Ever since I can remember, the music of Don Henley and Glenn Frey has been a part of my life. Under one of the backseats in his 1993, teal, Ford Aerostar minivan, my father had a 6 disc CD changer that I thought was the peak of technology, and the Eagles were consistently one of the bands that was included in his rotation. While my taste in music expanded and branched out, my love for this band never changed.
Saturday night at the United Center I saw them live for the second time with my dad, and this time with my little sister Amanda, for what will most likely be my final time, and it definitely did not disappoint.
The grim reaper opened the show as he placed a vinyl copy of “Hotel California” on a turntable, and the band played their most famous album from beginning to end. You could tell this band had played this album a million times before, but it sounded and looked like it was their first.
Vince Gill filled in for the late, great Glenn Frey, and he did an fantastic job in spite of having to fill the biggest pair of shoes on the stage. I’ve loved Vince’s guitar playing ever since I saw him as a 13 year old in 1994 in Noblesville, Indiana, but he hit all the right notes.
The band took the stage for the second half of the show after a brief intermission that Don Henley described as a “pee break” and absolutely destroyed a greatest hits set list.
If this was the last time that I get to see them live, then they went out on top. The fact that I got to share it with my dad and my little sister made it even better.
So if by any chance, Don, Joe, or Timothy ever see this blog, thanks for everything.
Svo
The arpeggio from the start of Hotel California is one of the first riffs my dad taught me on guitar – he used to play in wedding bands when he got back from Vietnam 🎸 Sounds like a great live show with the family!