Thanks for the shoutout TJ! \m/

We were 5 rows from the front centre stage. No miming. Joe Walsh was struggling a bit in places but no miming or trickery...including a sudden cough. His guitar playing was unbelievably amazing.

The very first Eagles tour in Summer 1972- Doobies were the opening act. How fitting they are back together.

The support, no matter how big, will never get the same sound as the headline.

I went on the 8th. The last ever Eagles UK gig. It was a privilege to be in the presence of greatness. The gig was fantastic. Henley, Walsh and Schmit are all over 75. They’ve been going for 52 years. If they got a bit of vocal help in small sections of the gig then fair play to them. But it all sounded perfectly live to me. There is a reason they’ve been going for 52 years and it’s because they’re bloody good at what they do. The vast vast majority of the time it was clearly 100% live.

Saw them tonight, without knowing any history to miming, I found this video by asking Google were the eagles miming? . I was thinking Don's singing the whole night was pitch perfect and impossibly effortless. Not one tired/strained breath. No close ups of Don. Naughty

I've saved quite a few ticket stubs from concerts, mainly in the 70's. I've also misplaced or lost many that I had. I have two from Eagles concerts. The first was on March 30, 1977 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Jimmy Buffet opened for them. The price for a ticket was $ 9.50 tax included. The other one is from Sunday August 06, 1978 at CNE Stadium in Toronto. The price for that one was $ 12.50 tax included. The 70's was a great decade for music & concerts & maybe the best !

A privilege to be in the same piece of ground as this band for a few hours. 01/06/2024

What a con. I don't understand people saying that it's ok. If I go to see a live band I expect them to be live especially if I've paid 300 quid.

Joe Walsh was deffo miming on some tracks. The vocal notes he hit were very high and no way could he hit them at his age. Finds it hard to speak these days never mind sing. Don Henley probably did on some tracks too. But on the night they sounded great, I really enjoyed both bands. The arena was fantastic. Like Don Henley said its not a ice skating rink. I would see them again miming or not. 9 out of 10 for a night out in my humble opinion.

Gill gets a lot of crap for joining Eagles but he’s a 22 time Grammy winner! He’s awesome!

Hey Tom, glad you enjoyed the Eagles Gig. Michael Mac and Vince Gill are true legends in my book. Good to meet you at the weekend 🤠👍🏼

Well as one old singer watching another right in front of me on Tuesday 4th's concert I can say that Don, as well as everybody else, was singing all night. You could see his breathing, hear the rasps into the mic and yes, it wasn't 'perfect'. I picked up the odd slightly off note and saw how he snatched the odd extra breath, which he wouldn't have needed ten years ago and which comes to all older singers. Whatever others allege, I know what I saw in front of me.

Saw the Eagles last night and they certainly weren't miming in fact their last night went out on a high and it was emotional to realise it was their last ever gig in the UK. I loved every minute of it, the atmosphere was electric.

Both Glenn Frey and Don Henley are Tenors. Don Henley is more alto -Tenor wheras Glenn Frey ( my personal favourite) is straightforward Tenor. He cannot sing as high as Henley. I have been playing Teqia Sunrise and, singing it since the 70s and I prefer Glenn Frey on that and Take it Easy. Henley is known for his lust for money and it wouldn't surprise me whatever he did to get " bums on seats" and tcket money. I agree with you wholeheartedlt about Vince Gill, agreat musician and singer in his own right.

Well the difference between original “Doobies” and “McDoobies” (my name for MCDonald Doobies) is the style. “OrigDoobs” were rock in’ “McDoobs” more R&B style.

Thank you for this in-depth review. I certainly was not expecting your concluding thoughts. 🙂

Thanks for the great video. With Michael Jackson, in the 80s, on those record-breaking tours, the official broadcast videos have where, for sections of a small number of some songs, you definitely hear a recorded main vocal for parts of it, and then his mic cuts in for other parts of that song. Apart from that, he sang live all the way. I was at one of the late 80s shows and as a teenager then I can't recall whether the audience on site had a mix of live + prerecorded or not. The live sound of many bands is massaged before the video comes out, of course. Maybe one of the techs from those days can speak up. But for a show like his you might give some leeway in terms of the balance between high energy theatrics and the purity of any of the audio elements. But with our beloved Eagles so much of how we revere them is to do with their incredible harmonies and their authenticity as musicians. And all of these current discussions relate to live recordings of The Eagles sound, rather than massaged post-produced versions. I don't know how authentic it is if they're not being honest with the live audience, unless there is a basic misunderstanding that we're not getting as fans, and we'll adjust our views when corrected.

Coop, Your song at the end is Freakin' brilliant! Way to stick it to the man! 😆🤘🏽✌

Saw the Eagles last night and it was a brilliant night 🎉❤

You are being too nice man. A friend of mine who left the show business after 25 years, and he was right in the top tier like Live Nation, Ticket Master, ..., he told me: "I left cause it has become more fake than the snake oil"

I disagree, I watched Don closely during desperado, and I can assure you that on the last night when I went he definitely sang live, even a couple of brief moments where is voice just cracked a bit and had to take a couple of extra breaths. These guys are ultimate pros who sing and perform with an insane level of perfectionism. I am a singer who has performed live for 40 years so I obsess about these things. The Eagles were spot on and world class.

Kick ass Mashup. You are an excellent musician and vocalist You'll be on the air soon.

As an aside I toured with Tangerine Dream in early 80’s and their show was run on Revox reel to reel tape machines . So the tapes would roll and the individual musicians would improvise as and when .

10:57 Yes, it's pronounced "fry." 😎

I was there same night (you caught us walking in, on your video) and had similar opinions. In the end I was there to enjoy myself and loved it. Expensive yes, uncomfortable seats but 1000% glad I went.

Lip syncing £300 ticket daylight robbery

Thanks for the review mate.

Loved your piece and have subscribed. I think you called it right, not totally lip synched just certain songs. I too have been playing for a number of years it's obvious your musical knowledge is extensive, so just adds more credibility. Finally. I wonder how many theatre audiences would be happy to watch a Shakespeare play performed by Dame Judy Dench and the rest of the cast lip synching the dialogue?

*They got the clue!* I watched the Desperado video from this night and he was live but... I also watched two other videos from last spring and last winter and they were both mimed. So it looks as though the Eagles got the clue. Don sounded fine so I'm not sure what he was worried about. Glad he's back!

Went Saturday and Tuesday, I felt Desperado was mimed on Saturday, and in a lower key and mostly live on Tuesday

Loved your song at the end, great job! I'm thinking about seeing them in October at the Sphere in Vegas...

@TJ Walker. Thank you for this review. The “other” lead guitarist - Steuart Smith, was on the Eagles studio album “The Long Road Out Of Eden”. I believe that Steuart also contributed to the production of that album. I hope he used the white double - neck guitar ( Music Man Shadow 6 & 12 string) on “Hotel California” during the performance you saw If he did, you may have noticed that on Steuart’s guitar the 12 string neck is the upper and the six string neck is in the lower position. Apparently, he specified the guitar with MM this way since he plays with the guitar quite high. I first saw Steuart play with Rodney Crowell’s backing band The Dixie Pearls back in the last century and was seriously impressed. He’s a proper Nashville picker! Keep up the good work. Stay safe and well.

We went on the last Saturday night (the 8th), was delighted to see 2 of my all time favourite bands on the same stage, absolutely amazing gig, great venue, sound was great. I took a few snippets of videos and they were definitely singing live, you could see and hear the breathing.

"Miming" is Marcel Marceau. "Lip synching" is what we call it in the U.S.

great review TJ. I was there on Tuesday night and I thought the whole Eagles performance an presentation was great. I was fully aware of this miming controversy but I just ignored it and enjoyed the show. One thing that I’m so glad you clarified was who was the unmentioned guitarist who was standing beside Joe throughout the show. I thought his playing and back up vocals was great. But the poor chap got no introduction on stage nor did he come on for the bows at the end. I tried to research him too, but found nothing about him. So thanks for advising us all that it was Stuart Smith. I’m not familiar with the guy but it’s been bothering me all week. Final question. Given Don Henley’s army of lawyers and his close guardian of copyright, how are The Illegal Eagles allowed to perform. I too have frequently seen them and they really are a terrific band. But how do they get round this performing and copyright issue. Great video man and keep up the good work. 🙋‍♂️👏👏🎼

Think Don was miming some or all of his stuff. Maybe not all but definitely some. No one else was, imo, other than Joe Walsh's high note in 'In the City'.

THEY DEFINATELY WERE NOT MIMING. I heard all of the rumours before the gig and was eagerly watching the entire performance. I was at the Manchester gig on the fourth night and they definitely weren't miming. Here's a clip I recorded of Don henley singing Boys of summer and you can hear and see he is struggling to get the high notes and is slightly flat. He also backs away from the Microphone slightly as he goes for the high note as he knows he will struggle to get it. They used to call Don golden voice in the industry because he was so pitch perfect, he has also been singing these songs fifty years so will have had enough practice. Anyway the proof is in the pudding- check out my live vid from the gig and let me know what you think. Joe walsh was also all over the place with his vocals but got away with it because its joe and his singing style is very raw and erratic. I also thought the harmonies throughout the gig were flat in parts and no were near as good as when I last saw them. DEFINATELY NOT MIMING IN MY OPINION! What do you all think -kzfaq.infocadvQJKaR9E?si=WvpRVg2OWlDZT1CG

Brilliant buddy.. Very entertaining.. Pleased you enjoyed the show and it does'nt really matter.. fab tune at the end and fab singing too

Went on the 7th. Vaguely suspected some miming but enjoyed every minute. TBF there are several bands whose members are a third of the age and mime most of every gig!

Brave guy, see also Rick Beato's commentary on Henley & Co's legal shenanigans

I saw the tour twice in the fall of ‘23 and spring of ‘24. Vince Gill did not sing back up on Boys of Summer both times, but he did at the Coop which tells me Henley was singing live where other concerts on the tour that was being called into question. The Eagles are amazing and despite the changes are still one of the top bands of all time.

VERY classy solo at the end of your video!

I was there on Saturday 8th , the last night. I was aware of the rumours while I was watching both bands . I also managed to get my zoom camera in and took some vids which I haven`t scrutinized yet . All the guitar base and drums keyboards sax etc certainly were live. All Joe`s lead vocals were live for sure, but early songs his mouth seemed to open but no sound was discernable during harmonies. Some of the backing vocals may have been backing tracks by both bands , it`s hard to be sure. I`m unsure whether Henley`s lead vocals were all live or not. The harmony vocals by both bands seemed so good yet they didn`t seem to be all at the mic`s. Having said that , the Eagles had at least two backing musicians that you didn`t watch who were probably singing. It was a fab night and memorable regardless. Update edit. Having looked at the vid I took of Henley singing hotel California I`m afraid he was actually miming then. It`s disappointing that they are being dishonest. I saw them in 2001 and they were legit then.

I recall seeing the Eagles on tv and when Don was doing lead vocal and playing drums, I noted his drumming seemed out of sync. My conclusion at the time was he was miming the drum part.

Love the song at the end :)

Or they could do what Robert Plant and others have done for decades: sing a different voice in certain parts of songs, such as a tenor or alto part. I don’t want to see a mimic of the studio version; I can listen to that at home. I like live stuff that sounds a little different in some cases because it’s authentic.

I can tell from your guitar playing you do like Steely Dan( Larry Carlton ) I love it

Great job

This is about the 5th farewell tour!!

Thanks Tom..Fab.

Was a fantastic night and if they are still doesn't really effect my enjoyment of it, Aerosmith do it and probably countless other bands do as well

I was there loved it !

Subbed just for the solo!

I was there last night, 8th June, I thought it was a bit antiseptic, the Doobie Brothers were ace, the one song that made wonder about lip sync was One Of These Nights, it just seemed too perfect vocally, after all these years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Eagles fan from back in the day. The other point, it was the same video backing thru out the night as their show at Murrayfield two years ago and same talks bits. Saw The Boss 10 days ago and I know where I’ll spend my money next time. Namely, 25 July, Wembley!

To expect anyone over 50 to be able to sing like they did when they were 20 is foolish. Singing is a physical endeavour - using ligaments, muscles from head to diaphragm and needing expert co-ordination between all of the parts. We don't expect athletes to retain their muscle tone, ligament flexibility and strength, their control into their 40s, 50s 60s etc. So why do we expect singers to do the same? It's completely normal for the aging voice to become deeper - lose it's high notes (lack of flexibility in the vocal cords - ligaments), stamina, control, vibrato becomes a wobble etc. Anything different is akin to a miracle. I would be very surprised if anyone over 60 on that stage wasn't miming. So, what do we want? No gigs from our heroes because they're just too old to do what they used to - or would we rather let them use whatever help they can so that we can still witness them "live" on stage, stand in the same room as them and see them with our own eyes, doing as much as they can manage, and not worry too much about the whole lipsyncing thing?... There are very, very few seniors who can still play an instrument, let alone sing. I feel we should give them some latitude and some love for all the pleasure they've given us with their music over the years. I'm glad you enjoyed the performance TJ!

Sounds like the bad old days of giving the support band slightly sub-standard sound. Shame not to get the full-quality Mike McDonald's vocals.

Great playing and vocals too. Lovely sounding Gibson. 🙂

Interesting comment about not filming during the show and it surely begs the question; why not ? As you say these days it is expected that many will want to capture a bit or all of a show. I would have ignored this if I had been there and assume most of not all in the audience did the same .

If you want to see Henleys real ability to sing live look up The Last Resort in Hyde Park on here.

I went also and I thought the Eagle were fantastic x doobie brothers I agree could not make out the lyrics x we were near the front high up and the roadies were fantastic turn around x but I thought Stewart Smith was out of this world what a musician 😀 miss Glenn frey 😢

Longtime Vince Gill fan. Saw him last year at the Opry and he was amazing. I doubt any of the solo acts at the Opry are miming.

You mention your earplugs that take things down without losing quality. Interesting. Can you specify what they are please?

Your song was amazing! thanks for that

"There you have it gentleman, what more evidence do we need?". Case closed. Once upon a time there was a band call the Eagles.

👍👍 Love your song!

Don Henley famously said he was never happy with his vocal on the album, feeling that he’d needed more takes to get it right. It’s possible that this fear has followed him into his live performances, relying on a track that he was happy with to ensure he delivered the best performance he could on the night. I don’t know, I’m no expert, but this could explain the reasons behind what appears to be a pre-recorded vocal track.

Who said in twenty years time who knows what the music industry will be in.I recall DH made that statement,was he dropping a hint at something? My illusion of the Eagles is quickly fading into the sunset.

I saw the Doobie Brothers 30th August 1977 at the Apollo, Manchester. It was a tremendous gig. At the time I was definitely mainly going to see Rock outfits, Rory being my favourite live artist during that period, but I knew the Doobies would be great and they didn't disappoint. I was 16 at the time. Never liked The Eagles at anytime, but I did manage to catch Neil Young during that period, superb. Keep up the good work on your channel! Regards.

Yes they are.

Backing tracks are not in all or nothing endeavor. They can be using backing tracks just to hit the hard parts but sing the rest that is easy for them to help the authenticity of the performance. Anyone going to a concert in 2024 and think they aren’t hearing backing tracks, at least for some instruments and perhaps vocals, is fooling themselves.

're the phones we managed years without them. All our attention was on stage not making memories or trying to post to a platform. If they weren't miming the lawyers would have been the case.

Enjoyed your song at the end. Put me in mind of Flight of the Conchords.

Was Pete Best (ex Beatles) not at the show you saw because there is video on you tube of him onstage playing tambourine with the Doobies?

I was there and the fact no close ups of Henley singing Desperado and Hotel California gives the game away

Their brilliant

I saw them live last night. Pretty sure Don sang Desperado live at the end, his voice was deeper and almost broke a couple of times and you could hear him breathing down the mic. The rest of his songs were perfect vocals - literally perfect, a higher key, no breathing, no breaking, no close up videos of him for most of it, sounded just like the album versions. The vocal on Hotel California was exactly like the album version and none of the band were on the big screens until after the vocal had ended. Also, he was hitting notes in Witchy Woman that even the new singers weren’t hitting in their songs, yet his Desperado vocal was deep and scratchy and almost broke trying to reach notes nowhere near what was sang in Witchy Woman. A great show, but definitely miming from Don. Joe was not miming at all, his voice was good but broke at times (a few bum notes in his last solo song) and he had close up shots of him throughout all of his songs, no gimmicks to hide his face during vocals.

I saw Eagles farewell tour with Steely Dan in Boston last September. SD’s sound wasn’t good there either. By contrast Eagles’ sound was brilliant.

Was it live or memorex...? .....😮.....great job.

i LIKE your style TJ

Do I hear a little Bill Nelson in your lovely guitar playing?

Isn't the point that the recorded vocals were sung by Henley, possibly on stage at a gig, then quite possibly touched up, and then repeatedly re-used on tour. I'm sure they "sounded live" because at one point they were. The question is - is a previous good performance being recycled

Just got back form their last night in Manchester, I didn't know about the miming issue going in, but during the first song Henley "sung" I turned to my wife and said he was miming. It bugged me on each Henley song (I didn't think about it on the others) then checked the internet on the way out to confirm what I thought. It was a great concert but I would have felt worse if I had paid the £300. The rest of the Eagles and Doobie Brothers made it a great night though.

John McFee ? ex Clover from the mid 70’s I believe.

👍

My argument with people paying a fortune to see people like Taylor Swift. If you are singing more than the artist on stage something is wrong.

The one singer who is the definition of it being impossible to mime was Ray Charles.

£300! Serves you right, not many unaccompanied teenagers paying for their tickets then i’ll guess. I’m sure the locals admire it, it being another ugly black shed. Even people like the romans tried to make their arenas look nice, even if what was going on inside wasn’t.

Yes, where is the miming.

At 63 i can just about sing Desperado in the original key

Kelly Rowland 'singing' to backing music at the Manchester Apollo and her big hit with Nelly was on a big screen there was no band we should have asked for our money back!

Hotel California is definitely lip synced. The highest note, even in the lowered key, is an A, which is a full-step/tone higher than the highest note he would have to hit in Desperado if he really was singing it in the original key they’ve miraculously returned it to (and which we know is lip synced), and a major third lower than the highest note in Desperado in the easier key into which it was transposed a decade ago so that Henley could hit it, when he could still be bothered trying to. And yet he appears to hit that Hotel California note perfectly and effortlessly, while simultaneously playing drums, every night, at the age of 76. We know he’s faking the easier task (“Desperado”). Common sense should tell us, therefore, he’s also faking the significantly harder task (“Hotel California”) As for why they are playing “HC” a semi-tone lower than the original key, in contrast to “Desperado” which they’ve returned to its original key, I would surmise it’s because that note was too high for him to hit when they recorded the backing track that he’s miming to, even in the studio. Alternatively, it may be a legacy of a time on an earlier tour when he WAS really singing, and therefore needed it transposed, and the band got used to playing it that way.

I like both Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers but I'd rather see the Doobie Brothers live.

Get back to fitting out narrowboats. [The Narrowboat that James built]

Hotel California sounds live now. Boys of Summer, Desperado - 100% lip synced.

I reckon you could do a great David Bowie impression if you tried

What’s a Quid?

And how would you know.

PSA: Glenn and Deacon Frey pronounce it Fry.

Its incredibly simple to find out if someone is miming. I did it at home at the Queen's Platinum jubilee concert. If you "shazam" the song whilst its playing it will not recognise it if its a live performance. If they are miming then Shazam will recognise the song immediately. It's so easy.