I checked off another item on my bucket list this past Monday night and saw the band, "The Eagles" play live in concert in Indianapolis. A couple of my kids bought me two tickets to the concert for Christmas this year. I have been a lifelong fan of the Eagles, and to finally see them together in concert was an absolute thrill. The band was without founding member, Glenn Frey, who died in January of 2016. Instead, country music legend, singer/songwriter, and guitar virtuoso, Vince Gill and Frey's son, Deacon joined the band for their tour. I have always been a huge fan of the Eagles' drummer and lead singer, Don Henley and have seen him play live as a solo artist a couple of times. However, I have to say that Vince Gill and Joe Walsh stole the show. Thanks to my beautiful wife for joining me, especially since she really isn't an Eagles fan!
I was trying to think of something to write about today - I certainly could have tried to write something about International Pi Day (3/14), which is today. Or I could have tried to incorporate something about the "Ides of March" which happens tomorrow (3/15). I kept coming back to the Eagles. Believe it or not, the band started out as a back-up band to singer Linda Ronstadt in 1971 (the original line-up included Henley, Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner). Throughout the 1970's, the band would change line-ups again and again, with only Henley and Frey remaining the constant (Bernie Leadon was replaced by guitarist Don Felder, Joe Walsh would later join the band, and bassist Randy Meisner was eventually replaced by Timothy B. Schmit). The band would eventually have several number one hits, Grammy music awards, and number one albums before breaking up in 1980. The break-up wasn't a friendly one - in fact, Frey reportedly told Don Felder during their last concert together, "I'm gonna kick your ass when we get off this stage!" There are certainly a number of lessons here about working in a group setting (I am sure that ego's played a major role, as each member was a superstar in his own right). The break-up lasted over 14 years, but they would reunite for another tour and live album called "Hell Freezes Over" (Don Henley told a reporter in 1982 that the band would get back together, "when hell freezes over..."). The band has stayed together, off and on, since that time (minus Don Felder, who would later sue the other members of the band). They even released another studio album in 2007.
What struck me as something interesting to write about was the fact that three of the members of the band (Schmit, Henley, and Walsh) are all 70 years of age or older. Why would someone still be touring around the country playing rock-n-roll music at 70 years of age? I have no direct knowledge of their financial situation, but I am guessing that they are all doing just fine in that arena. So they aren't doing it for the money. I kept asking myself this question, over and over, and kept coming back to the most logical answer - they do it because they love it. Plain and simple, yet incredibly powerful. They just love playing their music. You could tell they were getting tired towards the end of the show on Monday night, but they came out to play two encores after a 28-song set (basically playing every single one of their hits). It had a "this is the last time we are probably going to be able to do this" feel to it, especially since some of the songs that they played hadn't been played live in many, many years.
We could all be so lucky to be just as passionate about our profession as the Eagles are about theirs. Things are not always easy - we all have "one of those days" when we question why. But having a passion keeps us engaged and keeps us looking forward. I hope each and every one of you has that passion and keeps it going. Keep playing the music, and hopefully hell will keep freezing over...
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