Monday, July 26, 2004 | 8:06 a.m.
The lead singer of the top rock-country-folk band of the '70s (now on one of its farewell tours) packed Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert Arena with 5,000 hardcore fans Saturday night during a solo performance.
Henley was in top form during the two-hour session (two hours and 45 minutes if you include the 30-minute pre-show by a warm-up group and a 15-minute break for Henley's six-piece band).
The outspoken artist avoided politics and gave fans -- about half of whom made the trip from California -- the concert they expected to hear from one of the most talented artists in the business.
However, Henley's songs (and those he created with the Eagles) tend to make political statements, so he really didn't need to expand on his well-known opinions.
For the final song of the evening, Henley chose "Desperado" from the Eagle's second album of the same name (released in 1973).
Linda Ronstadt has sung the song at each of her recent concerts, dedicating it to Michael Moore, who produced the controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."
The dedication has been greeted by both boos and cheers. Some fans walked out of the Vegas concert.
An interesting bit of trivia: Henley and the other three other musicians who would go on to found the Eagles (Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and Glenn Frey) played backup for Ronstadt at a concert in the summer of 1971. Henley and Frey toured briefly with her during the same summer.
The Eagles (which now includes Henley, Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) had five No. 1 singles and four No. 1 albums in the '70s, making them among the top-selling recording artists of the decade.
The albums "Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" and "Hotel California" are among the 10 best-selling recordings ever, according to the Record Industry Association of America.
The group broke up in 1982, reunited for a tour in 1994 and have had periodic tours since then, including a stop at the MGM Grand Garden Arena earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Henley continues with his successful solo concerts.
As the 61-year-old native of Gilmer, Texas, sauntered onto the stage, dressed in faded jeans and red-plaid western shirt, the adoring fans rose to their feet and stayed there through much of the first song.
Henley opened the concert with "Dirty Laundry," an indictment of reporters who pry into the personal lives of those they are writing about. The song is from his 1982 debut solo album, "I Can't Stand Still."
Henley performed songs that covered the breadth of his distinguished career, from his years with the Eagles (1976's "Hotel California" and 1972's "Eagles") to his cover of "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" (from the 1992 movie "Leap of Faith") to material from the 2000 album "Inside Job," his first studio release in more than 10 years.
He performed a number of songs from his 1989 album, "The End of the Innocence," including the title track, "Heart of the Matter" and "I Will Not Go Quietly."
Other songs Henley pulled from his extensive library included 1984's "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," "Sunset Grill" and "You're not Drinking Enough," each from the album "Building the Perfect Beast."
Before the lengthy concert drew to a close, many fans were headed for the doors, albeit reluctantly -- but many of them appeared to be aging hippies, and it may have been a little tiring for them.
Most, however, remained to the not-so-bitter end of a near-perfect concert by an artist who seems to improve with age.
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