Sunday night, January 22, was a special night for the city of Atlanta on two totally different fronts. On one hand the Atlanta Falcons destroyed the Green Bay Packers to win the NFC Conference championship, thereby earning a ticket to Houston in two weeks to take on the Patriots in Super Bowl fifty-one.
And then, on the other hand … Don Henley darkened the doors of The “Fabulous” Fox Theater for a one-night-only show. While I’m sure most Atlantans wouldn’t hesitate as to which of these two events was most substantive, I on the other hand (my Oakland Raiders have been eliminated, so I have no skin in the game) ….
Don Henley and his band performed for a solid 2-hours, and had the majority of the sold-out crowd on their feet for most of the evening. Having the runway already greased by opening act “JD & The Straight Shot”, Henley put on a show for the ages. Henley did a wonderful job of floating between generations; while performing selections from his 2015 album “Cass County” (a tribute to his home county in Texas), as well as a sneak preview of a new album that’s in progress, he also reached back to the 70’s and performed many of the hits that made him a household name while performing with The Eagles. Henley rocked the house with Eagles favorites — ‘Witchy Woman’, ‘Desperado’, ‘One of These Nights’, ‘Life In The Fast Lane’, ‘Wasted Time’, ‘New York Minute’, ‘7 Bridges Road, and oh yeah, to quote Henley: “that hotel song” (Hotel California). Henley also performed a number of his post-Eagles hits such as ‘Sunset Grill’, ‘The End of Innocence’, and ‘The Heart of The Matter’.
JD & The Straight Shot (above) are currently working on their forthcoming album due out in 2017. In addition to touring with Don Henley, they’ve played alongside notable artists such as the Eagles, Keith Urban, the Dixie Chicks, Jewel and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
When I arrived at the venue, I fully expected to see Henley and perhaps 5 or 6 other musicians; I did not expect to see up to 15 performers on stage! Besides Henley he also had three other guitarists (including the magnificent Steuart Smith), his drummer, a bassist, keyboardist, three background singers, and a full 5-piece horn section (2 on trumpet, 2 on saxophone, and a trombone player). This was more than a show — this was an event!
Henley extolled his love for the city of Atlanta throughout the evening, and after two curtain calls the crowd departed fully satisfied.
Truly, a great show!
-KJ
You can buy tickets HERE
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