Regret Redeemed

I have few regrets in life. I mean true regrets. Yeah, there are some things I shake my head at, but things I truly regret? Few and far between. Now, I get it, some of y’all are probably thinking I should have a few more bullet points on that list, but I don’t. I own what I own and I move on, save a very few things.

In 1971 I was 2 years old when a country-rock band made it’s way into the mainstream music scene. The Eagles had begun their long mark on history. Having an older sister, parents who appreciated music, and an awesome 70s console stereo, I heard a plethora of melodies. Charlie Rich and all kinds of country. Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass. And as the 70s rocked on, The Eagles, The Bee Gees, and the like. Vinyl magic. I think my sister still has the original collection in her massive archives.

In February 1995 I was 26 years old, married a handful of years, and we were “broke as a joke,” as my friend Tina would say.

And this is where “The Long Goodbye” begins.

I don’t know of too many folks that don’t at least appreciate The Eagles, much less love their music. Timeless, classic, long lasting. There’s just something about their sound, their lyrics, their vibe, that makes their music appealing to most everyone. There are a few like that – Elton John, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra – whose music spans decades and never gets old. It’s a bit of a marvel to me when musicians last for that long, churning out classics for 20, 30, 40 years, and rarely having a song that doesn’t hit the top of the charts. True musical genius. Classic acts that deserve to be witnessed in person.

But that wasn’t gonna happen.

Remember when I said we were broke as a joke? Ain’t no joke.

When The Eagles made their way to Tallahassee in February of 1995 on their Hell Freezes Over tour, apparently that was what was going to have to happen for me to be able to go to that concert. There weren’t two nickels to rub together to buy a ticket.

I was sad, frustrated, mad, unhappy about it, but it was what it was, and there was no changing it. And I was a big girl who understood that sometimes in life you just don’t get everything you want.

But, it created a very large regret.

I regret that I didn’t beg, borrow, and yes, absolutely steal the money for a ticket. And I have regretted it ever since.

I know, sounds pretty stupid that this is something I have a regret about, when I’m sure you could point to so many other things in my life I should regret. But here I am, in all my regretful glory. I’m sure you have a couple random things on your list, too. We should commiserate.

So, why bring this up now? Glad you asked.

A few months ago The Lawyer’s paralegal, Ada, posted some photos on the facepage of her trip to see The Eagles in concert. (Sidebar here: Ada is not just The Lawyer’s paralegal. She is his everything. I vacillate between wanting to have an Ada, and wanting to BE Ada. She is the most awesome thing to happen to all of us. She can never leave us. We would all cease to function. And I’m not even remotely exaggerating. I love you, Ada) so, anyhoo, Ada went to the concert. And posted photos. And now I want The Lawyer to fire her.

JUST KIDDING!!!

I was so incredibly happy for her, but SO INCREDIBLY JEALOUS! She had an amazing time and told me how fabulous it was. And it made the old regret rear its ugly head.

So the next night at dinner I was telling The Lawyer about Ada and her concert going ways and my whole diatribe about my few regrets and how not stealing the money back then was a big mistake on my part and blah, blah, blah. I just needed to say it again, I guess, to try and make myself feel better. But I didn’t feel better. I still regretted it. But I’m a big girl.

Well, y’all know The Lawyer, so I’m sure you can guess where this is going. Yes, he got online and checked the concert schedule.  Yes, he selected a city. Yes, he bought the tickets. Yes, we’re in Austin, TX.

Yes, we saw THE EAGLES! The Long Goodbye Tour.

Hell, apparently, froze over.

There just aren’t words to describe. But, I’m gonna try.

It was a completely no-frills, nothing but musical talent, two hours of the best music I’ve ever heard, concert. Their golden, tight harmonies never failed. Their magical guitar playing was perfection. No over-the-top 15 person band; just the six of them and their guitars, 2 on keys and one percussionist. That’s it. Sounded like 50 people. The acoustics were spot-on, the balance perfect, the engineers deserve a raise.

Only thing missing was Glen Frey. But in close second was his son, Deacon, taking his place. That was pretty darn cool. And another amazing addition was Vince Gill. I’d go see him as a headliner, but to have him with The Eagles was almost more than I could handle.

Speaking of more than I could handle, the opening act was Steely Dan. I may have had a small stroke when I found that out. I love their music. Combining two legendary acts was so much more than expected.

I soaked in every minute.

Before The Eagles took the stage, a video played with a montage of several of their hits and a pictorial chronology of their clothes, hair, and faces. Yes, they’ve aged. No, they don’t exert themselves like they did 40 years ago. But they sing and play harder than they ever have, and that’s what matters. In spite of the gray, thinning hair, the expanded waistlines and wrinkles they didn’t used to have, their voices have not waivered. Their guitar and percussion skills are stronger than ever. They impress.

It was a little comical that the majority of the crowd was over 50, but there were a few noticably younger people, and that gave us great hope for the future of music. There’s nothing better than 70s classics.

I have to admit, though, I did lose my cool one time during the evening. The silly rules were that you couldn’t stand and dance, couldn’t take video, and there were hall monitors to enforce. Well, good luck with all that. Our lady walked 97 miles up and down those steps telling people to sit down and stop recording. We had a few repeat offenders very close by and the security lady kept coming and yelling, literally yelling over the music, to tell people to stop recording.

She did it one too many times.

I looked at her and yelled for all I was worth, “OH, GOOD LORD, STOP YELLING DURING MY CONCERT!!!”

She looked at me, stunned and perplexed, and bless behold, as Reva would say, she walked away and never yelled in our section again. Good. Leave us the heck alone and let me enjoy this. I’ve waited 29 years for this and don’t want someone yelling about stupid rules while I’m trying to swallow all of this epic-ness. The folks around us all stared at me for a second, too, but they were happy and impressed I’d done it. Just leave us alone.

So, other than that, the evening was event-less. Perfect. Truly amazing.

I didn’t blink for two hours. I’m not even sure I was breathing.

The Eagles sang all their hits, the crowd sang along, and then when they strummed the first chord of Hotel California, the crowd lost their mind, everybody in the Moody Center stood to their feet, sang, danced, recorded, and never stopped until the night drew to a close. Such great fun.

Don Henley talked a couple of times for less than a couple of minutes, as did Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt. It was truly no frills, just like Don said. And everybody was happy with it. They did what they do best – better than any other – they gave us their hearts through their fabulous talent of music. It was truly an amazing night.

After 29 long years, the regret has been redeemed, and far more spectacularly than I could have ever imagined. It was magical. Thank you, Joseph, for fulfilling a life-long dream. You made everything perfect, all weekend long. There’s no one I’d rather take it easy with than you.