The Eagles opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in May 2008 as the first rock act on the stage. On Wednesday, May 2 they returned in the venue's fifth season.

The Eagles have been around 35 more years than the amphitheater, and their 40 years performing was a topic for the band members the few times they spoke. Had the house lights been turned on, they would have realized that most of the crowd actually was born more than 40 years ago. So many of us were sporting white hair–and it wasn't a fashion statement.

Ticketmaster lists the Friday, May 4 Eagles concert at Verizon as sold out, but ticket resellers do have tickets, such as the 68 listed on StubHub this morning.

"It's hard to believe that it is 40 years ago this spring that our music first hit the airwaves. Oh, that was a quick 40," said Don Henley.

"Nobody is more surprised than us that we are still here. But we're still here because you are. We appreciate this. You have given us a wonderfully long, fabulous career," Henley said.

The band performed most of their hits. Filling up a set list with hits isn't tough for a band that has had so many.

The Eagles opened with "Seven Bridges Road," and as soon as the crowd heard the beginnings of the song, "There are stars in the Southern sky," they were up on their feet and cheering.

"How Long" and "Take it to the Limit" were next on the set list, and the crowd was still enthusiastic. It had been quiet, though, compared to when the opening notes of "Hotel California" were played.

Up to this point Joe Walsh hadn't necessarily been taking the majority of the lead guitar parts, with Steuart Smith taking a more dominant role. But Walsh took a charge the song for which former band member Don Felder gets credit for the music. The 64-year-old Walsh seemed to get better as the evening went on.

Don Henley had made his way back to the drums by this point, and he stayed back there for much of the rest of the concert. That didn't mean he wasn't going to sing lead vocals on "his" songs, especially those from his solo career, such as "Dirty Laundry" and "The Boys of Summer."

Glenn Frey, the other leader of the band, got time for some of his solo music, including "You Belong to the City."

And Timothy B. Schmit had his chance to shine, thereby preserving any fragile egos of the bandmates.

If you were waiting to hear "Desperado," it's a good thing if you stayed for the encores. It was at the end of the concert, and was a good closure to the night.

If you had to pay the $77 for a lawn seat, or much more than that for seats right up front, you should have been pleased by the performance.