Live Review: Eagles

While we wait for Eagles to hit the stage, this reviewer's plus one (aka Dad) bangs on about listening to On The Border by Eagles on cassette while hooning around in his green Mazda 808 coupe. The house lights dim. Stage lights illuminate six Eagles standing in a straight line across the front of the stage. They step up to their respective mics and sing the intro to Seven Bridges Road a cappella, which is geographically apt given its opening line: "There are stars/In the Southern sky." Visuals transport us to a position where we gaze beyond a canopy of overhanging branches in the starry, starry night and we know we’re in for a quality show from the get-go. “We played here before a lotta you were born!” one of the OG Eagles quips before we can work out who said it.

We're then introduced to Glenn Frey's son, Deacon (whose name flashes up on the screen to ensure we all get the spelling right). Frey Junior sports a Sade T-shirt and backwards-facing cap, bearing a striking resemblance to Robert Pattinson. He takes lead vocals on Take It Easy and his prowess puts us immediately at ease. Don Henley takes over on vocals from behind his drum kit for One Of These Nights and we note that the percussionist is the only musician on stage sans mic at this point. After admitting they're old enough to know who Rod Laver is, Henley then commends, "It's a testament to your culture that this building still bears his name, instead of some bank or telecommunications company," and the crowd absolutely loves it. Vince Gill then nails Take It To The Limit. 

The visuals continue to be quite literal throughout - Tequila Sunrise features a sunrise the colour of the cocktail - and we’re often transported back to '70s California. A five-piece brass section joins the onstage action for Witchy Woman, which is note-perfect. This show has great flow, with each alternating vocalist introducing himself (or conjuring a post-guitar solo round of applause) before singing their first number of the night. Timothy B Schmit sings I Can't Tell You Why with compelling vulnerability. If you close your eyes during Peaceful Easy Feeling you'd swear it was Frey himself singing rather than his son; it's a glorious, familiar, familial thing. Following this song, Glenn's image appears on the giant screen and we all get a chance to clap in appreciation of his legacy. We then score Love Will Keep Us Alive, one of the studio tracks from their Hell Freezes Over live album that was released after the Eagles reunion of 1994. Those pretty harmonies throughout Lyin’ Eyes make us forget the song's about a cheater straying from her sugar daddy.

Gill gets to sing one of his own numbers, Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away, and then Joe Walsh introduces his lead-vocal turn on Those Shoes by saying, "If I’d known I’d have to sing this song for the rest of my life I would’ve written something else." He then warms up our “OOH!” grunts, explaining they are important within this song and supplying these will make us feel as if we've contributed (there is only one such noise during the song, but it's definitely an audience participation moment). We're convinced Walsh travels with his own personal hairdresser to keep those silver-fox locks in check. 

We can't believe our luck when Henley comes out from behind his kit, letting the percussionist drum temporarily so that he can focus entirely on The Boys Of Summer. As visuals of waves lapping against a sandy shore set the scene, we all sing, "I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac,” without really knowing what it means. How did we forget Eagles are responsible for that rollicking, rock'n'roll barnstormer Heartache Tonight? Even some punters seated in the stands are coaxed to their feet for this one. 
The brass section's featured part during the band's James Gang cover Funk #49 (which kinda reminds us of Footloose) actually mangles our brains - those cats are virtuoso players, alright! Life In The Fast Lane's curly riffs sound like a melodic drunken staircase fall.

Eagles leave the stage. But it's only 10pm and we were promised another half an hour's worth of tunes at the start of this show! A lone trumpeter is soon illuminated on stage before presenting an extraordinary introduction to Hotel California. Pre-show warnings not to film or bust out mobile phones during tonight's performance have worked brilliantly up until this point as ushers suddenly rush around trying to enforce this rule. "But they just can't kill the beast!" More punters seem to know this line than any other and that debilitating dual guitar solo leaves us begging for more. 

The band tease us by leaving the stage again after this song, even though we're yet to hear Desperado! One of the T-shirts on display at the merch stand is emblazoned with this song's title - why the hell would you wanna advertise yourself as desperate!? Anyway, we know they'll be back again to sing the song that goes with the T-shirt. This song's pathos is certainly emphasised in a live setting and as audience members sing along the arena's echo makes us sound impressively tuneful en masse. Eagles once again wave and leave the stage as some punters make a break for the exits.

But the house lights aren't up yet so we remain hopeful and stay put. We're then rewarded for our efforts when Eagles return to the stage and present what we're told was their first number one record back in '75, Best Of My Love, from the aforementioned cassette that lived in Dad's car stezza many moons ago.

As we penguin walk up the busy aisles post-show, Dad gushes of Eagles and their constant sharing of the spotlight: "There are no stars, they all just do their thing - it's beautiful!"