Below, some of the highlights from the show:
Hearing Hotel California
A little while ago, there was a challenge going around Twitter to name an album that had the greatest opening trio of songs. You’d be hard pressed to beat Hotel California, which moves from the title track into “New Kid in Town” and “Life in the Fast Lane.” While those may have been the album’s biggest hits, there’s very little filler on the set. “Wasted Time” remains one of the Eagles’ best and most unappreciated songs. The haunting lament about a lost relationship foretells themes Henley would explore in greater depth on 1989's The End of Innocence, including the magnificent “The Heart of the Matter.” Album closer “The Last Resort” serves as Henley’s first song to tackle man’s inexplicable need to destroy his environment. Friday night marked the first time the Eagles had played “Try and Love Again” since Randy Meisner, who sang lead on the track, left the band in 1977. Adding to the authenticity of the evening, Jim Ed Norman, who wrote the string arrangements and conducted the orchestra on Hotel California (most noteworthy on the instrumental “Wasted Time” reprise that opens side two and on “Last Resort”) filled the same role Friday night, leading a 46-piece orchestra and 22-member choir from UNLV.
In an amusing nod to the album era, the show opened with a mysterious, caped man striding across the stage and placing a Hotel California disc onto a turntable. When it came time to flip the album, a woman dressed in a cigarette girl costume came and did the honors.
Vince Gill and Deacon Frey
They first played with the band in July 2017 at the Eagles’ first gigs following Glenn Frey’s 2016 death -- the official band is listed as "Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Deacon Frey and Vince Gill” -- and in the subsequent two years, they have grown fully comfortable with their roles on stage while remaining appropriately deferential to Frey’s memory. Between Gill’s angelic vocal ability (he easily handled Meisner’s lead vocals on “Try and Love Again” and “Take It to the Limit” and Frey’s on “New Kid in Town” and “Lyin’ Eyes” ), his otherworldly harmonies with Henley (they are among the best harmony singers out there) and his guitar prowess, it feels like he should have always been an Eagle. Deacon Frey carries his father’s legacy lightly on his shoulders, never trying to imitate him on tracks like “Take It Easy” or “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” but instead bringing his own earthy, rootsy vocals. Together, they’ve brought a new warmth to the band.
The Enduring Quality Of The Music
At the conclusion of Hotel California, Henley spoke his first words to the audience: “We’re going to take a 20-minute break, put our heads back together and play you everything we know.” He wasn’t far from the truth. What followed was a 23-song set of solid hits (including Walsh's solo and James Gang tunes) that make up the soundtrack of any Baby Boomer or Gen X’ers lives. With no exception, the songs have aged well, but how could they fail with the Eagles’ five-part harmony and five guitar-approach (and not-so-secret weapon, guitarist Steuart Smith). There’s a reason they’re one of the top selling American bands ever with more than 150 million albums sold.
The Exuberance On Stage
Exuberance is not a word usually associated with an Eagles performance, and maybe it’s a bit strong to use here, but between Joe Walsh’s endearing goofiness (really, who else could get an arena full of people to scream “Ah, baloney” during “Life’s Been Good,” telling them if they do so, “On your way home, you’re going to think to yourself, ‘I made a huge difference today’”), sweet smiles between Walsh and Frey whenever they jammed together or the usually reserved Henley declaring “We are crusty old veterans, but you have touched our hearts,” they came pretty darn close to it Friday night. Further proof they were having a blast? The show clocked in at a little over 3 hours and 20 minutes (including intermission) making it one of the longest -- if not the longest -- shows they’ve ever played.
Don Henley’s voice
Henley always carries a significant vocal load, but Hotel California ups the ante. He does the heavy lifting on the album, singing lead on five of the eight vocal tracks. Add his other lead vocals, falsettos and harmonies on songs like “One of These Nights,” “Witchy Woman" and “Best of My Love,” and that he’s alternating between drumming and playing guitar and percussion, and it’s quite the juggling act. Not to mention he has to keep enough gas in the tank to get through the aching “Desperado” in the encore, a song with a high degree of vocal difficulty. Friday night, his voice sounded as strong and pliant as it ever has, easily hitting the highest of notes, while retaining his trademark huskiness.
SET LIST
“Hotel California”
“New Kid in Town"
“Life in the Fast Lane”
“Wasted Time”
“Wasted Time” (Reprise)
“Victim of Love”
“Pretty Maids All in a Row”
“Try and Love Again”
“The Last Resort”
(Intermission)
“Seven Bridges Road”
“Take It Easy”
“One of These Nights”
“Take It To The Limit”
“Tequila Sunrise”
“Witchy Woman”
“In the City”
“I Can’t Tell You Why”
“Lyin’ Eyes”
“Best of My Love”
“Peaceful Easy Feeling”
“Love Will Keep Us Alive”
“Walk Away”
“Those Shoes”
“Life’s Been Good”
“Boys of Summer”
“Funk 49”
“Already Gone”
“Heartache Tonight”
(First Encore)
“Rocky Mountain Way”
“Desperado”
(Second Encore)
“The Long Run”
“Hotel California” (Reprise)
