Reviews: Eagles, Imagine Dragons, Haim & More

Another week in the books! For your reading enjoyment we have compiled critical reviews of concerts by Eagles in Nashville; Imagine Dragons in Montreal; Haim in Los Angeles; LCD Soundsystem in Dallas; Queens of the Stone Age in Portland, Maine; and Emerson String Quartet in London.

John Shearer / Invision / AP – Joe Walsh of Eagles
The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.

Eagles @ Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 29 – “While the majority of songs performed throughout the night stuck to the arrangements first heard on the group’s mega-million-selling albums, right down to the guitar solos, one that deviated a bit was ‘Witchy Woman,’ punctuated by a horn section. … Still, the night belonged to hometown hero [Vince] Gill, whose new role in one of the most celebrated bands of all time, was clearly a source of pride for his fellow Nashvillians.” – Stephen L. Betts / Rolling Stone

Imagine Dragons @ Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Oct. 27 – “To my left were seated a couple of sixty-somethings – unaccompanied by a minor – belting out the lyrics to songs along with a rainbow of ages that turned up for these relative newcomers. For an alt-arena-rock band whose core strength is their angsty existentialist appeal, which would have presumed a predominantly youthful audience, the enthusiastic intergenerational crowd was an achievement in and of itself.” – Jamie O’Meara / Montreal Gazette

Haim @ Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., — “Appearing before an adoring sold-out hometown crowd, Danielle, Alana and Este — resplendent in red billowing shirts — alternately kvelled over and thanked the enthusiastic, 7,000-strong, largely female audience. … The 16-song, nearly two-hour set, which featured the trio backed by keyboardist Tommy King and drummer Jody Giachello, offered selections from their first two albums, from the chugging T. Rex-meets-Fleetwood Mac power pop of ‘Don’t Save Me’ (which ends with Este squealing, ‘I f—ing love you, L.A.’) to the clipped, click-clack rhythms of ‘Ready for You.’” – Roy Trakin / Variety

John Davisson – LCD Soundsystem
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif.

LCD Soundsystem @ The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 30 – “Based on the atmosphere inside the Bomb Factory last night, some might have guessed that it was a federal holiday. The venue was packed to the hilt with people guzzling beers and chatting up their neighbors. … The band showed its many faces Monday night. Toward the end of 2007’s ‘Get Innocuous,’ it sounded like a jam band, whereas ‘Call the Police,’ off American Dream, was straight-up ’80s rock. At other times, the group sounded like the second coming of New Order.” – Caroline North / Dallas Observer

Queens of the Stone Age @ State Theatre in Portland, Maine, Oct. 22 – “If there was any doubt that Queens of the Stone Age is not your ordinary metal concert, that was erased as the band took the stage at the State Theatre Sunday to a cover of the Skatt Brothers’ disco classic ‘Walk the Night.’” – Robert Ker / Press Herald

Emerson String Quartet @ St. John’s Smith Square in London, England, Nov. 1 – “[F]lashes of the late-Beethovenian sublime were only half the story. The Emersons’ practice of alternating who leads the quartet seemed to cause difficulties in these works, where balance is everything. In Op 127, Eugene Drucker’s first violin lines were often tentative and never took flight; what musical leadership was in evidence came from Lawrence Dutton’s sensitive viola and Paul Watkins’ sweet, gently humorous cello. And for all that the sound was richly melded, too many phrases were rushed or left gasping for air.” – Flora Willson / The Guardian