BY BLAINE SAYERS – ROGERSPLACE.COM
“Dad, what’s a harmony?” a young fan asks in the merchandise lineup for the Eagles concert at Rogers Place Tuesday night. With a smile the father replies, “You’ll soon find out.” Unwittingly, the new fan could’ve summed up an entire night of discovery for those who’ve never seen the Eagles, while those who’ve been numerous times were reminded why they keep paying to see the iconic band. There are few, if any, musical acts still on tour that can boast six musicians capable of carrying lead vocals to an arena crowd and when they’re lined up in a row singing in unison, they’re unmatched.
Rolling through Edmonton this week, the latest incarnation of the Eagles proved that no matter how many changes they make to their roster, two things still remain in their music – perfect vocal harmonies and lots of guitars. On this particular tour, with the unexpected 2016 passing of Glenn Frey, the band recruited legendary country music star, Vince Gill, and Frey’s son Deacon. Both filled in exceptionally and held their own with longtime Eagles Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt. Steuart Smith, a member of the band since 2001, rounded out this group of Eagles.
Before the Eagles filled Rogers Place with their two and half hour career-spanning set, opening act JD and the Straight Shot warmed the crowd up. The country and blues act, led by Madison Square Garden Company Exec Chairman, James L. Dolan, were in a tough spot playing for a wound-up crowd eager for the Eagles to get their long set started. But the band took their opening role in stride, joking that it’s always fun to play for a crowd that has more fans in it than building hosts.