All good in the long run

After the Chicks departed without an encore, the band that set the rules for that sound took the stage to instant pandemonium. The Eagles are consummate arena rockers: They have a repertoire fans adore, an extroverted performance style that flaunts their prowess as a band and a great sense of how to put a set together. Thursday's show built steadily by mixing hits with relative obscurities; the hits got everyone singing, while the lesser-known songs, mostly by guitarist Joe Walsh, let the Eagles turn into a jam band.

The set began with four songs from the band's new album, "Long Road Out of Eden," to be released Oct. 30. With one sung by each member, these newbies offered assurance that the Eagles sound remains intact. Don Henley offered "Busy Being Fabulous," a typical slice of moral outrage; Glenn Frey took the lead on the current single, the '70s J.D. Souther song "How Long." Walsh and bassist Timothy B. Schmit did well on their turns too.

Then a trumpet call signaled a trip down a warm desert highway. "Hotel California" was made even grander by the contributions of eight sidemen, including a horn section. Guitarist Steuart Smith played the leads made famous by the now-absent Don Felder. From behind the drums, Henley spat out his famous lyrics, sounding as tough and spooky as he did in 1976.

Frey then took the microphone, playing the natty foil to Henley's penthouse prophet. The interplay between the relaxed Frey and the intense Henley is a major factor in the Eagles' appeal. Put it this way -- Frey wrote what might be the best song about free love, "Peaceful Easy Feeling," while Henley wrote the best song about freebasing, "Life in the Fast Lane." Both sounded great during this set.

Frey and Henley played ring toss with their hits, but they also gave a lot of room to Walsh, whose wacky persona (he made a reference to his "new teeth," making light of the inevitable decay of a once hard-partying baby boomer) charms Eagles fans, but whose songs aren't quite as indelible.

Live, however, it was Walsh who helped the Eagles to explore new terrain. His songs are blues- and funk-based, and allow his mates, especially the lithe-fingered Schmit, to stretch out and groove. The tight harmonies that emblematize the Eagles sound were beautiful in this room, but the full-on jams were more surprising. At one point, the Eagles almost -- almost -- sounded like George Clinton's band Parliament-Funkadelic. If the Nokia Theatre led these old birds to try that new trick, it's truly an inspiring room.

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ann.powers@latimes.com