Eagles soar with 'Hotel California' concert at PPG Paints Arena

Just as most Eagles fans will probably never forget where they were the first time they heard the song “Hotel California,” those at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night won’t soon forget hearing the live version of the song that kicked off an in-concert performance of the entire “Hotel California” album.

The second half of the three-hour concert, including intermission, saw the Eagles emptying an entire gift bag of its greatest hits, songs filled with luscious five-part harmonies and searing guitar solos.

The Eagles became a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band largely on the strength of its country rock sound. But when “Hotel California” was recorded in 1976, it marked a departure from that, one that reportedly caused Eagles founding member and guitarist Bernie Leadon to quit the band before the recording sessions had begun.

The dark, spooky and cynical vibe of the title track — the first song on side one — sets the tone for the rest of the album.

Charley Walters of Rolling Stone wrote at the time that Don Henley’s vocals expressed “the weary disgust of a victim (or observer) of the region’s luxurious excess.”

The “Hotel California” album went to No. 1 in January 1977. The single, which also topped the charts, won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Today “Hotel California” stands as the third-highest selling U.S. album in history, having been certified 26-times Platinum by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA). Several of the songs from the album have not been performed since the original “Hotel California” tour.

So, the Eagles’ motivation was clear and the packed house bought in from the moment the band, consisting of Henley, Joe Walsh (the only members remaining who performed on the album), Vince Gill, Timothy B. Schmit and long-time touring member Steuart Smith, took the stage in dark outfits matching the mood of the album. Deacon Frey, who joined the band a year after his father Glenn’s death in 2016, is not on the tour because of an undisclosed illness.

With a candelabra flickering in the upper left corner of the stage, a white haired Henley, now 75, began singing the opening words of “Hotel California” from behind the drum kit, his voice sounding pristine and just as it had 46 years ago when the song was recorded.

Walsh and Smith traded thunder and lightning guitar licks during the climax of the song that might have surpassed those on the recording between Walsh and guitarist Don Felder.

And this was only the start of the evening.

The next song, “New Kid in Town,” featured lead vocals from Gill, who fit right in as the voice for Glenn Frey’s songs.

Then came a raucous version of “Life in the Fast Lane,” with Henley switching to guitar and absolutely shredding a solo along with an energized Walsh.

On “Wasted Time” and “Wasted Time (Reprise)”, an orchestra appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, on a hydraulic lift behind the band. It was the Pittsburgh Strings With Wings adding a beautiful layer to the delicate ballad. The orchestra would appear at various points during the rest of the concert along with the Carnegie Mellon University choir.

Then it was on to side two of the album, starting with “Victim of Love” and more of Walsh’s amazing and underrated guitar work.

Walsh finally got to sing lead on “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” which featured more fine backing by the orchestra.

“Try and Love Again,” the most country-sounding song on the album, followed. For the final track, “The Last Resort,” the orchestra and choir added an angelic layer.

With so many moving parts, this rendition of “Hotel California” could have gone completely off the rails. Instead the Eagles and their guest performers nailed it.

When the Eagles’ performance of “Hotel California” was finished, Don Henley stepped to the microphone and said “that concludes the ‘Hotel California’ portion of the show because albums were only 40 minutes long back then.”

Henley then acknowledged the orchestra and choir as the band members turned and applauded them. He encouraged the crowd to “support your local musicians.”

After an intermission, Henley opened the second half by again addressing the audience.

“We’re glad to be with you this evening. At this stage of the game, we’re pretty much glad to be anywhere,” he said, drawing a huge response from the crowd. “We want to provide you this evening with a three-hour vacation from all the chaos and what’s been going on in the world.

“There’s a sad shadow hanging over us tonight, because we lost one of our musical comrades, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. We dedicate this show to him tonight.” Hawkins, 50, died suddenly on Friday, on tour with band in Bogota, Colombia.

The Eagles opened the second half with “Seven Bridges Road” followed by one of the band’s earliest hits, “Take it Easy,” featuring Gill singing lead and putting the country back into the group’s country rock sound.

That was followed by one of the Eagles’ more sensual songs, “One of These Nights.” The song featured another riveting guitar solo by Smith. And then came one of the more uplifting moments of the evening when the full-throated audience sang along with Gill during the anthemic “Take It to the Limit.”

Other highlights from the second half included the mesmerizing harmony on “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and Walsh’s wonderfully quirky singing and driving guitar playing on “In the City.”

Walsh also had a chance to dip into his collection of solo work, performing “Life’s Been Good” and “Rocky Mountain Way,” the latter pulled out for the beginning of the encore. The encore also included Henley’s hit single “The Boys of Summer,” which was a bit of an anticlimax following “Desperado” and a return by Pittsburgh Strings With Wings that raised the song to new heights.

At one point Cleveland native Walsh remarked that he liked Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh! I spent three days here one night.”

Well Joe, on Saturday night, you and the rest of the Eagles played three days worth of great music.