Don Henley Ejected a Concertgoer for Shouting Don Felder’s Name
At his concerts, Don Henley expects his fans to keep their phones in their pockets and their feelings about former Eagles to themselves.
MLive reports that Henley's Nov. 7 show in Detroit encountered a bit of turbulence during the band-introduction segment, when a fan interrupted him while he was trying to give guitarist Steuart Smith — who's been part of the Eagles' live lineup since Don Felder was fired from the band in early 2001 — a little time in the spotlight.
According to a statement released by Henley, the man in question was sitting in the front row — close enough for Henley to hear him when he barked out Felder's name during Smith's introduction. "So I called him out," recalled Henley. "But he wasn't finished. Then, he blurted out, 'Don Felder taught Tom Petty how to play guitar.' I said, 'Okay, that's it, you're outta here,' and I had security escort him out."
Felder has been a touchy subject among Eagles fans since he was let go, and though he participated in the band-authorized History of the Eagles documentary, there remains lingering resentment from the rancorous split, which resulted in Felder suing Henley and Glenn Frey for wrongful termination. Earlier this month, Henley fired a few barbs at Felder, accusing the guitarist of being unfair to him and Frey in his memoir Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles.
"Felder’s just bitter because he got kicked out of the group, so he decided to write a nasty little tell-all," insisted Henley. "Which I think is a really low, cheap shot. I mean, I could write some stuff about him that would make your mustache curl."
See the Eagles in the Top 100 Rock Albums of the '70s
Rock's Nastiest Feuds