The Eagles LIVE @ The SSE Hydro, Glasgow 02.06.14

The Eagles, along with Bob Dylan, are my earliest childhood memory of music as a 3-4 year old. I have my dad to thank for that, so when I heard that The Eagles were going to be playing Glasgow I decided it would be the perfect concert to take him to on his first visit to the Hydro.

Formed in 1971 and with record sales in excess of 150 million, The Eagles are arguably one of the biggest bands in the world and, despite a few line-up changes over the years, continue to command massive crowds whenever they tour. Billed as the “History Of The Eagles”, tonight is the second of two sell-out shows at the Hydro and it is evidence that generations of Scots continue to enjoy the well-known songs.

eagles2In this all-seated show the Eagles took to a well created stage set-up reminiscent of an intimate small show. Glenn commented that it was reminiscent of Bud’s, a small one room building behind a liquor store where the band first rehearsed. The set opened with ‘Saturday Night’ and ‘Train Leaves Here’ and instantly I was impressed by the strength of Don Henley’s voice and the trademark harmonies of the band. ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’, ‘Witchy Woman’ and ‘Doolin-Dalton’ followed and the crowd wasted no time singing along to these timeless classics. Between songs the band told stories about the creation of The Eagles and the inspiration behind the songs. ‘Tequila Sunrise’ and a ‘Doolin/Desperado’’ reprise wrapped the first section of the show up and, with Don Henley and Glenn Frey sharing and alternating the lead vocals, there was never a dull moment.

The back-drop to the stage then moved forward in time as Glenn – backed by Joe Walsh on lead guitar – rocked into ‘Already Gone’. ‘The Best Of My Love’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, and a memorable bass/guitar intro to ‘One Of These Nights’ followed. Glenn then brought the first set to a close with a rousing rendition of ‘Take It To The Limit’, dedicated to original Eagle Randy Meisner.

the-eagles-8After a brief intermission the band returned and pretty soon after, it was the turn of Timothy B Schmit to take the spotlight with his high vocal on ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’. Glenn then returned and delighted the audience with ‘New Kid In Town’ and told a story about the Beach Boys classic ‘Barbara Ann’ inspiring ‘Heartache Tonight’. The revered Joe Walsh then took centre stage with a couple of his own tracks ‘In The City’ and ‘Life’s Been Good’. As always, the Scots love a wild-man with a reputation of infamy and Joe lapped-up the response from the adoring fans.

By now the show and music were far removed from the opening numbers with the depth of the material played, harmonies and musicianship on display highlighting exactly why The Eagles remain relevant to this day. An extensive introduction of the musicians on stage followed (by their “leader” Glenn) before the second set was closed out fittingly with ‘Life In the Fast Lane’.

The encore followed with an epic version of ‘Hotel California’ that had the hairs on everyone’s necks standing before the band disappeared and returned with my own Eagles’ favourite ‘Take It To The Limit’ and another Joe Walsh song ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ before finally bringing the curtain down with the enigmatic ‘Desperado’.

With their trademark harmonies, timeless tunes and universal appeal, The Eagles will no doubt live-on until “hell freezes over”. For me, it was great to catch the band live for the very first time and share the experience with my dad. However, I was left thinking and reflecting to myself… If the band sound this great now, how good did they sound back in the day?

Words: Bazza Mills

Bazza Mills
G'day my name is Bazza Mills! Whilst my wife watches reality TV shows, I enjoy listening to music, going to gigs and taking some photos. Growing up between Scotland and Australia exposed me to a variety of music and my tastes range from The Stone Roses to Guns N Roses. Typically, I love most things guitar based and have a love for live music and photography!