The Eagles are currently on their Long Goodbye Final Tour. However, they aren’t just saying farewell to the road. Instead, they’re taking the opportunity to pay tribute to fallen friends and bandmates. The tributes rolled out over the last two weekends as the band played four hometown shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
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The Eagles have a long history with the venue, according to Billboard. They played the venue for the first time in 1975, nearly five decades ago. Additionally, they were the first band to take the stage when the Forum reopened after undergoing renovations. The band played a six-show run to christen the new space.
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Eagles Pay Tribute to Fallen Band Members
With that in mind, it’s no wonder that the remaining Eagles felt the absence of Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner a little more keenly. Frey, guitarist and founding member of the band, passed away in 2016. Then, earlier this year, founding bassist Meisner died.
Today, Frey’s son Deacon is filling his father’s spot in the band. He plays guitar alongside Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill. Any time they took the lead on a song, it was a tribute to the late guitarist. At one point in the night, the Eagles played “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” After the song, a photo of Frey appeared on the big screen above the stage.
They played “Take It to the Limit” in honor of Meisner. Don Henley introduced the song by saying, “We’re gonna dedicate this to the memory of Mr. Randy Meisner.”
It was the band’s only single to feature the late bassist singing lead vocals. Gill took the lead on that song because he can nail Meisner’s high notes like no one else in the band.
A Nod to Jimmy Buffett
The Eagles didn’t just pay tribute to their fallen bandmates. They also took a moment to give a nod to the late singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett who died last September. Henley told the crowd, “We’re going to take a little trip back to the mid-80s right now. We’re going to dedicate this next song to the memory of our dear friend, Mr. Jimmy Buffett,” before playing his solo hit “The Boys of Summer.”
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