Artists, academics, and critics discuss the historical origins, original reception, and slow climb to critical acclaim for Eugene Delacroix's painting commemorating the Revolution of 1830, 'Liberty Leading the People.' A woman of the people with a phrygian cap personifying the concept of Liberty leads the people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution – the tricolour, which again became France's national flag after these events – in one hand and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne.
Without doubt, the Eagles are one of the all-time biggest acts in popular music since the dawn of the rock'n'roll era. The band's roots go back to their role as defining artists in the phenomenally popular Southern California rock scene of the '70s, a decade in which they delivered four consecutive #1 albums. Their momentous 2004 farewell tour filled stadiums around the world, and this series captures one of the most stellar events from that now-historic global sweep. It was filmed in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena on November 14, 15 and 17, 2004.
Thirty songs over two and a half hours, with fine performances, great sound, and good visual direction: it's all here on this series. At one point, the veteran band seemed unlikely to even make it to the new millennium, but here they are, mostly intact, with a string of hits dating back more than three decades. The majority of them are performed here, from the earliest ('Take It Easy,' 'Desperado,' 'Peaceful Easy Feeling') through 'Hotel California' and 'Life in the Fast Lane' and right up to 'Love Will Keep Us Alive'.
The live concert also contain hits from Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Joe Walsh's solo careers, and a few new songs as well, including Walsh's 'One Day at a Time' and 'Hole in the World,' Frey and Henley's moving, almost gospel-tinged reaction to the events of 9/11/01. As for the somewhat cheeky title, well, there's always been a certain smugness to the Eagles' sense of humor, and it's no different this time, as Frey doesn't even pretend that there won't be a Farewell 2 Tour in the future. And why not? These are good songs, played beautifully by the quartet (plus supplemental musicians) to audiences that love them.
During a Gurkha recruitment Palin is disturbed by Maoist insurgents, but survives to suffer as he climbs to 15,000 feet and sees the majesty of Annapurna Sanctuary. In Kathmandu he is blessed by the Nepalese king before meeting some holy men. Crossing into Tibet, he meets his first yaks at the highest monastery in the world, before heading up the Rongbuk glacier towards the summit of Everest.
Leaving Everest base camp to take the high road to Lhasa to see what the Chinese have done to Tibet. He sees that religion is once again tolerated, while the old Tibetan centre of the city is being replaced with modern Chinese shopping malls and nightclubs. Following the pilgrims to the holy Namtso Lake, he gets warm in a hot spring before learning how to milk a yak with a nomad family.
A woman of the people with a phrygian cap personifying the concept of Liberty leads the people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution – the tricolour, which again became France's national flag after these events – in one hand and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne.