And on the fourth night of the six-night run at the Nokia, they did as they had done before, pleasing the Boomers who decades ago got their first kiss with "Peaceful Easy Feeling" playing in the background, debated the SoCal mystique for hours after the release of "Hotel California" and never once wondered what happened to Randy Meisner, Don Felder or Bernie Leadon. Some observations:

1) AEG could not have found a better band to open the venue than the Eagles. They blend the acoustic and the electric, harmonies and solo vocals, and force sound mixers to be on the lookout for inaccuracies in the sound reproduction. Eagles set was balanced from the start; a few tweaks were seemingly made during the Dixie Chicks' set. It's almost a given that every patron has gone home saying what a wonderful sounding hall it is.   

2) It may have a band's name on the marquee but the stars of the Eagles are Joe Walsh - personality, guitar playing and compositions - and the voice of Don Henley. Steuart Smith's job is to make sure every song is re-created note-for-note perfect from the records; this is a crowd that likes what it knows.

3) Given just an hour to display their talents, the Dixie Chicks strike an impressive balance between the old and the new, the pop-rock material and the country tunes. They display their bluegrass chops and vocal harmonies - and they look like they're having fun. They have a welcoming presence yet are still clearly superstars, even if Natalie Maines risked alienating the Eagles fans by telling them they were rich.

The opening of AEG’s $100 million Nokia Theater is 2½ weeks away and a recent tour of the downtown L.A. venue revealed an impressive building that could take business away from the Gibson Amphitheater, the Kodak and certainly doom the Shrine.
The Nokia has some rather smart design elements working for it, beginning with the full service lobbies — that means bars, food and restrooms — on each floor, much like the Kodak Theater and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The orchestra level is practically a hall unto itself: 4,340 of the venue’s 7,100 seats are in the the lower level and it actually looks like several hundred more. The upper reaches of the hall can be blocked by curtains to make the room feel like a small theater and not an undersold venue. The back of the balcony, which has only eight rows, is 210 feet from the lip of the stage.
That sort of versatility is key in this day and age: the Nokia is larger than the Greek (5,700 seats) and Gibson (6,200), but by eliminating the balcony, acts that could quickly sell out the Wiltern (2,200) or Kodak (3,100) or not quite fill the Greek have an  option. AEG is anticipating a schedule of 120 concerts per year.
The orchestra level seating area is wide, but does not fan out as much as the Gibson (formerly the Universal) Amphitheater and feels more directed toward the stage, similar to the Greek. Patrons, or at least 90% of them, will be viewing a performer straight on. And no crazy colors like some other venues – this is all dark blue seats.
Stage’s length (180 feet) and width (80 feet) are staggeringly large and an extensive catwalk system will make it possible for a band to stage a full-on arena-size show in the venue. To get that catwalk system in place, though, means an extraordinary amount of air space between the floor and the ceiling.
Sides of the venue are dedicated to large opera-box like spaces. There are six on each side, three stacked on top of three; the view from the unfinished box, looking out at a sea of seats and the stage, makes the place look enormous. Two 16- X 29-foot LED screens will flank the stage.
Backstage has a dozen dressing rooms and a good-sized hospitality suite. Combined, the hospitality and VIP suites total 12,000 square feet.
A double bill of the Eagles and Dixie Chicks will open the building Oct. 18. They load in on Oct. 15 and knowing the Eagles fastidious attitude toward sound reproduction, the room should be pretty well tuned early during their run. (The two bands perform Oct. 20, 21, 24, 26 and 27). To get the hall off to a decent start, every wall is covered with a soft absorbent material, even the walls in hallways near the concert hall.
Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owen follow on Oct. 28, Queens of the Stone Age perform on the 29th; and Oct. 30 welcomes Neil Young. Concerts will have start times of 8:15 while sporting events at Staples Center across the street begin at 7 or 7:30.
The first awards show booked for the Nokia is the American Music Awards on Nov. 18. Company has about 20 other kudosfests targeted for the venue including the Emmys; about the only ones that are off-limits are the Oscars and the Tonys.
Aretha Franklin will perform at the Nokia six days after she is honored as MusiCares Person of the Year at the Recording Academy gala, which has been held recently at the neighboring L.A. Convention Center.
AEG, which is overseeing and will run the L.A. Live complex, will be asking a lot of concert-goers to park east of Figueroa and, more than likely, south of Pico. Other L.A. Live tenants — hotels, restaurants, etc. — will likely offer their own valet parking services.
A year from now, AEG plans to open the 2,300-capacity Club Nokia, which is slated to do 150 events per year, including concerts and private parties.
The concert calendar for Nokia Theater to date:
Video Games Live, Oct. 19
Anita Baker, Nov. 3
So You Think You Can Dance, Nov. 21
John Fogerty, Nov. 23
La Quinta Estacion, Nov. 24
Enrique Iglesias, Dec. 7
Michael W. Smith, Dec. 9
Tori Amos, Dec. 16
George Lopez, Dec.. 26, 27, 31
Chinese New Year Spectacular, Jan. 18-20
Aretha Franklin, Feb. 14
Russell Peters, Feb. 16
Larry the Cable Guy, March 1