The Eagles - Live From The Forum MMXVIII
The Eagles released their first album in 1972. Not everyone was a fan of this hybrid of country and rock. Those sounds were in the air and four musicians in Southern California found that sound together. For fans there is nothing like hearing those first chords from Glenn Frey’s acoustic guitar. They evolved a little over time. They added new members old members left. They became more pop and rock and some of the country moved into the background. They were always a fun band to listen to. I remember their return 1994. Hell Freezes Over was fun. With the death of Glenn Frey everyone assumed that the band would come to an end. After all he was the leader of the band and so many of the hits were sung by him. The band decided to go back out on tour in 2018. To replace Frey they tapped his son Deacon and country star Vince Gill. Several nights on that tour were captured and now you can hear the result on Live From The Forum MMXVIII.
I don’t know what I expected when I pressed play. I hoped that it would be good. It was more than good. It was amazing. Deacon Frey sounds so much like his father that I did a double take the first time I heard him sing “Take It Easy.” There was no surprise that Vince Gill could sing the songs and I’ve known about his guitar chops for years. Still, it was really amazing to hear his voice just move into that harmony. There are 33 tracks on this collection. They open the album hitting those amazing harmonies on “Seven Bridges Road.” They run through a list of the Eagles’ hits as well as some of the solo material from Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Vince Gill. It was fun to hear the Eagles sing Gill old hit “Don’t Let Out Love Start Slipping Away.” Joe Walsh tells us how “Life’s Been Good.” The band performs an excellent version of Henley’s classic “Boys of Summer.” The band rocks out to “Life In The Fast Lane” then puts on a stellar performance of “Hotel California.” Walsh takes us down the “Rocky Mountain Way.” Then the show wraps up with “Desperado” and “The Long Run.”
If you don’t like the Eagles this live album won’t change your mind. If you do like the Eagles then don’t even pause to think about it. Just get the record.