It's a long road out of Eden...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the globe after another GREAT DAY in the Lion City. I am pleased to report that the work daily wasn't nearly as long today (although it WILL burn in my mind a long time), as Sammy the Bull finally had an activity. What was it, you ask? Tonight Four Leaf got to experience some good ole' American culture at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where he saw...wait for it...wait for it...THE EAGLES, BABY!!!!! WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA!!!!

I must confess that the ride over to the stadium was SO DIFFERENT from ALL OTHER CONCERTS I've ever been to. In the spirit of the "Embassy comparison" from last night, let's examine the last 2 concerts I've been to: The Eagles vs. Linkin Park.

LP Venue: O2 Center in London

Eagles Venue: SIS in Singapore

Journey to LP concert: 348 BILLION OF MY CLOSEST, SWEATIEST, SMELLIEST, DRUNKEST friends all crammed into a Tube car built for 8 people

Journey to Eagles concert: Walked straight onto the metro and got a seat. At no point were all the seats full ALL THE WAY TO THE STADIUM

Arrival at LP concert: Scanning. Pat downs. Metal detectors.

Arrival at Eagles concert: "Welcome to the show! Everyone enjoy!"

Crowd participation at LP: MOSH PIT. If you sit down, you die.

Crowd participation at Eagles: Active cheering - NO ONE standing (except for this drunk American who stood up EVERY TIME and acted shocked when no one else stood despite his incoherent ramblings that doubled as encouragement)

So here's the kicker - in the Sing there is NO OPENING BAND EVER. You paid for a show that starts at 8, and that puppy STARTS AT 8. The Eagles were right on time, and they actually took an intermission halfway through. I was surprised but this, but I understood later when they PLAYED 3 AND A QUARTER HOURS. Seriously - if you EVER get the chance to see these cats, GO.

The vocals were STUNNING. All 4 of those cats can sing, as well as play the guitar, drums, and keyboard. It was truly AMAZING to watch them go at it, and they were really, REALLY good. I couldn't believe how strong all of them were vocally - talk about a treat!

Dad I TOTALLY thought of you during the encore when they played "Take It Easy." You'll be happy to know that I screamed "I was standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona (site of the Sunset Motel for $22, for the record), such a fine sight to see." CLASSIC!

They performed "Hotel California" early in the set, and it was PHENOMENAL. Don Henley's still got it folks - that dude can sing. I actually think that "Boys of Summer" (let's keep the comments to a minimum, please) was my favorite, but let's face it - I will remember that I saw the Eagles rock "Hotel California" in the Sing for as long as I live. And lest we forget, they closed with the other big one: Desperado. In a word - WOW.

And btw - Mom - since you think I'm the luckiest cat on earth, just WAIT until I tell you my story from this evening.

On the journey home I actually ran into my boss, who was also at the concert. We caught the train back, got locked in a mall, and then finally managed to break out, at which point I said farewell and made the walk home. I'm now back at the flat, where it's time to pass out.

KJ - breathe a sigh of relief - it's FINALLY OVER!!!!

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny