The Eagles: Hotel California Tour (Ft. Lauderdale, 2022)
Last night I was blessed to have finally seen one of the most popular bands in rock music, The Eagles. The Eagles have always been a band that has made many fans while also producing “anti-fans”, who ridicule the slow, country infused dad rock. And they are partially right. The music is very down tempo. But there are catchy, upbeat songs that most people have heard of like “Life in the Fast Lane.” I usually prefer harder, faster rock music but the Eagles have proven to me that they are still exceptional today, five decades from when they came on the scene.
Playing for a packed house for a mostly 60-plus audience, The Eagles started the first half of the concert playing the Grammy winning “Hotel California” album. A man in a black cloak slowly walks on the stage with a record in hand as faint candles offer a glowing pathway to a record player. The cloaked man then takes the record out of the slipcover and inserts it onto the player, the crowd cheers hysterically. The curtains rise and The Eagles immediately go into the song “Hotel California”. I was impressed by Don Henley’s voice. The man still sounds just as good as he did decades prior, effortlessly handling the drum kit as he sings the songs. On stage, veteran members Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit still hold their own in a convincing way. I was most impressed with Joe Walsh, who at first seemed like he was playing slower than his counterparts and out of it. But he won the crowd over when he sang one of the songs and went into numerous guitar solos while making the expressions he is known for. Acclaimed country artist, Vince Gill, also was performing with the band. It was exciting to see so many legendary figures in music all on the same stage. After the band played through the album, Don Henley announced to the captivated audience that “We’re gonna play ALL we know!”. Of course, the audience loved this. There was a short 30-minute intermission before the band took the stage again. I saw this as an opportunity to wait in a chaotic line for some chicken fingers and a t-shirt.
The second half of the concert was essentially a “greatest hits” segment. The band played songs from an array of albums including their debut to “The Long Run’. This segment also gave the audience more soloing from Joe Walsh, some lead songs from Vince Gill, and a few led by Timothy B. Schmit. Backing the band during this was a percussionist, another guitar player, and a full-on orchestra that stood on a stage that would rise and fall as the band performed. The Eagles were truly captivating as I could not take my eyes off them during songs like “Peaceful Easy Feeling”. However, I periodically would be distracted by a 60-something year old woman that was dancing her heart out. She was most defiantly on some sort of drug since she continued dancing during the intermission. But she was still having the time of her life at 60 so, good for her. While I knew that The Eagles had a lot of slow songs, I found myself getting sleepy when the band would play back-to-back 6-minute slow songs. But other than that, The Eagles did a fantastic job and played an impressive 3-hour set. This illustrates how dedicated they are to giving their fans the best experience. The only thing I was hoping to see that I didn’t see was Joe Walsh playing “Rocky Mountain Way” or “Funk 49”. I know, I know, it’s an Eagles concert. But that would have been quite excellent. Do yourself a favor, go see The Eagles while you still can. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you hate The Eagles. Then skip this (obviously, man).
Rating: 4 out of 5