Don Henley (with support from Jewel)
23rd March 2017
Vector Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
If one was to talk about the current heavyweights of the music world, Don Henley’s name would certainly be on the list. A founding member of the Eagles and a prolific artist in his own right, Henley is in Auckland tonight as part of his 2017 World tour.
Support act and special guest for the night is Jewel who first rose to fame in the mid 90’s. Wearing a tan suede dress which showed off her long legs and with her blonde hair hanging loose; Jewel took centre stage with only a mic stand and an acoustic guitar slung around her neck. Born in Utah, but raised in stunning Alaska, Jewel began her set with a cover of the classic ‘Over the Rainbow’. She then commenced a rather long and slightly self-indulgent telling of her life as a homeless teen through to the point where she was discovered. While Jewel certainly liked to chat between songs, she wasn’t so keen on everyone else talking, pausing at one point to chastise the audience “I have no band so I can hear you” referring to the low drone of voices in the arena, immediately the crowd hushed; “better” she smiled.
Half way through the set she offered to take a request, pointing out that it should not be one of her hits as she will definitely be playing those anyway – however the man in the front row requesting Stevie Nick’s songs did not impress the songstress and she kindly called him out on it. The latter half of her set was a run of the hit singles, each one played in a slightly different style to normal which made them feel quite fresh. Jewel took great delight in showing off her vocal abilities to the audience, hitting all the high notes and then taking it down low. There was even a display of her yodelling skills during her rendition of the old folk song entitled ‘Chime Bells’ – which she learnt when she was five years old with her father.
The stage was meticulously laid out for the arrival of Henley and his fifteen piece band. Suspended from the ceiling above were over 25 old model radios; as the house lights went down, a spotlight shone on each one as it played a snippet of famous music (and in some cases a famed speech such as Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”). The audience obviously appreciating the nostalgic touch as the radios played everything from Cash to Lennon through to the Beatles and Hendrix. The lights then came up and there was Henley dressed casually in a button down shirt and a pair of jeans. Surrounded by members of his band they stood acapella style behind several microphones and delivered a stirring version of ‘Seven Bridges Road’. After a rousing round of applause – the band members returned to their respective positions and Henley stepped up to the front with his guitar. The opening notes of ‘Dirty Laundry’ were like a lightning bolt – this may have been a fully seated concert, but those riffs had every single member of the audience jiving in their seats.
And so began an unparalleled night of music with a selection of songs spanning forty years of Henley’s career. Henley was in fine form and while he may look rather stern, the man has a wicked sense of humour and is quite the endearing story teller. From the beautifully sweet tale of the couple who owned the burger joint that inspired the song ‘Sunset Grill’ to his anecdote about the woman he spent time with in Aspen “before it became the Gucci wearing place it is now” Henley entertained and often had the audience in stitches with his humorous quips.
The band for tonight included a five piece brass section and three astounding female back-up singers. At one point Henley telling the audience that he was going to leave them in the capable hands of the three ladies as he took a break to have a “smoke and a pancake”. While each and every member of the band was supremely talented in their own right (from slide guitars through to piano and violin) one of the major highlights of the night was seeing both Steuart Smith and Chris Holt on guitar – their performances impeccable.
Henley definitely proved that he could still sing the majority of the vocal range he always has, however towards the middle of the set he started to struggle just slightly; being the second to last show of this leg of the tour, his fatigue was completely understandable. Within a song or two he had tapped into those internal reserves and delivered a rousing cover of the classic Tears for Fears track ‘Everybody wants to Rule the World’ advising us that they play the song as “therapy”. This was followed up with the enduring ‘The Boys of Summer’ which was too much for members of the front row who immediately jumped up and started to dance. Henley certainly looked like he approved, watching them with a veiled smile upon his face.
Often it is blatantly obvious that an artist will perform an encore, yet the audience as well as the artist will play the game of ‘we leave – you applaud’ regardless. First encore of the night (yes there were indeed two) hit hard and fast with the high octane ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ – a track that has certainly stood the test of time and certainly holds its own live. However it was ‘Hotel California’ the infamous song that won a Grammy in 1978 and is often considered the most famous recording by the Eagles that brought the house down; Smith (playing his custom EBMM double-neck guitar) and Holt, coming together in the middle to play the stunning guitar solos that shook the very foundations of the soul. Second encore of the night began on a far more sombre note as Henley dedicated both ‘Wasted Time’ and ‘Desperado’ to fellow Eagles band member and fallen friend Glenn Frey. A standing ovation followed with Henley informing everyone that Frey would want the party to go on – and there was no better way to do that but to end with ‘All she wants to do is Dance’
Henley easily proving that he is well deserved of that heavyweight title.
Jewel:
Don Henley:
Were you there at Vector Arena for this stunning double header? Or have you seen Jewel or Don Henley somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Jewel Setlist:
- Over The Rainbow [Harold Arlen cover]
- Hands
- Standing Still
- Intuition
- Here When Gone
- Foolish Games
- You Were Meant For Me
- Who Will Save Your Soul
- Chime Bells
Don Henley Setlist:
- Seven Bridges Road
- Dirty Laundry
- That Old Flame
- Witchy Woman
- Sunset Grill
- When I Stop Dreaming
- One Of These Nights
- Shangri-La
- I Don’t Want To Hear Anymore [Back-Up Singers only]
- New York Minute
- Bramble Rose
- It Don’t Matter To The Sun
- The End Of Innocence
- The Last Resort
- The Heart Of The Matter
- Everybody Wants To Rule The World [Tears for Fears Cover]
- The Boys Of Summer
- Life In The Fast Lane [Encore One]
- Hotel California [Encore One]
- Wasted Time [Encore Two]
- Desperado [Encore Two]
- All She Wants To Do Is Dance [Encore Two]
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