Liverpool Sound and Vision rating 9/10

You can wait years for an Eagles tour to come round; however no matter what, it is something that at least once in your life you need to be able to say you did. There would be no regrets, no thought of feeling as if the motions were being underplayed, what you get is one of the most entertaining, thoughtful and considered nights out you are likely to witness.  The quality of Don Henley and Glen Frey’s song-writing, the amazing spectacle of Joe Walsh, arguably one of the true greats of American Rock, the appearance of Bernie Leadon causing a ripple of welcoming gasps throughout  the auditorium and the perfect voice of Timothy B. Schmit all rolled up in to a perfect wrecking ball of a band.

Perhaps one of the signs of a true great, regardless of whether it is an actor on stage performing an intense Shakespearian soliloquy, a dancer in a theatre radiating sadness or a set of musicians who are as timeless as much loved Victorian pocket watch, is their unnerving ability to make you feel as though you are the only person in the room; the only person who can taste the very tangible feeling of completeness, of untethered depth to the performance at hand and that feeling of comfortable solitude. So lost was the audience during the first half of the show that a cursory glance around the people that were visible to the naked eye saw very real tears running down the face and sparkling as if caught by the full moon on a desert night.

For the fans in the Hydro, the night was certainly a part of two halves, both equally astonishing, equally as exciting. The first was a reflection of the time that the Eagles have been in the hearts of public, the second a moment to really let go, to watch the legendary Joe Walsh hammer every single note as if it was the most powerful car available to him. Each note humming like a bird caught by surprise by the appearance of the rising sun.

In the past the band have been slighted and slated for some of their performances, they have run the gauntlet of those who have said that the gig was not worth it. For the fans inside the Hydro Arena, this surely was not the case, riveted beyond expectation by songs such as Peaceful Easy Feeling, The Best of My Love, The Long Run, Doolin’ Dalton and The Best of My Love and scintillatingly thrilled by Lyin’ Eyes, New Kin In Town, Heartache Tonight, the utterly compelling Life’s Been Good and Life In The Fast Lane.

There was no let-up in the emotional rollercoaster between love and captured beauty as Bernie Leadon was introduced back on stage for the encores which included arguably one of the finest songs ever composed, Hotel California, the sanguine Take It Easy, the unfolding glory of Rocky Mountain Way and the search filled finality of Desperado.

Confident, upbeat, and unmistakably Eagles. Nothing can ever take this band away from the emotions that have installed in their millions of fans over 42 years; nothing should ever be that foolish to try.

Ian D. Hall