History of the Eagles Concert Review

Aloha!

I know that some of my friends sniff at The Eagles, but I have always enjoyed their California country sound, and it is astounding that I have never seen them perform live until now. Fortunately, last month I was able to catch their History of the Eagles tour at the grand re-opening of the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California.

The Eagles have been around since 1971 when the four original members met as members of Linda Ronstadt’s band, and over the years some of the most amazing performers around have been in their line-up. They have released seven studio albums that are chock full of slickly-crafted hits, all of which got major radio play when they came out, and still are well-represented on classic rock stations.

The History of the Eagles Tour is exactly that, a journey through their music from their first album up through today.

I am not sure what happened to the opening act. The show was supposed to start at 8:00 PM, and by the time I got into the arena at 8:15 they were already gone, and the stage was already set for the Eagles. At 8:30 they kicked off the show with “Saturday Night” from Desperado with only Glenn Frey and Don Henley on the stage, playing their acoustic guitars. Then they brought out founding member and original guitar player Bernie Leadon (who left the band in 1975) for the second song “Train Leaves Here This Morning” from their eponymous first album.

From there things built until Henley ended up behind the drum kit and there were 6 guys on guitar and bass out on the stage apron. Joe Walsh was the star of the show, taking the lead on a number of songs and tearing off a few other hits from his catalog including “Life’s Been Good,” “Funk #49” and “Rocky Mountain Way.”

Though it was certainly not the most energetic show I have ever seen, these guys delivered the goods and gave the audience a three hour show with an intermission and three encores, including “Hotel California.” Seeing Henley, Frey, Walsh, Schmidt and added bonus Leadon in a live setting is a definite bucket list item, and I am glad I finally got to cross it off the list. By the way, Randy Meisner was invited to participate in the tour but could not due to health issues, and Don Felder was not invited as he has been suing the band for various things since he quit.

I have to give major props to the Forum for the job they did on their remodel. The facility looks better that I have ever seen it in the last 30+ years, and the sound was incredible! As an added bonus the volume was not so loud that my ears were ringing for days after the show. This is once again truly a great place to see your favorite acts!

If you are a fan of The Eagles, or even if you just like some of their music, you should really make it a point to see their show. You will be hard-pressed to find a better bunch of musicians of a more solid catalog to choose from. Take my word for it…

Mahalo!