Thunder roars and lightning bolts flash inside Englewood, NJ’s BergenPAC auditorium this Saturday, August 5, 2023 evening before a series of Eagles’ album covers appears on screen and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Don Felder takes the stage to avid cheers and applause.
Backed by a skilled band featuring guitarist David Myhre, bassist Brett Simons, keyboardist Ty Bailie, and drummer Brian Tichy, Felder — the gifted guitarist who played with the Eagles from 1974 to 2001 — opens tonight’s show with the Eagles’ 1974 Top 40 hit, “Already Gone.”
Felder’s clear and distinctive tenor rings out as he sings lead on the tune’s “‘Cause I’m already gone/And I’m feelin’ strong” chorus while lights dance over the audience. He follows up by recreating his guitar solo from the song’s original recording to enthusiastic applause.
“We’re gonna have some fun tonight!” exclaims Felder, and the audience cheers when they recognize the distinctive funky bass and guitar intro from the Eagles’ 1975 #1 hit, “One of These Nights.” The groove of this easygoing number gets concertgoers bopping their heads in time to the rhythm before Felder wails on a solo while lights travel in streams of pink and blue.
Following enthusiastic audience applause, Felder asks, “Anybody like Stevie Ray Vaughn?” before sailing into Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy” where he slides his way up and down his guitar on this rollicking blues number. Making his instrument sing easy, loose, and free, Felder impresses as the song ends in a giant flash of light to avid hoots and hollers.
Felder inquires if anyone in the crowd went to Woodstock, prior to talking about his own experience at the seminal 1969 festival and introducing a song he wrote about it called “American Rock ‘n Roll.”
As images of iconic Woodstock artists flash on the screen, Felder croons, “Smoke and acid in our head/Everybody tripping to the Grateful Dead/ Oh, Janis gave us a piece of her heart/Give me that good old American Rock ‘n Roll.”
Felder introduces his next number, “Victim of Love,” as the only Eagles’ track on the Hotel California album on which all five Eagles played live. Three-part vocal harmonies and a staccato accompaniment add accents to this down and dirty rocker which features David Myhre playing a wailing slide guitar solo before Felder follows up with a masterful slide guitar solo of his own.
A parade of changing guitars accompanies the introduction of the Eagles’ 1972 Top 40 hit, “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” Felder sings the famous “‘Cause I got a peaceful easy feelin’/And I know you won’t let me down” chorus while adding guitar fills on his electric guitar as Myhre strums his acoustic.
Felder switches over to acoustic guitar prior to dedicating his next song — the Eagles’ 1973 Top 100 hit, “Tequila Sunrise” — to his ex-bandmate, the late Glenn Frey. Felder and Myhre sing the verses in harmony and Felder impresses with a unique tremolo guitar solo before paying homage to his musical colleague by saluting a large photo of Frey which appears onscreen at the end of the song.
Dedicating his next number to another lost Eagle, Randy Meisner, Felder sings back-up to Brett Simons’ lead on “Take it to the Limit.”
Music lovers cheer mid-song for Felder’s top-notch guitar solo and Simons holds the long falsetto note a la Meisner on the ending, eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd.
Felder talks about growing up in the South, stating, “This song reminds me of home and gives me a warm feeling.” Stars of light appear on the screen and flicker along the walls surrounding concertgoers while they cheer and clap along to “Seven Bridges Road.” As band members sing, “There are stars in the Southern sky/And if ever you decide you should go/There is a taste of time-sweetened honey/Down the Seven Bridges Road,” their stirring five-part vocal harmonies generate enthusiastic hoots and hollers from the crowd.
After Felder introduces the members of his band, Felder and Myhre are featured on the funky “Those Shoes,” where they each play “talk box” guitars — electric guitars which have tubes attached to them which the musicians use to shape the sound with their mouths a la guitarist Peter Frampton. The band follows up with a tune which Felder composed for a cartoon movie, Heavy Metal, entitled “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride.)” Opening with Brian Tichy’s hard-driving drumming, guitars wail and Brett Simon’s bass booms as colorful scenes from the film fill the screen behind them.
A highlight of tonight’s concert is Felder and Co.’s performance of the Eagles’ 1972 Top 10 hit, “Witchy Woman.” Brett Simons sings the high part and Felder echoes him before the crowd joins in singing on the famous “Woo hoo, witchy woman/See how high she flies” chorus. Felder and Myhre make their guitars sing on the powerful guitar interlude, and the witchy groove continues as Felder solos and the two guitarists play side-by-side clearly enjoying performing this classic song.
Felder’s wailing slide guitar introduces his live rendition of the Eagles’ 1980 Top 10 hit, “The Long Run.” Felder sings the famous “I used to hurry a lot/I used to worry a lot” lyric with emotion as his slide guitar echoes it’s way through the song and the driving beat pulses to blinking lights. Felder solos before giving Myhre his turn in the spotlight while the band rocks and the audience cheers.
The crowd hurrahs when they hear the intro to the Eagles’ 1972 Top 20 classic, “Take It Easy.” The crowd happily joins in singing along on the well-known “Take it easy/Take it easy/Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy” chorus. The entire band shines on this country rocker, inspiring audience members to dance in the aisles as Felder solos with ease, even adding an extra solo on the coda which brings concertgoers to their feet.
Felder invites the audience to continue to dance, clap, and sing along on The Eagles’ 1979 chart-topper, “Heartache Tonight.” The shuffle beat inspires audience members to move to the groove while Felder sings “There’s gonna be a heartache tonight/A heartache tonight I know” accompanied by the sound of powerful guitars, keyboard, bass, and drums.
Felder deftly plays the intricate guitar intro to the Eagles’ 1976 Top 20 hit, “Life In The Fast Lane,” on an arrangement which features his girlfriend playing tambourine and singing on the refrain. The audience joins in on the rhythmic “Life in the fast lane/Surely make you lose your mind” chorus before Felder solos and then points to his guitar mate, Myhre, who adds his musical voice to the mix. Felder follows up by shredding another solo for his fans before the song ends in a fury of sound, lights, and cheers.
Changing over to his double-necked guitar, Felder instructs the audience to sing as loud as they can on his final number — the Eagles’ 1977 #1 hit which he composed with Don Henley and Glen Frey — “Hotel California.”
The crowd stands and listens as Felder and the musicians spin their magical tale, bewitching each listener with this supernatural creation. Vocals ring out clear and true on the song’s well-known “Welcome to the Hotel California/Such a lovely place/Such a lovely face” chorus.
After crooning the lyric, “Mirrors on the ceiling/The pink champagne on ice,” Felder steps away from his microphone so audience members’ voices can be featured on the “We are all just prisoners here, of our own device” lyric. Felder solos with skill and showmanship before Felder and Myhre duel on the acclaimed guitar interlude which ends with wild cheers and applause.
As the crowd stands and cheers, all the musicians exit the stage except for Felder who remains and hands out guitar picks, prior to waving goodnight to the crowd while leaving the stage.
As concertgoers make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium they comment on tonight’s performance by Don Felder. Declares Rich from Saddle River, “This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen! Don Felder is an incredible talent — his vocals are so good, his guitar playing is incredible, and he has a group of fabulous musicians who are with him every step of the way!”
Terri from Hillsdale calls tonight’s concert, “Wonderful!” Referring to Felder as “one amazing guitar player,” Terri acknowledges, “I knew every lyric of every song and I just kept singing and singing along!”
Miguel from Kinnelon exclaims, “Don Felder was extremely impressive tonight! All the classic songs were there and they were all done so well in this show which also featured very high production values.” Marybel from Dumont calls tonight’s concert “Awesome” and Mary from Tenefly calls it “Excellent, with great energy.” Their friend, Luisa from Tenefly, heartily agrees, prior to acknowledging, “I just wanted him to sign my shirt!”
Kieran from Dumont was impressed with tonight’s performance explaining, “Every song was a hit, but we saw a very special show tonight with the addition of ‘Take it to the Limit’ which was added for Randy Meisner.” Lastly, James from Cresskill asserts, “Don Felder is an unbelievable talent! The catalog of songs he played is fantastic and every one of his musicians was on point. They are all true professionals,” before concluding, “I loved seeing and hearing him here tonight. For me, it was like watching a living legend!”
To learn more about Don Felder, please go to donfelder.com. For info on upcoming performances at BergenPAC — including Ann Wilson on August 26, Yes on October 1, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on October 15 — please go to bergenpac.org.
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