英语文摘:Old "Eagles" stage their Beijing debut

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Six Grammy Awards winner, the Eagles, moved their "Hotel California" to Beijing Saturday night for the first time in the band's 40 years' history.

The band fired fans by leading them to review the team's classics including "Hotel California", "Desperado", and "Take it easy."

The tickets under the price of 1,000 yuan (150 U.S. dollars) have been sold out weeks before the show, according to damai.cn, an online ticket service.

"Only several tickets above 1,080 yuan were left this early morning," a staff member of damai.cn told Xinhua.

The performance attracted many fans outside the city.

"The Eagles' music accompanied my youth memory," said a woman from north China's Hebei Province, who didn't give her name.

"I felt I must come to witness their first, and probably last, show in Beijing as all the members are already in their 60s, though it took me three hours to come by coach."

"I had always thought a concert by the Eagles in China would be a dream before they really came tonight," the woman in her 30s said.

Beijing was the second leg of the band's China tour. They performed in Shanghai on Wednesday. The two concerts marked the first time the Eagles have ever performed in the Chinese mainland.

Joe Walsh, the Eagles' guitarist, hoped that they could stay a good time round China after their performance to taste ancient Chinese culture.

Founded in 1971, the Eagles' total record sales exceeds 120 million volumes worldwide. "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" is the best-selling album of all time, exceeding sales of 29 million units.

Music commentator Ding Taisheng said that more and more shows brought by Western musicians could diversify Chinese performance market and help Chinese fans touch overseas pop music directly.

But he denied the band's deep influence on Chinese fans and pop musicians. "The popularity of the Eagles in China could not be compared with pop music icon Michael Jackson, who is an idol of the whole world," Ding told Xinhua.

"The Eagles' songs tell American stories and reflect original American culture which China does not have, while Michael's express global concern," Ding said.

He said that most Chinese fans' cognition of the Eagles is only Hotel California among their various songs.

"In an online survey, I found that over 80 percent of 2,677 respondents know 'Hotel California' by the Eagles, while the recognition of all their other songs stay below 33 percent," Ding said.