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GREENSBORO - They sold out.

Even with lower-arena seats going for $190 a pop, the Eagles sold out the Greensboro Coliseum on Saturday night. Some in my vicinity said that they paid way more than that for their tickets on eBay.

The turnout was a testament both to how much disposable income remains out there in society and how much folks really love the Eagles. Especially folks who came of age in the 1970s. The group joked about this being their "Assisted Living" tour.

The Eagles rewarded their fans' devotion with three hours of music that touched on all eras in their career, from their first album (1971's "Eagles") to last year's "Long Road Out of Eden."

They plucked eight songs from that double CD, opening the show with a brace of them and then digging back into it after intermission. For a bunch of songs that were not as indelibly etched into the audience's brains as the Eagles' 1970s hits, the material from "Long Road Out of Eden" came off surprisingly well.

The brisk, harmony-filled folk rocker "How Long" kicked off the show in high-flying style. The a cappella "No More Walks in the Woods," the elegiac and far-ranging "Waiting in the Weeds" and the cosmic parable of humankind's march to self-annihilation, "Long Road Out of Eden," were highlights of the second set.

The group's onstage dress and demeanor could best be described as "business casual." The four main Eagles - Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt - all wore dark suits and ties for the entire show. Their many bandmates, which included three keyboardists and a four-piece horn section, were similarly attired. The stage resembled a convention of funeral directors or Mafia dons.

I don't think they were being ironic. I'm guessing the point was: "This is business, we are serious and we're going to act our age."

They are all, incidentally, in their early 60s.

Musically, the group breathed life into such favorites as "Lyin' Eyes" and "One of These Nights," songs whose intricate vocal arrangements and high-flying harmonies put the Eagles' voices to the test. They passed with flying colors. There were virtually no vocal or instrumental flubs.

Indeed, the miracle of an Eagles performance is that they are able to deliver CD-quality renditions of their songs.

The most valuable player onstage was guitarist Steuart Smith, who ably replicated many guitar parts from their recorded versions and doubled up nicely with Walsh on dual harmonized lead guitar.

After all the reunion tours with minimal new material, it was good that they had "Long Road Out of Eden" to draw upon. Two songs from Henley's solo repertoire, "The Boys of Summer" and "Dirty Laundry," beefed up the set list, and Walsh plucked three songs from his solo career and James Gang days.

I had a few niggling issues with the concert. "Hotel California" came way too early in the show (fifth song, first set). It's a song you'd expect them to build up to, and it's placement felt inappropriate.

Three sweet pop ballads sung by bassist Schmidt is one or two too many.

The comedic aspects of Walsh's persona were played up at the expense of his musical talent. And besides, he's not that funny.

Henley wore a constipated look and barely said two words to the audience all night long.

Finally, the barrage of visuals on the semicircular screen - especially the cartoonish images at the end of the second set, from "Dirty Laundry" through "Life in the Fast Lane" - cheapened the songs and detracted from the performance.

No one could complain, however, that the Eagles didn't play long enough or put sufficient care into their performance.

The songs, all 28 of them, were rendered flawlessly, and they obviously cared about getting them right.

"Greensboro, we've been playing in your fair city ever since 1974," said Frey before the two-song encore of "Take It Easy" and "Desperado." "We've always had a fine time, and tonight was no exception."

The feeling was quite evidently mutual.

Parke Puterbaugh is a freelance contributor.