“Illegal Eagles” in concert

at Cheltenham Town Hall, 8th March 2008

Now, I know that people who know me will be sat shaking their heads, as my opinion of “tribute bands” is well known. I probably wouldn’t even have considered myself an Eagles fan before this evening, in fact excluding Joe Walsh’s “But Seriously Folks”, I have never owned a single album by them! So what on earth attracted me to this show? Quite simply it was the opportunity to hear “the new kid in town” Danny Vaughn fronting a band of accomplished musicians.

Featuring Corinthian style columns, holding up a ceiling of over 50 feet with Baroque architecture, Cheltenham Town Hall was constructed in early 1900’s as a dedicated ballroom. As this was my first visit to this cavernous venue, it fairly took me by surprise that such a gig could be scheduled there. The massive organ housed behind the stage had obviously caused some difficulties to the lighting arrangements, though the stage crew imaginatively overcame them. Unfortunately the near legendary sprung floor remained underused with the venue installing rows of seats for the performance. So with two massive statues of former English Kings either side of the stage looking on, my maiden Illegal Eagles show began.

Even though I’m perhaps a little more unfamiliar with The Eagles themselves, than some of the surrounding aficionados I knew pretty much every song well enough to know they had done justice to the work of the country rock giants. In a two part set, separated by a short intermission and the chance to grab a cup of coffee, they showcased what can only be described as a “Best of The Eagles” interspersed with the odd solo hit. “Take It Easy“, “Take It To The Limit“, “Heartache Tonight“, “Lyin’ Eyes“, were all present, resplendent with excellent vocal harmonies and played to perfection. There was always the feeling Danny Vaughn was holding back just a little bit, singing well within his capabilities, that was until a spine tingling version of “Desperado” left me totally stunned. There’s no doubting this was the shows highlight for me and the roar from the audience showed I wasn’t alone. Also proving very popular was an intro section, where each of the band claimed the best intros in rock history were written on their particular instrument. Including such greats as “Smoke On The Water”, “Pinball Wizard” and the point where Danny got to prove his Queen credentials, “We Will Rock You”, they took turns, the winner decided by audience response. My money was on the Who cover! The light-hearted banter continued with instrument size comparisons, Jeff Green’s appearance with his double-necked guitar won the day and heralded a cracking rendition of “Hotel California“. The smiles on the faces of Thunder’s bass player Chris Childs and guitarist Keith Atack throughout, spoke volumes. This band was actually enjoying themselves. Having already had a couple of hours of hits, it was hard to see where the encores were coming from but a rocking Don Henley’s solo hit “Boys Of Summer” and a show stopping version of “Rocky Mountain Way” showed there was a wealth of material available.

A major problem I have with “tribute bands” is their reliance on mimicking the appearance of a band, rather than be able to replicate the tunes. Not so tonight, these guys were top-drawer musicians playing out fantastic versions of well known, well loved songs to a very knowledgeable and receptive audience. For my part, I came away Illegal Eagles CD in hand, more appreciative of the fine song writing skills of Messrs Henley,Frey and co., determined to investigate the fantastic harmonies and slide guitar work of the Eagles further. Danny Vaughn? Well he just further proved the versatility of his voice and maybe caused me to go and revisit “Traveller” to re-evaluate just how country it really is. Before this gig, seeing The Eagles was way down on my list of priorities, perhaps it still is but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend anyone to go see this show!

—–
DH

Dave (3rd left) meets the band pre-show…

All pictures in this post are provided courtesy of Marty Moffatt (www.martymoffatt.com)

Return To Main Page