Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles brought the ’70s band’s distinct country and rock sounds to Shippensburg this past weekend when they performed at the Luhrs Center on Sept. 8. Their set was quite diverse, with slower songs early on and most of the heavy rockers coming after the intermission, before finishing with some non-Eagles covers.
The five-person tribute band sounded in great harmony all night, especially considering the different roles each member played. The only consistent piece all night was the drummer, as the other four musicians rotated through different instruments all night long, with one member playing piano, synthesizer, fiddle, acoustic and electric guitar all at different points. Three members also rotated as lead singer, even changing mid-song at certain points. This all went flawlessly, with no obvious hiccups being heard.
Hotel California got their show started with “Take It Easy,” ensuring the show got started on a nice, lighthearted note. The first segment of the show did take it easy overall but still sprinkled in a few fan favorites, including “Life in the Fast Lane” and “One of These Nights.”
The second half of the show brought some energy to the mostly older crowd, with plenty of the Eagles’ more dynamic hits being featured here, including “Heartache Tonight,” “Witchy Woman” and, of course, “Hotel California,” which sounded particularly impressive. The lead guitarists played the song’s notable final instrumental near-perfectly. Another highlight from this set was a beautiful rendition of “Desperado,” a slower track that had a lovely piano lead-in.
After “Hotel California,” the band opted to just stay on stage instead of going backstage and coming back out for an encore, saying it just makes sense. The encore featured mostly non-Eagles material, including a great Alabama medley of “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas” and “Mountain Music” before ending the show with a medley of “Amazing Grace” and “I’ll Fly Away.”
Overall, Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles did a great job channeling one of the biggest bands of the ’70s. Their performances held faithful to the Eagles’ original versions, but still had their own flair thrown in to keep it unique. The crowd enjoyed the performance all night, with standing ovations coming after several songs. It was a very sound show from start to finish, perfectly paying tribute to a great band.
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