Hotel California at the Famous Spiegeltent

25/08/07

I can't imagine many of my music generation not owning a copy of an Eagles song; even just their Greatest Hits album which is still touted as the world's greatest selling record, for this was a band with not just hits, but mega-hits which lit up the 70's and early 80's. It was a time of laid back electric country-rock overlaid with Glenn (the Lone Arranger) Frey's visionary vocal arrangements and well crafted lyrics which were usually comments on American cultural life in the 70's.

Any tribute band has its work cut out to recreate the original sounds but here we are talking about a monumental task to replicate an original, timeless and magical sound for which we have not seen the like since - could our very own Hotel California (unlike the American band of the same name which, unfortunately, the Spiegeltent's literature URL linked into) do justice to these masterpieces of contemporary music? I approached the Famous Spiegeltent with great anticipation to resolve that question and to have a pre-show drink only to hear the band in full flow. Panicking, I checked my ticket, then the box office and was reassured that I wasn't late but due to heavy demand for the show (ours was a sell-out) they had agreed to put on a 'matinee' performance.

Listening outside with my medicinal beverage fully grasped I was a little concerned at the sound I was hearing, but once safely installed inside, I quickly realised the folly of anyone not obtaining a ticket as the sound the band made was so much better than that which percolated out to the beer tent. Having only had about half an hour between the previous show and this, the band were already warmed up and launched straight into Take it easy which had been a great opening song on the first Eagles album. This was quickly followed by Peaceful easy feeling, a song Glenn Frey loved to sing as it reflected the sound of one of his favourite bands - Poco - and again this was well covered by the band. In retrospect, the next song Witchy woman was probably the best presented song for me. It was Don Henley's first song but tonight it was the drumming that recaptured all the Native American feel of the original.

By the time they played the Joe Walsh song In the city Kenny had switched from guitar to keyboard and then came the four part harmony of Seven bridges road, which sounds more of a CSNY/ Ian Matthews type of song but one which I know Eagles fans loved to hear - usually at the start of a show. The audience began getting into the music by now and many were starting to clap along. The only Eagles hit not to have been sung by Glenn Frey or Don Henley?

Followed by Twenty-one and some ripping guitar work on Already gone which belatedly roused the audience, the first half screeched breathlessly to a halt.

If the first half contained many of the slower songs, the band promised us that the second half would be rockier. One of these nights kicked it off and by Lyin' eyes the audience were enthusiastically singing along (well there wasn't much room left for dancing). The first post-1982 split solo single by Don Henley Dirty laundry was solidly played and again well driven by impeccable drumming. Joe Walsh's Life's been good to me followed and then two songs from the Hotel California album, New kid in town and Life in the fast lane where at least two of the audience had managed to find enough space for a dance. But it was the fastest tempo song the Eagles ever recorded, the unapologetically non-PC Get over it which raised the temperature a degree or two, before Heartache tonight slowed it down just a shade to bring the set to conclusion.

The audience, wildly appreciative and clamouring for an encore, brought the boys back out for the seminal Hotel California. Jim swapped over to his double-neck guitar and between himself and Kenny, delivered what to me is one of the top three best ever guitar solos ever (along with Pink Floyd's Comfortably numb and Led Zeppelin's Stairway to heaven.) The audience were on their feet and loudly vented their appreciation of an excellent show for which the band graciously responded by coming together in a line at the front of the stage to accept the acclaim and thank us for our support.

If I had to mark them out of 10 some might feel that I am being harsh by saying 9. Having said that, there is no doubt that they recreated the Eagles Story atmosphere extremely well. The guitar work overall was quite stunning and faithful to the original.