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They considered canceling the show.
But, in the end, the Eagles decided to carry on even without ailing guitarist-vocalist Joe Walsh and play their sold-out show at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Jan. 24).
The result was unlike any other show the massively popular Los Angeles band has performed during its lengthy Sphere residence, except, really, in one way:
It was still an absolute delight to behold.
Vince Gill, the country star who joined the band after original member Glenn Frey died in 2016, shouldered most of the load caused by Walsh’s absence. He sang the tunes that usually go to Walsh and played many of his regular guitar leads — with the other portion of those hot licks being handled, quite admirably, by ace touring member Chris Holt.
Walsh was out of the fold on this night, band leader Don Henley explained to the crowd, due to his coming down with the flu. Walsh had still managed to soldier through the previous night’s Sphere gig, but his doctor reportedly advised him not to take the stage on Saturday.
He was missed — especially vocally — since Gill’s angelic voice does not, in any way shape or form, resemble Walsh’s charmingly out-of-pitch squawk-talk style. And there were times during the guitar parts that it felt like Walsh might have pushed things a little further — or, at least, a little different — than his studio-session-ready counterparts.
But Walsh will hopefully be feeling better soon and be back in the mix during this blockbuster Eagles residency, which continues at the Sphere through March 28. (For exact dates and other ticket information, visit eagles.com.)
The continued success of this residency — which is the longest in Sphere history — is further proof of the undying love for the Eagles, which got their start as the backing band for Linda Ronstadt in 1971.
Want even more proof? Well, consider that the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975” recently garnered quadruple platinum certification in the U.S. Never heard of the term “quadruple platinum certification” before? Well, that’s because it had never ever happened before — the Eagles are the first act to hit that mark, which translates to 40x platinum (aka, 40 millions album units sold).
The group would underscore so many of the reasons for its vast popularity during Saturday’s approximately 2-hour show. The classic rock outfit performed all 10 of the songs featured on that quadruple diamond offering — which ranks as the best-selling album of all time in the U.S. — as well as others tunes from elsewhere in the band catalog as well as a few solo Henley and Walsh cuts.
It’s amazing how good the group — consisting of Henley, Gill, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and vocalist-guitarist Deacon Frey (son of Glenn Frey) as well as touring members Holt, Scott F. Crago on drums and Will Hollis and Michael Thompson on various keys — sounded without such an important piece of the musical puzzle.
Yet, Henley explained that the band had called an emergency two-hour practice earlier in the day, once it was clear that Walsh wasn’t going to make it to the show, and it definitely did the trick. The whole thing went really smoothly and, if you didn’t know any better, it would have been hard to even tell that the group was missing anyone at all.
Of course, the whole shebang was greatly enhanced by the venue itself, which delivered its mind-blowing mix of colorful, moving visuals across and around its unbelievable vivid and clear 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that dominates the interior of this 366-foot-fall building.
The video segments and special effects always played to the lyrics, strengthening storylines with images that moved between fantastical and rooted in reality. As far as the latter goes, the group continually took us to its hometown of L.A. — as well as the broader Southern California region — which makes sense given the pronounced role that the City of Angels has played in the group’s music.
Highlights included those famed band harmonies on “Seven Bridges Road,” delivered ever so sweetly as huge video images of the players floated well above the stage; Deacon Frey’s solid vocal work on “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” which came to a close with a big shot of papa Glenn Frey on the screen; Gill’s blistering lead work on the Walsh solo cut “In the City”; and Henley warmly dedicating “The Boys of Summer” to the dearly departed Bobby Weir.
It was a great show from start to finish. And the shows will likely get even better once Walsh returns to the stage. Fans who haven’t attended this residency yet — or those who simply want another helping of the fun — should definitely consider making a date with the Eagles at the Sphere soon.
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Jim Harrington
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