The Eagles live at Rod Laver Arena
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The Eagles live at Rod Laver Arena

As a long-time fan of The Eagles, I must admit I was a little apprehensive about going to this concert with the new additions to the line-up.

As soon as they opened with ‘Seven Bridges Road’, I knew I was in for a special night. The harmonies from Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh on this opening number showed I had nothing to be apprehensive about. These original members plus Vince Gill and Deacon Frey hit every note to perfection and set the standard for a truly memorable journey through The Eagles catalogue of hits.

As the band eased through such classics as ‘Take It Easy’, ‘One Of These Nights’, ‘Take It To The Limits’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’ and ‘Witchy Woman’ it soon became evident that Deacon Frey and Vince Gill were not just ‘additions’ to this great band but integral to the performance of these great hits.

Whilst we can all agree that the late, great Glenn Frey cannot be replaced, his son Deacon looked comfortable performing his father’s songs and carried his legacy well during the entire concert. Although vocally different to his father, his renditions of these songs were quality nonetheless and would have made his father proud.

Vince Gill was equally as impressive with his performances of The Eagles classics, his voice blending well with the other members throughout each song.

The guitar work of Joe Walsh is still as brilliant as ever as he blasted us with ‘In The City’, ‘Life’s Been Good’ and the powerful ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ as one of the three encores. Don Henley told the crowd at the beginning of the night: “We’re going to play two and half hours of music – because we can!” The Eagles certainly delivered on that promise, performing hit after hit from their extensive body of work, while also including a few solo hits such as Vince Gill’s cover ‘Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away’, Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’, as well as the Joe Walsh classic ‘Rocky Mountain Way’.

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A haunting trumpet solo heralded the first encore, ‘Hotel California’, arguably The Eagle’s greatest hit, featuring Steuart Smith’s solo work on the double neck guitar.

A standing ovation afterwards brought the band back on stage for their second encore with the previously mentioned ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ and closing with ‘Desperado’.

As ‘The Voice of The Eagles’ Don Henley delivered the third and final encore with ‘Best Of My Love’ it was evident that The Eagles still have a great deal to offer as a live act and I, for one, came away from this concert with renewed faith in the fact that The Eagles will be around for a while yet.

When: Tuesday March 5, 2019
Where: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Reviewed by Paul Dowling
Photos by William Adam Russ (Right Eye Media)