The Eagles Can Still Fly.

What are three things that improve with age? Fine wine, redwood trees, and The Eagles, as they so convincingly proved at a recent stop on their Long Road Out of Eden Tour.

Oh what a night!

The harmony, the guitar solos, the percussion in all the right places, combined so brilliantly that a couple of times I had to ask myself, “Is it live, or is it Memorex?”

Live it was!

This iconic all man band, provided the audience with spot on performances of so many hits it boggled the mind. The Eagles are a band so prolific and popular, that they can still fill the house with an audience of all ages. They needed no opening act as they churned out the tunes one after the other. Their easy on stage presence was a rare combination of dignified cool. No tight fitting costumes or buxom backup singers a third their age, interfered with this stage show. The performance provided each member of the audience with both, a fantastic in the moment good time, and a heart tugging trip down memory lane. Yes, I did tear up a couple of times. I couldn’t help myself.

I saw these guys perform, some 35 years ago, as a slip of girl in some outdoor venue that I can no longer recall. What I do remember is a bunch of us piling into a car and heading out to see a group of guys, who like us, were in the beginning stages of a long and varied journey. A lot has happened since, to them and to us. Glen Frey jokingly referred to this go around as “The Assisted Living Tour.” 

Jersey boy Joe Walsh provided contrast to the harmonious melodies of the other three with his piercing renditions of Rocky Mountain Way and Life’s Been Good. My daughters joked that he was a combination of Tom Petty and Gérard Depardieu. Yes, the aging process is a wild and wondrous thing.

At the end of the show we were all left feeling good. The band seemed to be genuinely touched by the enthusiasm of the crowd. The crowd streamed out with the good feeling that so rarely happens when something far exceeds our expectations. It was great to see that this group of old guys could still do it and do it so well.