It turns out the Eagles’ Don Henley wasn’t just blowing hot air when he told News Corp back in May 2014 that use of mobile phones and even standing would be completely forbidden at the band’s then-upcoming History of the Eagles tour of Australia.
As News Corp now writes, the largely baby boomer crowd that turned out to the band’s recent performance at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena all came a little closer to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis with the crowd instructed to stay seated throughout the three-hour show.
This goes for those who paid $1,000 for the front row or $670 for platinum seating to the sold-out performance, too. There was, however, one song when audience members were invited to stand up, during a reworked version of ‘Heartache Tonight’ from 1979’s The Long Run.
However, while fans also got a chance to stretch their legs during the intermission, the use of mobile phones was strictly verboten – no photos, no filming, and no texting. There were even signs outside of the venue informing patrons that “guests who fail to comply may be asked to leave”.
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The sign requested all mobile phones be turned off and a voiceover message repeats the sentiment several times during the performance, with security on guard to make sure anyone failing to comply is caught and asked to leave.
“We don’t like people turning the concert into their own personal photo session,” Henley said back in May. “We don’t like people texting during the show unless it’s an emergency. Videoing a concert with a phone is a violation of our copyright. Google own YouTube. They don’t need any more free content.”
“We’d like for [audiences] to experience it for the first time in the audience rather than experience it on a crappy video that sounds horrible,” he continued. “I’m from a different generation, I don’t understand it. It’s not a very pure experience. It takes away from the immediacy of the live performance.”
While some younger readers may scoff at the band’s curmudgeonly take on technology and their fascistic command over their crowds, let’s not forget that Jack White has his own no-phone policy at concerts, and The 1975 and our own Chet Faker have expressed dissatisfaction with seeing a sea of Apple logos at their shows.
However, considering this tour would see you sitting through three hours worth of out-of-touch multi-millionaires playing through soft-rock nuggets in between extended sessions of them talking about themselves (hence History of the Eagles), we can see how this might raise some ire.
