Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Glenn Frey, left, and Joe Walsh of The Eagles perform “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More” at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday during a stop on their 2009 world tour, “Long Road Out of Eden.” Go to knoxville.com for Wayne Bledsoe’s concert review and a photo gallery of Tuesday night’s show.

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It's a phenomenon of only the past 100 years or so that we define ourselves by our music.

We differentiate ourselves from our elders, those younger than us and those just different from us by our musical taste.

Those of us who became teenagers in the 1970s can point to the Eagles as the band who pretty much defined a generation: You either loved them or liked them.

Maybe some of us began to dislike them because we couldn't get away from them. (I mean, was there a single house in 1977 that didn't have a copy of "Hotel California" or any party that at some time during the night did not have some drunk kid trying to put his or her heart into a bad vocal accompaniment to "Desperado"?) If there truly was musical middle of the road it was the Eagles who painted it the line.

Tuesday night those kids from the 1970s gathered at Thompson-Boling Arena to see the Eagles fly again. Not that there weren't a few young faces in the crowd, but there were probably precious few younger fans who could shell out $150 for a good seat where the sound was fine or were willing to pay $40 just to be able to say they saw some tiny dots a long way away who made a nice echoing sound against the roof.

With no opening act, the group took the stage a little after 8 p.m. The foursome, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh (Don Felder left the band in 2001), were all dressed in black suits and ties and looked less like they were going to perform a rock concert than they might be headed to a board meeting or were acting as pall bearers in a funeral.

Early on, Frey welcomed the crowd to "the Eagles Assisted Living tour." Yet, when the group performed there was little doubt that these were the guys who provided a soundtrack to fans' lives since 1972. The vocal blend still sounded good. The playing duplicated what was in your head from those hits that are still a staple of adult contemporary, classic rock and country radio.

While the biggest of those hits were played, the band concentrated on many songs from the group's 2007 double album "Long Road Out of Eden." While the numbers were generally good, few were as hooky as the band's classic material.

What did stand out is that Henley probably became an even better songwriter after the Eagles disbanded. Early on, the band did a fine version of "The Boys of Summer" and the song still sounded undated.

While the band was augmented by nine extra musicians (including guitarist Steuart Smith, who played Felder's guitar parts), the group retained its old style. Henley would stand out front in the line on the more recent numbers, but return to play drums and sing on his songs from the 1970s. The band's chemistry (always a volatile mix) was maybe a little more subdued, but was still there.

At 10:45 p.m. (the time I had to leave to make deadline), Walsh had just launched into his solo hit "Life's Been Good To Me." A lot of hits had yet to be played, but it looked as if the band was a long way from finished.

Whether the show was worth $150 is a purely subjective thing. If your memories surrounding the band are good, how much is it worth to bring them back? For most of us, especially in the current economy, let's hope it costs us less to bring favorite memories back.

Wayne Bledsoe may be reached at 865-342-6444 or bledsoe@knews.com. He is also the host of "All Over the Road" midnight Saturdays to 4 a.m. Sundays on WDVX-FM.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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