Formed in 1971, they enjoyed great success until their hiatus in 1980 after some decline in success around that time. At the time they were branded Californian Rock, and Californian Rock was defined by whatever the Eagles played.
Using elements of folk, country and rock music, they defied genres and gained fans with widely different tastes. If you look at their catalogue, you can see how they were using all sorts of musical traditions and tropes in their music. Lying Eyes is a country and western song set in the big city. For the classic trucking song of the 1970s you can't go past Take it Easy, with its rhythm evoking the sound of wheels on the road. Now you can think that Desperado is an outlaw song. Though its lyrics are about a loner cowboy and a gambler, it is more of a metaphor than to be taken literally, and the desperado is ultimately just lonely rather than desperate.
In the 1998 movie, The Big Lebowski, which is set in 1990, The Dude states "I hate the f***ing the Eagles man" when he hears a song on the radio in a taxi. But there is more to this than just hating the Eagles. You see for the entire 1980s the Eagles remained on high rotation on the radio. This was true of hits and memory stations, classic hits stations and easy-listening stations. Across multiple countries, you pretty much couldn't escape the Eagles. You were lucky if, when listening to the radio, you only heard one Eagles song an hour.
Of course, by the 1990s more and more people were feeling that this was a bit too much Eagles. This included all the 80s teenagers who had rediscovered and loved the Eagles. They probably had at least a copy of one of the Eagles greatest hit albums, so they really didn't need to hear it on the radio all the time.
Which is why The Dude complained. Like everyone else, he had been over-saturated with a great band, and hating the Eagles was such a 1990s thing to do he had to do it as part of a period piece movie. Of course, these days people still have the chance to hear some of the best Eagles songs, and people of all ages can get into or revisit a band that was so good it took over the radio airwaves for 20 years.
About the Australian Eagles Show
With international recognition, the show is travelling around Australia on their Dark Desert Highway Tour. They perform all your favourite Eagles songs as well as solo hits from former Eagles members, including Joe Walsh, Don Henley and Glen Frey. The Eagles' timeless appeal is bringing in old and new fans.
The tour starts in Queensland on March 18, and tours the rest of the country before returning to Queensland, first playing at Tweed Heads (which is technically in NSW but it is a venue across the street from Queensland, so let's call it Queensland) on June 2, then heading to the Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba, on June 9 before making their way out to Toowoomba the next night.
If you are like me and are thinking about how much you loved the Eagles back in the day, and wouldn't mind enjoying a great Eagles concert experience, then the Australian Eagles show is for you. Secure your tickets early.
