“Good evening,” said Don Henley, “and welcome to whatever this is.”
Standing on stage Friday night at the Kia Forum, his buttoned vest and slicked-back hair reminiscent of an old-school apothecary, Henley waved to a crowd of thousands to begin another Eagles concert. at the historic Inglewood stadium that he described as the band’s home stadium. “local field”.
“We’ve been playing this venue for 49 years,” he continued, adding that the Eagles’ current run at the Forum will bring their all-time total there to 26 dates in a career that dates back to the early 1970s.
Yet as familiar as the setting was, Friday’s show (the first of four through Jan. 13) had a novel sense of occasion as it opened a booth in its hometown in what the group says will be its final tour.
Should we believe that statement? Rock history is littered with farewell fakeouts from artists like Cher and Kiss; Even the Eagles have said goodbye before, including in 2003, about a decade after they reunited, on a tour cleverly billed as Farewell I. The name of this one is Long Goodbye, which beyond its poetic tone nods to the possibility that the band will continue adding dates, according to a statement, “as their audience demands.” (The tour, which began in September, is expected to extend through 2025.)
Joe Walsh and Steuart Smith perform at the Kia Forum.
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
That said, Henley turned 76 last year, the same age as Elton John when he finally wrapped up his long-running Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour after grossing more than $900 million on the tour. And, indeed, there was something of an air of farewell to Henley’s comments on Friday about having been on “an incredible journey” over the past half-century. Following Glenn Frey’s death in 2016, he is the only founding Eagle still playing in the band, which also includes bassist Timothy B. Schmit and guitarist Joe Walsh (both members since the mid-’70s) and a pair of fill-ins from Frey on country star Vince Gill and Frey’s son, Deacon, 30, who wears sunglasses on top of his head just like his father did.
Midway through the two-hour show, Gill sang the group’s big white soul ballad, “Take It to the Limit,” which was co-written and originally performed by the Eagles’ first bassist, Randy Meisner, who died last year; A little later, Henley dedicated a performance of his solo hit “The Boys of Summer” to another victim of 2023: “our dear friend Mr. Jimmy Buffett.”
Steely Dan opened the concert with an upbeat jazz-pop set that Donald Fagen, apparently in good shape after a recent hospital stay, capped with a shout-out to his late creative partner, Walter Becker.
So what does a purposeful Eagles concert sound like? Hardly decrepit. As in the band’s heyday, the music, performed by a team of auxiliary musicians on various instruments, was meticulously polished, whether a country-rock tune like “Take It Easy” or a slow, silky jam like “I Can ‘t Tell.” You Why” or a delirium with riffs like “Life in the Fast Lane”.
Because the Eagles’ songs touch so confidently on so many modes and styles, they have always found a natural home on the radio, where programmers have used them for decades as a sonic mortar. And because the musicians play so precisely on stage – every strum in its place, every beat perfect – the songs differed little from the versions permanently stored in one’s head.
Henley’s voice was wonderfully husky, though not as soulful, as in the days when David Geffen called him Golden Throat; Gill and Deacon Frey evoked the longing in Glenn Frey’s singing, but omitted the mockery that gave a tune like “Lyin’ Eyes” so much emotional complexity. But even when one lead vocal fell a little short, the group’s signature harmonies kept the music aloft.
The set contained hits and nothing but: “Witchy Woman” into “Peaceful Easy Feeling” into “Tequila Sunrise” into “In the City,” the latter with room for Walsh to do a slide guitar solo. and a wah-wah solo. Walsh, a crucial source of rock ‘n’ roll antics when he joined the band (and since), clowned his way through his “Life’s Been Good” and landed the air guitar spot on “Funk #49” and “Rocky Mountain Way.” .” “Hotel California” was lush and foreboding: a song about the terror of numbness (or the numbness of terror?) that has grown more terrifying with time.
The Eagles acknowledged the night’s special circumstances with a surprise appearance by JD Souther, whom Henley introduced as part of the “tight-knit community of songwriters and singers” to whom he and Frey occasionally turned in the ’70s “when we got stuck.” in a song”. or we would try to start with some new material.” He added that the Eagles had five number one hit singles (actually, he said “only” five, which seemed very on-brand) and that Souther had co-written three of them. Then they played “Best of My Love” and “New Kid in Town,” both beautiful and suspicious enough to make you never want to go on another date in your life.
As the clock passed 11, the show came to a close with a sweet, sleepy “Desperado” before the band brought Souther back in for a fun version of the band’s latest hit, “Heartache Tonight.”
“It’s time to wake up,” Henley told the audience: a boast, an encouragement, a challenge.
