With less than two month’s notice, the Eagles sold out the biggest room in the city for a special evening of live music. And if you were lucky enough to be in attendance at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night, then it was no surprise why.
Not only are the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers an iconic name in music, going back to the '70s, but for their current headlining tour, the band is showcasing one of the best-selling albums in the history of music while also paying tribute to the entirety of their career with a set full of their greatest hits. All of the above gave their Wisconsin fans more than enough reasons to get to their seats early and enjoy three hours of hits from one of the biggest staples in rock over the last five decades.
Check out our top reasons you shouldn’t have missed the Eagles’ massive three-hour performance at Fiserv Forum last night:
1. They performed the entirety of the "Hotel California" LP from start to finish
Rarely is an album worthy enough to be performed in its entirety. Even when a tour shares its name in support of a band’s LP, there are usually a couple filler tracks that don’t make the cut on the set list. This isn’t the case for the Eagles’ iconic 1976 album, "Hotel California."
Even decades later, the band’s fifth studio album still holds up from start to finish. As it was recorded, the band opened their set on Wednesday night by performing the whole album from its opening title track to the masterpiece’s last song, “The Last Resort."
2. Vince Gill is the perfect fit
After the band reunited a few years ago in 2017, country music’s Vince Gill stepped in to fill the shoes of the band’s founding member, the late Glenn Frey. Gill was an unlikely but yet perfect fit for the band, and the experiment has been successful since he first joined. Early on into the performance, the Oklahoma native showed off his vocals with the very fitting “New Kid in Town."
3. A live orchestra and choir complemented the performance
Throughout the evening, the band was joined by a live orchestra to complement some of their records. During the “Hotel California” track “Wasted Time” and its reprise, a few dozen local orchestra members joined the band for a very special performance. Throughout the night, the orchestra and a choir would emerge for select tracks from the band’s set, including “The Last Resort," the final track from the first act of Eagles’ set. If the band’s cast of music legends weren’t enough, the live choir and orchestra made for a great twist on some of the band’s biggest records.
4. Their set lasted roughly three hours
The Eagles have seven studio albums and a few decades of hits to choose from, but no one could have left Wednesday night’s show feeling cheated. Although the majority of the band is in their mid-’70s, the Eagles didn’t “take it easy” and performed on stage for nearly three hours. With an hour dedicated to “Hotel California” and two hours for everything else, there was something for everyone during the band’s lengthy performance.
5. No opener necessary
When Eagles are on the marquee, there is no need for an opening act. Last night was all about the Eagles, and they kept it that way. As opposed to cutting time from their set to introduce their fans to a band they maybe haven’t heard of, the Eagles skipped the formalities and kicked off the night with only one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
6. They can check out at any time they like, but they can never leave
It’s anyone’s guess when the Eagles will make their way back to Milwaukee. Wednesday night was proof that Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit all still got it. They could extend their tour until 2024 and fans will still show up in massive numbers, or the band could decide to call it quits tomorrow. No matter when the Eagles return to Milwaukee, though, their name and hits will be a staple in rock music for much longer.
