As Tone Deaf recently reported, rock legends the Eagles’ current tour of Australia has drawn a bit of criticism for the various restrictions placed on audience members during the show. As Eagles principle Don Henley himself previously warned, mobile phones and even standing is completely forbidden.
As News Corp reported last month, the use of mobile phones was strictly verboten during the band’s show at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. That meant 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”.
“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.”
While Henley certainly makes some good points (he’s been infamously defensive of the Eagles’ brand in the past), his sentiment doesn’t quite explain why a fan who recently attended the band’s performance at Victoria’s Hanging Rock was reprimanded for using his phone… five hours before the band took stage.
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In an email read out by 3AW host Tom Elliott on air, an Eagles fan named Pat described his experience with security staff at the show as “unpleasant and bizarre”. According to the email, Pat was threatened with eviction from the venue for taking a photo of the Hanging Rock surrounds before the band was even on stage.
“Pat and his wife arrived around 2pm in the afternoon,” Elliott recounted. “There were signs advising of bans on mobile phone use including filming, photography and texting during the concert. He wanted to take a photo of Hanging Rock which looked particularly beautiful on the day, but when he did a security staff said ‘Do not take any photos.'”
When Pat queried the security guard, asking, “On whose orders?” the security guard replied, “The Eagles themselves, especially Don Henley.” At this point, Pat’s email claims, the Eagles were not scheduled to take the stage for another five hours.
“He wanted to take a photo of his wife, but a female security guard threatened him with eviction,” Tom said. “Stopping people using their mobile phones five hours before a concert starts is absolutely over the top.” One 3AW caller claimed that he had a similar experience, though he managed to “[have] a laugh” with the security guard.
