SIXTEEN years after it broke up and two years since it reunited, It he most successful American band of the 1970s, The Eagles, held a press conference in the Dodder Room at Dublin's RDS last night on the eve of the band's biggest European tour.
The five members, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit faced the assembled media from at home and abroad, and answered questions about such burning topics as music, money, drugs and golf.
The Eagles' reunion has been spectacular by any standards, and the band's two concerts at the RDS tonight and tomorrow night have become the hottest tickets on the Irish gig circuit his will be the first time the band has performed in Ireland, and when Don Henley was asked why it took the band so long to get here, the answer was short and snappy. "It's a long swim."
Joe Walsh was more philosophical. "We're just kind of surprised and happy that we're still doing this."
He's not the only one since their 1980 break up, The Eagles popularity has continued to grow, and songs like Hotel California, Take It Easy and Lyin' Eyes have become standards.
The band's 1994 reunion album, Hell Freezes Over, featured many of the tunes which, made them household names, plus some new songs such as their current single, Love Will Keep Us Alive. The album has sold over six million copies in the US, proving that there's still a demand for The Eagles radio friendly West Coast rock.
Glenn Frey rejects any suggestion The Eagles are now merely tired old troupers on a nostalgia trip. "Your whole mandate is just to improve. You know, life is about improvement, whether it's as a musician or as a singer or as a songwriter... so hopefully we're just getting better. We're all definitely singing and playing better than we ever have, certainly the band is better than it, was in the 1970s."
The European tour will include France, the UK, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.
The Eagles will perform most of their best known hits, including New Kid In Town, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, Take It Easy and Hotel California.
They'll also do hits from the solo careers of Don Henley, Glen Frey and Joe Walsh, including Boys Of Summer, The Heat Is On and Life's Been Good.
Asked to retrace the steps which led to their reunion Glenn Frey says. "From the time that always offers on the table for us to get back together... We were close to doing it around 1990 we talked about it a little bit, but, you know, sometimes there's little bit but you know, sometimes there's a little bit, but you know sometimes there is a little bit of serendipity involved in this, and I think what just happened was everybody's life started to line up in a way that now it made sense for all of us."
Asked whether the band will stay together after this tour, Frey is noncommittal. "We have no plans, except to make it past August 6th.
