London’s Hyde Park tonight, is fearlessly dreary. Most of the band wear black, as if determined to disappear into the backdrop. The most eye-catching thing on view is a nearby crane.
Somehow it’s still a memorable evening, proving that even a massive show can be all about the music. It helps that Anfield is the only British football ground that’s also famous for its singing. When the Eagles serve up some sumptuous harmonies, half of Liverpool joins in. A crowd of 34,000 sing Lyin’ Eyes with so much enthusiasm that a bitter account of betrayal ends up tasting sweet.
For longevity in pop, Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys said recently, ‘you need eight to ten hits that everyone knows’. The Eagles have 12 to 14: gorgeous tunes, glowing with rueful intelligence. New Kid In Town, Tequila Sunrise and Take It To The Limit stand out tonight, with the country star Vince Gill singing lead and twanging the heartstrings.
The other guest singer is Deacon Frey, son of the late Glenn. After losing his father, he did a stint with the Eagles before departing amicably in April. Yet here he is, strolling out to deliver effortless versions of Peaceful Easy Feeling and Take It Easy. He can check out any time he likes, but he can never leave.
Joe Walsh, the band’s only natural showman, provides light relief with his rock-star satire, Life’s Been Good, plus some God-like guitar solos. Henley himself finds the elegant sadness in Desperado and the twitchy grandeur in Hotel California, a song that has the gravity and grace of a great American novel.
This month’s best new album is For All Our Days That Tear The Heart, a set of folk songs from the actress Jessie Buckley and the guitarist Bernard Butler. Buckley, who made her name playing a Glaswegian country singer in the film Wild Rose, brings blazing emotion. Butler, who was in Suede before becoming everybody’s favourite collaborator, brings musical sophistication.
You can’t tell if the songs are old or new, but you can say that they’re good.