A & E

Most bands that have endured for more than three decades generally are revered for longevity alone.

Sure, there are detractors who don't care for the Rolling Stones, The Who, and even Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. But most often, there's a fondness, if not unabashed affection, given to musicians still standing after so many years.

Not so with the Eagles.

Arguably, there's not been a more polarizing band in the history of pop music. They are either loved or hated, occasionally tolerated.

And not just for their music.

When the band disbanded in 1980 after a particularly acrimonious tour -- at a concert in Long Beach, Calif., guitarists Glen Frey and Don Felder repeatedly threatened to fight each other -- Don Henley stated the band would reunite when "hell freezes over."

That happened 14 years later, and while fans embraced the idea of an Eagles reunion, many were chagrined by the cost of tickets, which topped out at the then-unheard-of price of $115 for the best seats at the Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre in Burgettstown.

Since then, the band has toured sporadically and released an album, "Long Road Out of Eden," in 2007.

But in Pittsburgh, where classic rock still is king, it seems like the Eagles never really stopped making music. What follows are responses from those who were asked, "Eagles: Love 'em or hate 'em?"

"The music of the Eagles is like a friend I don't mind seeing when I happen to run into him, but whose company I don't actively seek out otherwise. I appreciate what they do and what they did. I really respect their songwriting and the magical mixture of the individual members' voices and musical personalities, but they just weren't one of my go-to bands in terms of emotional sustenance. Although I do seem to remember listening to the live version of 'Take it to the Limit' over and over one Sunday afternoon a million years ago."

-- Bill Deasy, musician

"I do like the Eagles and their songs. Although, because of the 'classic rock' status of Pittsburgh radio, we do get a heavy dose of Eagles that tends to tire you out.

"There are several bands that can be linked to the Southern California sound that came from the late '60s and '70s. (Rick Nelson, Poco, Jackson Browne, etc.), (but) the Eagles are the first band that comes to mind. They are great summer music, to me. I had to include 'Hotel California' in my CD case when I went out to Coachella, because it just felt right, y'know?

"Much of today's modern-country sound owes the Eagles, as country has essentially become country rock or pop.

"I realize they've been ridiculed (Mojo Nixon's 'Don Henley Must Die'), but I still have them in my collection and enjoy listening when the mood hits.

"My one negative about the Eagles is, to my knowledge, they are the first band to charge significantly higher prices for their concerts -- specifically the 'Hell Freezes Over' tour."

-- Frank the Overnight Guy, disc jockey, WYEP-FM

"I think that the Eagles are one of the best American bands to ever come along. Especially when Joe Walsh joined them, they took on a new direction and created a new twist/sound that merged rock 'n' roll and country rock, and it became the new American sound. Don Henley is a brilliant drummer, singer and songwriter -- a classic! Today's country music has ... been very heavily influenced by the Eagles, in my so very humble opinion."

-- Rick Granati, The Granati Brothers

"One of the things that has always impressed me about the Eagles is how good they are at arranging. In general, they start with a fairly clean-sounding bass, drums and wall of acoustic guitars for the foundation. Then they use electric guitar and background vocals as arranging tools to hold your interest as the song progresses. But those never enter until they're needed. Their arrangements are almost always open and focused. And ... oh yeah ... they write nothing but hits, and sing and play good, too."

-- Dave Hanner, musician and songwriter

"The Eagles ... I kind of hate 'em and don't care! When I was a kid, I'd hear songs like 'Take it Easy,' 'Witchy Woman,' 'Take it to the Limit' and 'Lyin' Eyes.' I couldn't deny their talent and great harmonies, but was never sold on the image. Being a big Joe Walsh fan, I figured he could add the 'cool factor' to the band. So, when 'Hotel California' was released, I took it for free through my Columbia Record Club (remember that?). Much to my dismay, Joe couldn't catapult the rest of the Eagles into the 'cool' category for me ... and in my eyes, his stock fell as well. Add Don Henley's pretentious and smug attitude on top of it, and you have a band to hate!"

-- Mark Scheer, Five Star Dive

"I love the Eagles as artists and writers, but I hate the fact that their last album was available almost exclusively through Wal-Mart. That pretty much makes a mockery of the sentiment behind Henley's 'End of the Innocence' and diminishes its genius in my book. It's also troubling that they are now classified as indie artists simply because they have become their own corporation."

-- Tom Breiding, solo musician and member of Hard Rain

"I think musician Mojo Nixon summed it up quite well in 1990: 'Don Henley must die/Don't let him get back together with Glen Frey.' There are many who blame the Eagles style for contributing to the onslaught of years of bland soft rock. Not to mention how easily Eagles songs are transformed into muzak."

-- Kyle Smith, director of content and programming, WYEP-FM

"You can begrudge them their enormous commercial success, you can write them off as living fat off the nostalgia of us baby boomers, or you can make fun of them (as I have) for bringing disco to the American Southwest ('One of These Nights'), but if it weren't for songs like 'Desperado' and 'Tequila Sunrise,' we wouldn't have bands like Wilco and Calexico today."

-- Mark Hohman, Brewer's Row

"The only possible explanation for the success of a band as bland, dull and just plain dumb as the Eagles is that people did a lot of drugs in the '70s. Bad clothes, bad haircuts, vapid lyrics masquerading as social commentary, too many lead singers, faux country accents, AM-radio-lite-rock guitar sounds, and all that cocaine: This is exactly what happens when session musicians are given the opportunity to step out of the shadows. Every time I see po-faced Don Henley on television, I experience a long and detailed fantasy concerning the construction of a Wal-Mart on Walden Pond. I guess you can put me down in the 'hate 'em' column."

-- Steve Catanzarite, author of "Achtung Baby: Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall," and managing director of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, Midland, Beaver County

"If I were king for a day, there would be no classic rock in Pittsburgh. It's not the '70s anymore ... it's not even the '90s. Let's move on, people. But if I were that king, I would allow radio stations to retain the music of one -- and only one -- classic rock band on the condition that they don't beat their music to death the way they have beaten the classic-rock genre into the sickening pulp it is today.

"Who is that band? The Eagles.

"Now, you may be thinking that the Eagles are the prototypical classic-rock band. A classic example of a classic rock band, if you will. Why would a goth-punkster king like Chip DiMonick grant the Eagles immunity from banishment?

"Things like the rad riff in 'Life in the Fast Lane' or the fact that they have a lyric that refers to a woman sleeping in the devil's bed ('Witchy Woman') or the fact that I learned about writing harmony guitar solos by dissecting 'Hotel California' get them a free pass. It's my guilty pleasure to admit that I kinda dig the Eagles and consider them -- gasp! -- timeless."

-- Chip DiMonick, musician

"If you had to ask me what was on my mind, the Eagles would most likely be close to the bottom of the list. Never really paid much attention. Though, when I hear a song on the oldies station, especially the early records, I don't shut it off. What does that mean, I'm a closet Eagles fan? So now, here I am, thinking about the Eagles. It's all about the Eagles, all the time ... Eagles, Eagles, Eagles. ... I need a drink."

-- Bill Toms, singer and songwriter, Hard Rain

"I've always been a huge fan of the Eagles. My first time to see the band dates back to around 1972 or maybe 1973 at the Stanley Theatre (while I was still in college). It was a great show, blending different styles for a different time. The Eagles, to me, define that '70s 'Southern California sound' that so many bands either came from or followed on behalf of the Eagles' influence on them. Tremendous musicians and songwriters!"

-- Ed Traversari, independent concert promoter

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