2010: Eagles keep hits coming for 12,000 fans at arena

Editor's note: This was first published in The Eagle on July 1, 2010.

They looked a little older than the last time they were in Wichita, for a sold-out Kansas Coliseum show in 2002.

And they told a few more "we're getting older" jokes from the stage.

But the Eagles still sounded like the Eagles always have during a nearly sold-out show at Intrust Bank Arena, which drew a crowd of   nearly 12,000 appreciative fans on Wednesday night.

"Check your ticket stubs," ringmaster Glenn Frey said from the stage early in the show. "This is the Eagles' assisted-living tour, and we're the ancient ones." The Eagles might be ancient in the recording industry - their careers span nearly 40 years, a long breakup, and a bunch of solo projects. But the band's longevity has   given it time to release enough successful albums to easily fill a three-hour show with hit after hit.

The Eagles didn't have an opening act Wednesday,  but they served as their own, warming up the crowd with four low-key numbers - first the harmonic "Seven Bridges Road" followed by "How Long, " "I Don't   Want To Hear Anymore," sung by bassist Timothy B. Schmit, and then "Guilty of the Crime," a Joe Walsh-led tune.

Then the group amped things up considerably,  launching into one of its most famous hits,  "Hotel California," still ably sung by Don   Henley from his spot behind the drums with show-stopping guitar work by Walsh and unofficial Eagle Steuart Smith. The song drew the first of many standing ovations from the audience of singing, dancing fans, many of whom were contemporaries of the band members, now in their early 60s.

The Eagles rotated instruments and lead-singing duties through a string of other big hits, and the crowd gave the most rousing reception to "Witchy Woman," "In the City," and "The Boys of   Summer," a solo hit for Henley.

The show was so long it required an intermission, which Henley introduced with another age joke.

"We're going to do this song for you," he said, referring to "The Long Run," "and then we're going to take a little break so you can go and rest."

The second half of the show started with the four band members perched on stools, each armed with a guitar (or bass, in Schmit's case). They harmonized through several more songs,  including two more recent hits, "Waiting in the Woods" and "No More Cloudy Days." The group sounded full and in perfect tune during "Take It To the Limit," which Frey introduced by saying,  "My wife calls this the credit card song, ladies and gentlemen."

The highlight of the second act, though, was the raucous "Life's Been Good," a solo hit from hometown boy Joe Walsh, who received the loudest applause during the band introductions. As Frey pointed out that Walsh was born in Wichita, the infamously rowdy singer quickly removed every Kleenex from a box onstage before dedicating   "Life's Been Good" to Wichita.

"It's good to be home," he said.

The encore included "Rocky Mountain Way," "All She Wants to Do is Dance," and one of the Eagles' most famous hits,"Desperado."

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 11:41 AM with the headline "2010: Eagles keep hits coming for 12,000 fans at arena."