As I made my way across town, I couldn’t help but notice how many cars were on the road on such a hot summer day. As I got closer to my destination, it became apparent that I was to be one of many who had made plans to spend the evening in the company of one of the legendary band that emerged out of California in the 1970s.

My first experience listening to The Eagles goes back to my youth; as we traveled across the United States on our way to a field trip in California, one of the students from the group I was traveling with had packed his 8-track version of Hotel California, which we played throughout the trip. When we finally reached our destination, we had memorized the words and were able to relate to the lyrics that came out of that trusty old music box.

Tonight, the “History of the Eagles” tour came to play in Ottawa. Listening to the band this evening was a trip down memory lane.

This tour revolves around the documentary “History of the Eagles” which was released in February 2013. The band went on to announce a summer tour in support of the documentary, kicking off in Louisville, Kentucky on July 6th. The tour has been well received and as a result, additional dates have been added, playing late into the fall with new stops in Montreal and Toronto.

On this night, the band consisted of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, and Bernie Leadon who performed classics spanning their career. Bernie Leadon, the former Flying Burrito Brother, joined the band as part of the first act, playing songs from the first four records. Timothy Schmit joined in, replacing ailing Randy Meisner. to complete the ensemble.

Following a 20 minute intermission, the second act featured many crowd favorites such as “New Kid in Town”, “Life’s Been Good”, and “Life in the Fast Lane”, and featured many of Joe Walsh’s music with renditions of “In the City”, “Rocky Mountain Way”, and the James Gang’s “Funk #49”.

The Eagle did not disappoint their fans, returning for an Encore performance to cap off the evening with a rendition of Hotel California that had the crowd on their feet, singing every word, before proceeding to play 3 more songs highlighting the band’s various career peaks.

The band played for over two hours, sharing history and playing many of the songs that have earned the seven number-one singles, six Grammys, five American Music Awards, and six number one albums.

If this is in fact the band’s final tour, they certain went out with guns blazing, marking the end of an era that has spanned over 40 years, with a performance to be remembered.

Setlist

Set one:

Saturday Night

Train Leaves Here This Morning

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Witchy Woman

Doolin-Dalton

Tequila Sunrise

Doolin-Dalton / Desperado reprise

Already Gone

Best of My Love

Lyin’ Eyes

One of These Nights

Take it to the Limit

Set two:

Wasted Time

Pretty Maids All in a Row

I Can’t Tell You Why

New Kid in Town

Love Will Keep Us Alive

Heartache Tonight

Those Shoes

In the City

Life’s Been Good

The Long Run

Funk #49

Life in the Fast Lane

Encore:

Hotel California

Take it Easy

Rocky Mountain Way

Desperado