With more than 25 years of songs and a large hand in what is now the best-selling album in U.S. history (The Eagles' 26-million-selling "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975"), Don Henley would have to go out of his way to disappoint fans on his first solo tour in a decade.

Setting ticket prices at a hefty $48 to $103 for his show at the SNET Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford Tuesday, Henley hoped longtime fans would bet on a good show.

Although it was far short of a sellout (prices did scare folks off), fans seemed happy to hear faithful recreations of hits from the "Dirty Laundry" at the start to the "Desperado" at the end.

And though he spent lavishly by adding horns, strings, Irish musicians and a choir to his seven-piece band, he couldn't quite get a good concert into the realm of great.

Taking most of the '90s off from his solo career preserved his keening voice well enough to hold a long note in "Desperado" at the end of the 2½-hour show. At 52, he looks pretty good, too (better than Mojo Nixon anyway) in his spiky hair and his collarless shirt (in fact, a "henley").

Although a lot of his new "Inside Job" album would naturally appeal to fans of his early stuff, Henley kept warning people off from it by repeatedly saying, "Here's another song from the new album," as if to add, "now'd be a good time to go the bathroom."

With long, overly reverent versions of old songs dominating the show, it was the new work that stood out. "Nobody Else in the World But You" was punchy and effective; "Taking You Home" had a lovely tune; "Everything is Different Now" a nice addition to the canon.

He blunted the effect of the UFO-related "They're Not Here, They're Not Coming" by over-explaining it, as he did "Goodbye to a River." Mostly, though, he stayed away from the environmental and political soapbox, tempting as it may have been.

It was odd he was so coy with the Eagles songs, as if he had to still differentiate his own work from the group's all these years later. Saving them until the end of the show, he messed with more than one arrangement. He removed the sing-along possibilities for "Hotel California" by giving it a ska arrangement with trombones doing the guitar solo. More contemptuous was a faux-rap version of "Life in the Fast Lane" that stalled on the on-ramp.

The set list for Don Henley on Tuesday was: "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill," "Taking You Home," "The Last Worthless Evening," "Everything is Different Now," "The End of the Innocence," "Workin' It," "Goodbye to a River," "New York Minute," "They're Not Here, They're Not Coming," "Lilah," "The Boys of Summer," "Nobody Else in the World But You," "Life in the Fast Lane," "The Heart of the Matter," "All She Wants to Do is Dance" (encore) "The Long Run," "Hotel California" (encore) "Wasted Time," "A Night in Summer Long Ago," "Desperado."