Month: March 2023

SOLAR EYES – EP Review: “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments

I first learned about British psychedelic pop/rock collective Solar Eyes in the summer of 2021 when they initially released their fantastic single “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship”. I loved it at first listen, happily featuring the song on this blog. They subsequently dropped an even better single “I See the Sun”, which I loved so much, it went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and ended up ranking #18 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

The Birmingham-based trio is comprised of singer-songwriter, musician and producer Glenn Smyth, drummer Sebastian Maynard-Francis and guitarist Tom Ford (who still records with the band, but moved away so no longer performs live with them). Their music is an arresting style of pop/rock awash in dramatic psychedelic grooves, twangy Western-style surf guitars and dreamy cinematic synths, giving them a distinctly unique sound. Their music has been featured in numerous televised sporting events, including Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Match Of The Day and Birmingham City Football Club, as well as traditional alt-rock radio channels such as BBC Introducing Hereford, BBC 6 Music and The Guardian.

In February 2022, Solar Eyes signed to Fierce Panda Records, and as is common with many labels and management companies, they had the band take down, then gradually re-release, their previously released material under the new label. Solar Eyes released their debut EP Dreaming of the Moon in April 2022, which I also reviewed. They re-released “I See the Sun” that September, then followed in October with a second EP Alcatraz, which featured “I See the Sun” along with five new tracks. Now they’re back with their third EP Naked Monkey on a Spaceship, featuring four new songs plus the title track that first introduced me to the band. 

Glenn was inspired to write “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship” after hearing a friend proclaim “life is like being a naked monkey on a spaceship, with no control.” The song is darkly beautiful and mesmerizing, with a Depeche Mode-esque vibe, highlighted by a pulsating bass groove, and featuring lush, eerie synths, propulsive drums and swirling riffs of psychedelic guitars. I love Glenn’s gentle droning vocals that have an almost sensual, otherworldly quality.

The cool animated video for the song was created by Birmingham-based videographer, lighting and visual design producer Matt Watkins, who’s also created videos and produced visual design & lighting for live performances by numerous acts, most notably Gorillaz.

Their signature twangy Western-style guitars make an appearance on “Lucifer’s Child” a dark cinematic gem about a devil woman who spreads evil and darkness wherever she goes. Glenn calls out her evil nature: “They schooled you well in the art of deceit. It’s second nature to your evil dreams. She sends the light, the light away“, then warns “But don’t you mess with me again.” The track ends in a discordant flurry of fading distortion in the outro.

Next up is the hauntingly beautiful “Someone Else“, a departure from their usual harder-driven style, and an instant favorite of mine. The multi-textured guitars and dreamy synths are gorgeous, as are Glenn’s melancholic but lovely vocals. About the song, he explained “I’ve been tinkering around with ‘Someone Else’ for years. Initially I wrote it after reading the book ‘Marching Powder’ – I’m sure Brad Pitt bought the rights to it and was going to do a film about it, so I was ready to jump in with it if needed, haha. But as time went on it sort of took on a life of its own, with that feeling that you’re turning into someone else, someone you’re not… going down a dark path. The path of least resistance. Blaming others and then a realisation it’s all on you.”

After the relative calm of “Someone Else”, we’re launched headlong into “Roll The Dice“, which the band calls a “tub-thumping call to arms in the midst of these troubled, rubbled times, top loaded with that Chemical Brothers/Primal Scream mashed-up sound, with the drive and swagger of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as well as a sly nod to the sonic mysteries of Messrs Morricone and Pizzorno.” The video, created by Tom Wagstaff, features surreal black and white kaleidoscopic images interspersed with scenes of a young woman dancing in a bucolic park setting.

The final track “Rabbit Hole” is a psychedelic trip of ominous swirling synths, distorted guitars and spacey sound effects layered over an almost sinister stomping beat. Glenn’s echoed vocals have a menacing, otherworldly feel, perfectly complementing the songs overall spooky vibe as he drones “I’m going down rabbit holes. Looking for what, I don’t know. To know the answers. I’ll keep on searching, I’ll find a cure. I’ll find a lover, won’t that be cool./ I’m on a trip to a different world.“

When I first wrote about their music more than a year and a half ago, Glenn told me he’d written lots of songs he was eager to get out into the world. With Naked Monkey on a Spaceship, Solar Eyes now has a total of 16 songs to their credit, all of them superb. I can’t wait to hear what they still have up their musical sleeves!

Glenn and Sebastian are currently in Austin, Texas, where they’ll be performing their songs at the legendary South By Southwest music festival.

Connect with Solar Eyes: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 24 – 9fm, Callum Pitt, Refeci ft. Shimmer Johnson

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

For my latest edition of Fresh New Tracks, I’ve chosen three great new singles from a group of very talented acts I’ve previously featured on my blog: New Jersey-based indie artist 9fm, British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, and Canadian-American singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson, in a stunning collaboration with Danish electronic artist Refeci, who’s new to me.

9fm – “Lesson Learned”

9fm (short for Ninth Floor Mannequin) is the music project of hyper-creative New Jersey-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jarrod Pedone. Drawing influences from some of his favorite artists like Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes and James Blake, Pedone melds elements of folk, alternative rock and synth pop to create fascinating songs with a pleasing, often otherworldly vibe. He’s also a huge fan of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone, as well as the more recent Twilight Zone-influenced British sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror, and many of his song lyrics are based on particular episodes of those shows. I’ve written about his music several times over the past five years, most recently in May 2021 when I reviewed his brilliant EP First One, Ninth Fifteen.

Now he’s back with a new single “Lesson Learned“, which was inspired by The Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough at Last”, which first aired in November 1959. Starring Burgess Meredith as Harry Bemis, a frustrated bank teller who loves books but is surrounded by people who do all they can to prevent him from reading them, “Time Enough at Last” follows him through a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war has destroyed everyone and everything around him. The season one episode became one the most popular of the entire Twilight Zone series.

For the recording of the track, Pedone played all instruments, as well as handled the mixing and mastering. The beautiful artwork for the single was created by Jordan Campbell. Like many of his songs, “Lesson Learned” has a dark undercurrent, highlighted by an aggressive stomping beat and fuzzy cinematic synths. His echoed vocals have a haunting, ethereal quality that suits the subject matter quite nicely as he croons “Ooooh lesson learned, and it took too long. Who’d have known to take what you can while you can’t see the end of the story. Do what you would if you could but while you still can. And when there’s a will, find a way, ‘cause it won’t just stay waiting stay waiting.“

Connect with 9fm: Twitter / Instagram
Find his music on Spotify/ Soundcloud / iTunes / Bandcamp 

CALLUM PITT – “Fraction of a Second”

Callum Pitt is a thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter from Newcastle Upon Tyne in northeast England. Inspired by the music of such artists as Elliott Smith, Julien Baker, Adrianne Lenker, Sufjan Stevens, The War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes, he creates, in his own words, “indie-folk with a grand, orchestral, chamber pop sensibility plus an alt-rock edge”. His music is characterized by lush harmonies, captivating melodies, and honest, meaningful lyrics touching on subjects like depression and anxiety, and social and political unrest, delivered with his soft, pleasing vocals. Since 2017, he’s released an impressive number of singles as well as a four-track EP Poisoned Reveries in 2019. His beautiful second single “Least He’s Happy” has been streamed more than two million times on Spotify, with several other singles garnering over 100,000 streams. I’ve previously written about three of his songs, most recently last November when I reviewed his beautiful single “Mayfly”. The song is enjoying a long run on my Weekly Top 30, where it currently sits at #8.

Now Callum returns with his latest single “Fraction of a Second“, a heartfelt song about the night he came perilously close to losing his mom, dad and brother to a motor vehicle accident. It’s the third single from his forthcoming debut album In the Balance, due for release on June 2nd. The song has a melancholy yet hopeful feel, and features a buoyant drumbeat overlain with delicate sweeping synths, beautifully-strummed guitar notes, lovely piano keys and vibrant strings. As always, Callum’s smooth vocals are comforting and warm as he sings of his gratitude that his family safely survived the crash: “And I don’t know what I’d do, if that truck had taken all of you, I think the moon may disappear. But a fraction of a second kept you here.”

Connect with Callum:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find his music on  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Amazon

REFECI featuring SHIMMER JOHNSON – “Essence”

Refeci is a brilliant Danish DJ and electronic house music producer who’s been making music since his mid teens, both as a solo artist and a collaborator with numerous musicians and vocalists. Now 23 years old, he’s released an impressive amount of music since 2016, and five of his singles have garnered many millions of streams on Spotify alone.

Shimmer Johnson is a singer-songwriter and musician with the voice of an angel. Originally from Edmonton, Canada with professional ties to Los Angeles, Shimmer has an incredibly beautiful and resonant singing voice. In addition to her amazing vocal talents, she’s also a fine guitarist and pianist, and has collaborated with several songwriters and producers to create an impressive repertoire of outstanding songs over the past several years. She started out singing Country songs, but eventually branched out into adult contemporary pop, rock and dance music, all of which she manages to handle with ease. I’ve written about her numerous times on this blog, and one of the songs I’ve featured, her terrific dance single “Starts With You”, went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30.

Refeci and Shimmer recently teamed up to create a captivating dance song “Essence“, released through the LOUDKLOUT label on February 17th. Refeci’s pulsating dance beats are overlain with hauntingly beautiful piano chords and gauzy atmospheric synths, creating a mesmerizing and sensuous soundscape for Shimmer’s enchanting ethereal vocals that transport us to a dreamy, faraway place. The simple lyrics speak to the importance of remaining true to oneself: “Don’t ever ever doubt your life. Make a wish and just believe. Find the path that’s right. It’s the essence of life.”

Connect with Shimmer:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find her music on Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / Bandcamp

Connect with Refeci: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Amazon Music

Top 30 Songs for March 12-18, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

The first time I heard “Love From the Other Side” by rock band Fall Out Boy, I knew it would be a number one hit. And sure enough, in just four weeks it’s reached the top of my weekly chart (it’s also currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart). I love hard-driving rock songs with symphonic elements, so “Love From the Other Side” is right up my alley. It’s their first song to ever top my chart (as well as any Billboard chart), and I can say with certainty that it’s already my all-time favorite song by them. Their first new music release in four years, the song is the lead single from their forthcoming eighth studio album So Much (for) Stardust, due for release on March 24th. The song marks a return to Fall Out Boy releasing music under the Fueled by Ramen label.

The lyrics are filled with meanings open to interpretation, but overall, they seem to address the band’s internal struggles with their own stardom and success. According to a comment on Genius Lyrics, “The song [and] music video have a general theme of a new beginning. The last release from the band was ‘Mania’ from 2018. ‘Mania’ didn’t resonate very well with the audience, and the band didn’t release anything after 2019 outside of some collaborations. The ‘apocalypse’ is the failure of Mania and the following silence, with the new album being ‘the other side’ and a new beginning for their career, popularity, and music style.” ‘The apocalypse” can also likely be construed as a reference to the Covid pandemic. The imaginative video features band member Pete Wentz as an old man, reading a fantasy story to his granddaughter.

In addition to “Love From the Other Side”, there are so many fantastic songs out now, many by veteran artists and bands. The gorgeous “Transmitter” by Sea Power climbs four spots to #6, “Tropic Morning News” by The National rises five spots to #12, “New Gold” by Gorillaz, Tame Impala (who’s now recovering from recent surgery to repair a broken hip), and Bootie Brown jumps seven spots to #16, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode leaps 13 spots to #17.

Four songs make their debut this week: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus finally enters my chart at #27 after having just spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though I think she has a pretty good singing voice, I’ve never been much of a fan, as some of her slutty antics really turned me off. But after giving the song a careful listen the other day, it finally clicked with me and I have to concede that it’s a good song. With “Flowers”, Cyrus makes her very first appearance ever on my chart. The other three debuts include the boisterous “Modernise” by English rock band Slow Readers Club, at #28, the beautiful “The Walk Home” by one of my favorite American pop-rock bands Young the Giant, at #29, and the enchanting “Bluebell Wood” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #30.

  1. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (3)
  2. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1)
  3. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
  4. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
  5. PAGES – White Reaper (5)
  6. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (10)
  7. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
  8. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
  9. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
  10. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (6)
  11. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (13)
  12. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (17)
  13. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (15)
  14. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (16)
  15. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (14)
  16. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (23)
  17. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (30)
  18. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (20)
  19. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (22)
  20. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11) 20th week on chart
  21. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (12)
  22. EYEZ – The Arcs (24)
  23. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (25)
  24. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (18)
  25. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (19)
  26. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (21)
  27. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (N)
  28. MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (N)
  29. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (N)
  30. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (N)

MARTIN SAINT – Album Review: “Radio Murmurs”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews9 Comments

Martin Saint is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Montreal. Active in the local music scene for many years, he’s also currently the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Montreal-based alt-rock band The Ember Glows. He’s released a fair amount of music as a solo artist, including a spoken word EP Fly Tales in 2019, an album One Word Away in January 2020, an EP Last New Year’s Eve in March 2021, and this past November, he dropped an excellent cover of Leonard Cohen’s song “The Law”, which I featured in a Fresh New Tracks post. Now he returns with his second album Radio Murmurs, featuring eight exquisite tracks, most of which deal with various aspects of love, relationships lost, and emotional well-being.

About the album, Martin explains “This new collection emerged during the pandemic with the specific intention to produce a full-length album. The goal was to achieve a result similar to David Bowie’s ‘Low’ album, with half the record featuring more accessible pop hooks and the other half more atmospheric and texture-driven. As always, lyrics aim at standing for themselves outside the music, as a major cornerstone of the ensemble. Glimmers of Nick Cave, Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Simple Minds and The Doors infuse most of my work and ‘Radio Murmurs’ displays these references a little at a time.”

For the album’s recording, Martin enlisted the help of several musicians and vocalists, including fellow The Ember Glows members Richard Bunze, Kevin Hills and Dan Stefik on a couple tracks, Guillaume Thoreau, who played Mini-Moog on “Scenes from Cars”, singer-songwriter Ursa Minor for the duet on “I’ll Be Your Stranger”, Delphine Dupont for backing vocals on “No Hard Feelings” and Sarah Emilie for backing vocals on “Last Lights” and “No Hard Feelings”.

There’s a lot to like on Radio Murmurs, particularly the darkly beautiful and mysterious aura of many tracks, lush arrangements, outstanding instrumentation – especially the gorgeous chiming and jangly guitar work, and Martin’s poetic lyrics. The album kicks off with the splendid “In the Universe“, a stunning song highlighted by the aforementioned chiming guitars and affecting piano keys. Martin’s smooth vocals, which remind me at times of the late, great Scott Walker, are pleasing as he plaintively asks a friend for their love, comfort and support: “Will you sit by my side, and be the last face I see. Will you run and hide when the gods take back what they’ve lent me?“

On the lovely duet “I’ll Be Your Stranger” with Ursa Minor, Martin sings of the loneliness and ennui he (and many of us) experienced during the Covid lockdowns, hungry for love, empathy and companionship: “Exiled at home in digital solitude. Time is crawling and I swing from mood to mood. When all that I want is to hide naked in bed./ I’ll be your kind stranger. Passing by for a minute or more. The one you won’t need a mask for.” Ursa Minor’s ethereal vocals both contrast and complement Martin’s quite nicely.

“Last Lights” is an outlier, thematically, with lyrics addressing historic socio-political strife and the rise and fall of authoritarian regimes: “Invaders’ songs fill the old streets. Join The Party, march to the beat. Smokestack steel fuels the strife. Sad Slavic eyes bound for exile. And nations rise from relic. Nations fall brick by brick.” Musically, the track has a mesmerizing synth-driven groove reminiscent of some of Depeche Mode’s songs. I’m not sure what “Wet Road” is about, though its lyrics speak of driving in the rain at night with a loved one, with mention of the album’s title: “Exits fly by, mile by mile. The engine purrs. Over our silence, the radio murmurs. In the soft rain, the velvet night is rocking me. In her foggy bliss she cradles me.” I really like its mysterious vibe, highlighted by sharp, eerie synths, sparkling piano keys and deep bassline.

“The Double” is a great tune, with an arresting toe-tapping beat accompanied by a throbbing bass groove, otherworldly synths and delicate jangly guitars that are simply fantastic. Martin’s doesn’t have a strong voice, but his vocals sound particularly good on this track. “No Hard Feelings” is one of my favorite tracks on the album, with an opening strummed guitar lick that immediately reminded me of Oasis’ great classic “Wonderwall”. The lyrics speak of a couple in the final throes of a relationship that’s over, saying their last goodbyes to one another without acrimony: “Happy rest of the road is what you meant to say, I saw it in your smile. No binding words to relive old days, this is our last mile. We can try but we all know it’s not the same. But no hard feelings.”

“Wide Open” has a strong Simple Minds feel, as the song has shades of their song “Alive & Kicking”. Kevin Hills provides some great fuzzy bass on this track The lyrics are directed toward someone who’s fallen far down and letting them know that, despite their self-destructive behavior, your door is still open if they need a friend: “How low have you now sunken, friendless, broke and broken? What are you now reaping that you have long been sowing? Where have we watched you take your long road to perdition? When did your last mistake become your next decision?“

Martin saves the best for last, as the stylish and sultry “Scenes from Cars” is my favorite track on the album. The song’s captivating music is courtesy of a fake pedal-steel sound by Dan Stefik’s guitar and Mini-Moog synths played by Guillaume Thoreau. Martin’s smooth croons have an ethereal sultry feel as he touches on various romantic and non-romantic scenarios between people while driving in cars: “Sunday morning drive. A family of five or a weekend dad and child. Backseat in the dark. A teenage hand pushed hard. Love is still a bridge too far. Predator and prey roam lost highways or city streets today./ Lovers in a car. A loner in a car.” It’s a superb ending to a very fine album.

Connect with Martin:  Facebook / Instagram 

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music

Top 30 Songs for March 5-11, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

Beach Weather maintain a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their languid and sultry “Trouble With This Bed”, while their monster hit “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” also spends its 25th week on my chart. Both songs are featured on their wonderful new debut album Pineapple Sunrise. Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna‘s “Night Bus” holds at #2 for a second week, and Fall Out Boy‘s hard-driving cinematic gem “Love From the Other Side” continues its rapid climb, moving up five spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by Local Natives, at #9, and “Transmitter” by Sea Power, at #10.

The lone debut this week is “Ghosts Again” by legendary electronic band Depeche Mode, which now essentially consists of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. The song is their first new release since the death of co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher last May. About the song, Gahan said it “captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy“, while Gore noted it has “such an upbeat feel to it“. The duo has intimated in interviews that the song is a sort of tribute to Fletcher, touching on the fragility of life and the possibility of an afterlife, namely, that everyone will eventually turn into “ghosts again”. (Wikipedia) With “Ghosts Again”, the duo leave no doubt they can still deliver a stellar song after more than 40 years.

  1. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1) 3rd week at #1
  2. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
  3. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (8)
  4. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
  5. PAGES – White Reaper (5)
  6. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (3)
  7. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (9)
  8. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (10)
  9. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (11)
  10. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (12)
  11. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (6)
  12. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (7)
  13. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (15)
  14. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (16)
  15. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (17)
  16. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (20)
  17. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (21)
  18. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (13)
  19. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (14)
  20. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (22)
  21. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (19)
  22. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (25)
  23. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (30)
  24. EYEZ – The Arcs (27)
  25. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (28)
  26. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (23) 25th week on chart
  27. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (24)
  28. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (18) 21st week on chart
  29. KILL BILL – SZA (26)
  30. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (N)

CONCERT REVIEW: THE EAGLES – Hotel California Tour

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews40 Comments
A recent photo of the band by Ron Koch

Last Saturday night, February 25th, I saw the Eagles at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. (It’s a brand new multi-use arena that serves both as the home of the newly-created Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey team – yes, we now have a hockey team in the desert! – and as a major venue for music concerts and other large events.) I had the good fortune to be gifted a ticket to the sold-out show by a neighbor who had an extra, and believe it or not, it was my very first time seeing the legendary folk-rock band. As a legacy act who’s been around more than 50 years, seeing them live at this point comes with a bit of trepidation, as we wonder how well they’ll perform and sound, given their ages. Well, I needn’t have worried, as they sounded fantastic! There was no opening act, just them, who played for three hours.

The Eagles, who now consist of founding member Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh and Vince Gill, along with former member Deacon Frey (Glenn’s son), who rejoined the group for this tour, actually began what has been dubbed their “Hotel California Tour” back in 2020. But as Wren Graves sardonically noted in Consequence Sound, the Eagles are “lurching closer to the self-fulfilling prophecy that while they might be able to check out any time they like, they can never leave“, as they keep extending the tour by adding more dates. The most recent leg of their tour began in Portland, Oregon on February 19th, and includes shows in 11 cities, wrapping up on April 7th in Newark, New Jersey. (You can book tickets for remaining shows, if they’re even available, here.) Interestingly, they played two nights here in Palm Desert, the second of which I attended. 

The show was divided into two parts, the first of which was their performance of the entire Hotel California album. The proceedings began with a rather odd bit of theatrics involving a very old-looking man walking slowly across the stage holding a vinyl copy of Hotel California, then placing it on a turntable and dropping the needle, whereupon the band began playing the title track. (The album’s flip side was later handled by a sexy blonde woman in a slinky black dress. The meaning or symbolism of these two characters wasn’t clear to me, but perhaps the woman represented the woman alluded to in the title track.)

The Eagles, along with a cadre of supporting musicians, including another back-up drummer Scott Crago, who Henley cheekily noted “helped keep him from having cardiac arrest“, played each song in the same order as they appear on the album. To faithfully recreate the lusher moments of “Wasted Time,” “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” and “Last Resort”, they enlisted members of a couple of Southern California orchestras, as well as a choir from Cal State Fullerton (if my memory serves me correctly).

After a short intermission, they returned to play, as Henley put it, “everything we know.” And did they ever! After beginning their second set with “Seven Bridges Road”, Henley then welcomed Deacon Frey to the stage (Deacon joined the Eagles after the death of his father in 2016 but left the group last year in order to focus on his solo career). To riotous cheers, he launched into a rousing rendition of “Take It Easy”, one of Glenn’s signature songs. (Both Deacon and Vince Gill handled the songs formerly sung by Frey.)

Filming videos of any portion of the concert was strictly forbidden, however, I managed to record part of the song without getting caught. But moments after I stopped filming with my smart phone, an usher instructed the man sitting in front of me to cease his own filming. I uploaded my video to YouTube, but after hearing and reading about people having their videos taken down and even being banned from YouTube altogether (I don’t know whether or not it’s true, but I read somewhere that Henley employs a staff of 60 people assigned to scour the internet for unauthorized content), I deleted my video.

Frey followed with the beautiful “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, which has long been one of my personal favorite Eagles songs, then the band played the dark and mysterious classics “One of These Nights” and “Witchy Woman” two more favorites of mine. Joe Walsh then took center stage for the first of his songs “In the City”. While a few of the people I went to the concert with thought his songs were the weakest part of the show, I loved every minute of them. Not only is he an incredible guitarist, he’s also a terrific showman with a great sense of humor. He made us all laugh when he quipped “I loved my 20s in the 70s, but my 70s in the 20s, not so much.”

I found this assessment of Walsh by Robert Ham in his review of the Portland concert for Consequence Sound that’s so on point, I’ll simply quote it in its entirety: “The 75-year-old’s pact with Satan, which has helped him survive all manner of chemical dependencies and much personal turmoil, seems very much in place. His face was still an amoebic mass, warping and distending in response to his aqueous guitar solos and his own vocals, but what came out of it was lucid and strong. Walsh took an impressive amount of the spotlight, knocking out his Hotel California song, “In the City,” and a trio of tunes from his life outside Eagles with a supremely joyful countenance. If, at times, it looked like he was pulling it all out from deep within his core as he sang “Life’s Been Good” and “Rocky Mountain Way,” his performance never diminished.”

And just look at his gorgeous red guitar!

Vince Gill was a pleasant surprise for me. I’ve never much followed his country music career, though I’ve liked what I heard by him. But his vocal style fits the Eagles’ sound very well, and wow, what an amazing guitarist he is!

The hits kept on coming, with even Henley’s great solo song “The Boys of Summer” making an appearance. The guys wrapped up with “Heartache Tonight”, then left the stage to thunderous applause, only to return for a four-song encore that began with a blistering performance by Walsh of his classic “Rocky Mountain Way”. I loved the special visual effects for his performance, which showed him encased in flames:

They concluded their encore set with “Desperado”, “Already Gone”, and a heartfelt performance of “The Best of My Love”, which Henley and the band dedicated to America in this time of bitter divisiveness and discord. It was a fitting and emotional end to a magnificent show, where the feelings of love for the Eagles by everyone there were strongly palpable.

I apologize for the shitty quality of my photos. My smart phone takes decent videos, but lousy photos when the lighting’s poor.

Setlist

Set 1 (Hotel California)

  1. Hotel California
  2. New Kid in Town
  3. Life in the Fast Lane
  4. Wasted Time
  5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
  6. Victim of Love
  7. Pretty Maids All in a Row
  8. Try and Love Again
  9. The Last Resort

Set 2 (Greatest Hits)

  1. Seven Bridges Road (Steve Young cover)
  2. Take It Easy (with Deacon Frey)
  3. Peaceful Easy Feeling (with Deacon Frey)
  4. One of These Nights
  5. Take It to the Limit
  6. Witchy Woman
  7. In the City (Joe Walsh song)
  8. I Can’t Tell You Why
  9. Tequila Sunrise
  10. Lyin’ Eyes
  11. Life’s Been Good (Joe Walsh song)
  12. The Boys of Summer (Don Henley song)
  13. Funk #49 (James Gang song)
  14. Heartache Tonight

Encore

  1. Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh song)
  2. Desperado
  3. Already Gone (Jack Tempchin cover) (with Deacon Frey)
  4. The Best of My Love (with Deacon Frey)