Posted by A few months ago I had the opportunity to shoot a tribute band that I really enjoy! I took it upon myself to write a review unfortunately I turned out to be a critic! As I stated, I really enjoy watching these guys perform and the lighting at the venue is great. However, after the lead singer, who was also the one responsible for getting my photo pass, read my “review”, he gave me a bit of CC and said I was being cliche in my approach and overly critical. He also stated that I wasnt pointing out the strong points of what I thought was great about the show. Werent the vocals strong enough? Didnt the guitarist display any showmanship? Was the band cohesive? I had positive responses for each point but I guess I didnt make myself clear. He also pointed out that the comment I wrote in regard to not hearing the guitarists’ solos, due to the fact there was a bad mix for Front Of House, could have been interpreted that the guitarist had a bad night. After my lashing, I reread my “review” and rewrote a more favorable one which included correcting the verbiage about the guitar mix.
Having taken his advice to heart, I had a hard time putting together a review for Don Felder this week. I had read a few reviews and some were quite rude. If youre a fan of Don Felder and the Eagles, you know Don has only had one opportunity to sing on their albums, and theres a reason why. Don was hired to play guitar, not sing. If youve ever been to a Don Felder show, you cant compare his singing to Don Henleys or Glenn Frey’s, Felders voice just doesnt hold up. But in all honesty, I loved Mr Felders show. His guitar work was impeccable. His band was tight and their accompanying vocals kept him afloat. Here is the review I wrote for his performance.
There’s a reason Don Felder was asked to join The Eagles back in the 70’s; Eagles soar higher than all others. And on this warm autumn night in Patchogue, NY, Don Felder proved he can still soar!
Patchogue Theater holds a modest 1100 fans and although the show wasnt quite sold out, Dons’ reception appeared to have been a sold out 5,000 seat venue with an extremely warm reception starting right out the gate with “Already Gone”. Followed by other classics as “One of These Nights” and a Stevie Ray Vaughan classic, “Pride and Joy” the crowd was at his mercy.
The night only seemed to heat up with Felder singing hit after hit while he eloquently blazed through classic solos almost note for note pausing in between songs to give a brief history and dedicating “Tequila Sunrise” to his long time fellow Eagle, the late Glenn Frey.
Other such notable highlights were “Seven Bridges Road” where his bandmates Bruce Atkinson on Bass, David Myhre on guitar, Stevie Distanislao on Drums and Timothy Drury on Keys all shared harmonies and “Those Shoes” which featured David Myhre assisting with the “talk box” effect.
As it has been customary, Don brought out his infamous white Gibson SG double neck guitar for the finale, “Hotel California”. It goes without saying, the crowd was on their feet, hands in the air, whistles screeching and hands thunderously clapping making Mr Felder soar higher than never before!
Long Island Sounds 