FOR the first half of the concert, it was a death-match battle between consciousness and the Sandman – and sleep was in control.
But suddenly Don Henley snared the audience: The ex-Eagle ditched the mewing ballads that he’s fond of and put some punch into the music.
The turning point at Henley’s Radio City Music Hall performance Thursday night came about halfway in, when he introduced the song “Life in the Fast Lane” by saying, “We call this segment having fun with the ’70s.”
The seven-man band then proceeded to deconstruct the famous tune to its basic melodic hooks, and swapped the tempo for a hip-hop-like beat with electronic accents while Henley delivered the lyrics in staccato yaps peppered with rap.
It wasn’t the best song of the night, but it was certainly the most interesting. And from then on, the concert was a pleasure.
Like an oiled Tinman, Henley finally allowed the music to move him, powering through the Sting-esque “Nobody Else in the World but You” and delivering a funkified and sexy “All She Wants to Do Is Dance.”
Many who attended the concert might have cited the well-trodden “Desperado” (the evening’s final song) as the night’s prettiest, yet Henley sang passionately on the ballad “A Knight in Summer Long Ago,” which was stunningly beautiful.
Though no youngster, Henley showed he can turn on the gas and go – once he gets his engine warm.