Tag Archives: The Eagles
December 29, 2022 Album reviews, Folk music, Glam rock, Live reviews, Music culture & history, Music news, Rock musicalbum review, classic rock, Fairport Convention, folk, Giants of Rock, Glam rock, Graham Bonnet, Kim Carnie, live review, Rolling Stones, Suzi Quatro, The Eagles, Tony Fox SalesDarren Johnson
I wish everyone a happy New Year. My thanks to everyone who has visited Darren's music blog during 2022. As usual an eclectic mix of classic rock, folk and glam and a mixture of live reviews, album reviews, tour news and a plug for my own book appearing amongst the ten most viewed posts of the year.
1. Live review: the final ever Giants of Rock, Minehead 21-23 January 2022
Barring the gap due to Covid I'd been going to Butlins at Minehead each January since 2015 for the Giants Of Rock festival. But now the festival is no more, replaced by a tribute weekend, so I'll be heading to Skegness in January for the Rock & Blues festival instead (although, sadly, that is coming to and end, too). Relive the last ever Giants of Rock weekend here with my review covering the likes of Ten Years After, Geordie, Atomic Rooster and Nazareth.
Read full review here
2. Live review: Suzi Quatro at the Royal Albert Hall 20/4/22
2022 was the year of all things Suzi Quatro for me. Not only did my book for Sonicbond's Decades series, Suzi Quatro In The 1970s, come out in July but earlier in the year I could celebrate getting it finished, proofread and finally off to the publishers with a trip to London for Suzi's incredible performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo credit (above): Gary Cosby
3. Live review: the Eagles at Hyde Park 26/6/22
I was back over to London a couple of times in the Summer, too, with two separate trips to Hyde Park for the British Summertime series of concerts. The first of these was for the Eagles. Long on my bucket-list of must-see bands I finally got to see them. Even without the late, great Glenn Frey, it was still an incredible experience and just magical being in Hyde Park late on a summer evening as the sun started set watching them perform 'Hotel California'.
4. Live review: the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park 3/7/22
Just a week after the Eagles I was back in Hyde Park for the Rolling Stones. It's been over thirty years since attending my first and only previous Rolling Stones gig, when I went with my dad to Manchester's Maine Road back in 1990. My dad's thinking back then was that if I wanted to see them live then 1990's Urban Jungle tour might be my last chance. It wasn't quite! Thirty years later I'm back for more and what a memorable evening it was.
5. Live review: Fairport's Cropredy Convention August 2022
After a two-year gap due to Covid restrictions it was nice to be back in Oxfordshire in August for Fairport Convention's annual Cropredy festival. Both tickets and line-up had been carried over from the event initially planned for 2020 but the passage of time had necessitated some tweaks to the line-up and in my case (due to a change in domestic circumstances), the reallocation of my second ticket to a Cropredy newcomer. Highlights included Clannad, Trevor Horn, Turin Brakes, Richard Thompson – and Fairport, of course!
6. New book: 'Suzi Quatro In The 1970s' by Darren Johnson coming in July 2022
Definitely, one of the highlights of 2022 for me was the publication of my book on Suzi Quatro for Sonicbond's Decades series, which followed on from the book on The Sweet I had written the previous year for the same series. As Suzi herself says: "If you talk about the '70s, I was a hardworking artist. I did nothing but tour – recording, touring, TV, you know. I had constant jetlag. Constant black shadows under my eyes but, oh, what a ride! What a wonderful ride. And I'm still doing it now."
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7. Album review – Graham Bonnet Band 'Day Out In Nowhere'
My most popular album review of the year, I wrote that Graham Bonnet is "clearly on something of a roll at this late stage in his career. Whether you are the more casual fan of his most celebrated albums from the late 70s and early 80s or a dedicated fan who's loyally followed each and every stage of his long career, there's lots to like in Day Out In Nowhere. It deserves to do well."
8. Album reviews: four recent solo releases from the extended Uriah Heep family
Going online to treat myself to the newly-released CD from former Uriah Heep singer, Pete Goalby, I ended up having one of those "customers who viewed this also viewed these" impulse purchase experiences. Before I knew it I had, not one, but four recently-released CDs from the extended Uriah Heep family popping through my letterbox, three of these being released posthumously.
9. Bowie and Iggy Pop icon, Tony Fox Sales, celebrates 45 years of Lust For Life
One of the things I am really looking forward to in 2023 is the tour by Iggy Pop / Bowie bass legend, Tony Fox Sales. With an all-star line-up, Tony is joined by legendary Blondie drummer, Clem Burke; vocalist, renowned broadcaster and Pet Shop Boys dancer, Katie Puckrik; Iggy Pop and David Bowie guitarist, Kevin Armstrong; guitarist, Luis Correia, who's toured internationally with Earl Slick; and classical pianist, composer, and touring member of Heaven 17, Florence Sabeva.
10. Gaelic singer Kim Carnie – debut album 'And So We Gather'
Gaelic singer, Kim Carnie, launched her solo career in 2018 with the release of her EP, In Her Company. Since then she's worked with the bands, Mànran and Staran, been much in demand as a session vocalist and in 2021 won the Gaelic Singer of The Year prize at the MG Alba Trad Awards. In June this year she released her debut album, And So We Gather.
2021 in Darren's music blog
Live review: the Eagles at Hyde Park 26/6/22
June 27, 2022 Live reviews, Rock musicAlison Krauss, BST, BST Hyde Park, classic rock, Hyde Park, live review, Robert Plant, setlist, The EaglesDarren Johnson
My first BST Hyde Park festival since Blur in 2015, and I've not just got one this year, but two. First the Eagles then the Rolling Stones a week later.
Having long been on my bucket-list of must-see artists, I'd somehow managed to avoid seeing the Eagles until now so today was always going to be really special. It was made even more special by the early evening support slot from none other than Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. It's a superb fit as their lush bluegrass-soaked Americana perfectly complements the laid-back, west coast, country rock of the headliners. Giving us a selection of tracks from their stunning 2007 Raising Sand album and its recent follow-up, Raise The Roof, the pair also manage to chuck in a couple of Zep covers, too – 'Rock and Roll' and a majestic version of 'The Battle of Evermore', originally a duet between Plant and Sandy Denny.
The sun continued to shine and the Eagles took to the stage on a lovely warm summer evening in Hyde Park. If there's one band you don't want to see performing against a backdrop of typically unreliable British weather, it's got to be the Eagles. But everything is on their side tonight.
Following the sad passing of Glenn Frey back in 2016, the Eagles these days are Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and new boy, Vince Gill. It's a masterclass of a performance and the classics just keep rolling: 'One Of These Nights', 'Witchy Woman', Take It To The Limit', Lyin' Eyes', They just keep coming.
Glenn Frey's son, Deacon, who was officially part of the line-up for a time following his father's death, joins as a special guest for a couple of songs, including a stunning 'Take It Easy'.
Ever the rock star, and never one to really go for the regulation, trade-mark, laid-back Eagles persona, Joe Walsh brings his flamboyance to the performance and gets to do a couple of his solo numbers, too. He's still in fine voice and his guitar-playing is just a delight. Drummer and founder, Don Henley, also gives us one of his solo numbers, dedicating 'The Boys of Summer' to Taylor Hawkins.
Those Eagles classics keep coming though. They'll be on for two hours by the end. Probably mindful of Westminster City Council's ultra-strict curfew policy and given that we are now well past 10pm, "We're not going to do that walk on and walk off thing," we're told. Before we know it, it's 'Hotel California' and it just felt magical being in Hyde Park late on a summer evening watching the Eagles perform the song they'll always be most famous for. We're not quite finished yet and there's time to squeeze in 'Rocky Mountain Way', 'Desperado' and 'Already Gone' before the curfew hits.
A truly magical evening and a chance to finally see one of my bucket-list bands. And next week it's the Stones!
https://eagles.com/
Seven Bridges Road
One of These Nights
New Kid in Town
Witchy Woman
Take It to the Limit
Lyin' Eyes
I Can't Tell You Why
Victim of Love
Best of My Love
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Life's Been Good
Those Shoes
The Boys of Summer
Funk #49
Heartache Tonight
Rocky Mountain Way
Related review:
Live review: the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park 3/7/22