The Eagles are saying a lot of farewells on their Long Goodbye Final Tour — not just to life on the road, but also to the countless friends they’ve lost along the way.
So when they hit the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., for four nights over the past two weekends (kicking off Jan. 5 and 6 and wrapping up this past Friday and Saturday), they might have been feeling especially nostalgic, considering their band formed right here in Los Angeles and they first played the venue 49 years ago, back in 1975. They also reopened the Forum as a concert space in 2014, playing the first six shows in the newly renovated arena.
“It’s good to be back here at the Forum,” Don Henley said. “We consider the Forum to be our home field. … They’ve improved the place a lot since then. Remember all those ugly yellow and orange seats?” he said with a laugh, recalling the slightly different color scheme when the Lakers played at the Forum before moving to Staples Center in 1999.
Throughout their 21-song set, the Eagles sprinkled in tributes to peers they’ve lost, including bandmates Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner. Of course, Frey died back in 2016, and his son Deacon Frey, now 31, has been filling in for his late dad (alongside Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill) in the band since their Classic West performance at Dodger Stadium in 2017. Founding member Meisner — who left the band after 1976’s Hotel California album — died this past summer, so this is the band’s first tour since.
“We’re going to dedicate this to the memory of Mr. Randy Meisner,” Henley said to introduce “Take It to the Limit,” which was the band’s only single to feature the bassist on lead vocals and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 and spent 23 weeks on the chart — their longest-charting hit on the tally. “Sing it with him,” Henley implored, as Gill took over on Meisner’s sky-high vocals.
Frey tributes were sprinkled throughout the night — basically any time Deacon and Gill took the lead on his signature songs — and after the mellow “Peaceful Easy Feeling” wrapped up, Glenn’s picture appeared on the big screen.
One unexpected tribute came when Henley told the crowd, “I think we’re going to take a little trip up to the mid-’80s right now. And we’re going to dedicate this next song to the memory of our dear friend, Mr. Jimmy Buffett.” The intro led in to Henley’s 1984 solo smash “The Boys of Summer” — a perfect fit to remember the late “Margaritaville” singer, who died in September and was the eternal boy of summer.
Steely Dan served as the opening act, doing a robust 12-song set and remembering some friends of their own, with lead singer Donald Fagen making sure to shout out his band co-founder Walter Becker, who died in 2017.
The Long Goodbye Final Tour picks back up Tuesday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif., and wraps up March 16 at Charlotte, N.C.’s Spectrum Center.
Eagles’ Long Goodbye Final Tour setlist for Friday, Jan. 12:
Seven Bridges Road
Take It Easy
One of These Nights
Lyin’ Eyes
Best of My Love
New Kid in Town
Witchy Woman
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Tequila Sunrise
In the City
I Can’t Tell You Why
Take It to the Limit
Life’s Been Good
Already Gone
The Boys of Summer
Funk #49
Life in the Fast Lane
Hotel California
Encore:
Rocky Mountain Way
Desperado
Heartache Tonight