Music and sports — arguably the two forms of mainstream entertainment hardest hit by the pandemic lockdown — will get some succor on Sunday when ESPN will air its first-ever concert: the Eagles’ “Live from the Forum MMXVIII.”
For those whose roman-numeral-translation skills are lacking, the concert dates from 2018, when the group was on an extensive North American tour that found core members Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit accompanied by Vince Gill and Deacon Frey; the latter is the son of late Eagles cofounder Glenn Frey. The group arrived at the Forum in Los Angeles for three sold-out concerts on September 12, 14, and 15, with highlights from all three shows compiled into the new 26-song live album and concert film that premieres on ESPN Sunday night, presented by longtime Eagles fan, ESPN’s Chris Berman (who presumably will not say that the group “could… go… all… the… way!”).
“Music and sports fans have been shut out from live events for more than three months. The premiere of ‘Live from the Forum MMXVIII’ this July 4 th weekend on ESPN, is the Eagles’ gift to their fans,” said the band’s longtime manager, Irving Azoff.
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“This was a rare opportunity to partner with one of the greatest bands of all time to bring audiences some new and exciting entertainment,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s executive VP of programming, acquisitions and scheduling. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase this momentous event from the Forum.”
The concert, which features band hits like “Hotel California,” “Take It Easy,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Desperado” along with deeper cuts and bandmembers’ solo hits like Henley’s “Boys Of Summer,” Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” and Gill’s “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” was directed by Nick Wickham and filmed on 14 4K cameras.
Eagles’ “Hotel California” 2021 tour dates:
September 2021
16 Denver, CO Pepsi Center (Originally Fri, Sep 18, 2020)
18 Denver, CO Pepsi Center (Originally Fri, Sep 19, 2020)
21 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center (Originally Wed, Oct 21, 2020)
24 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena (Originally Sat, Oct 24, 2020)
25 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena (Originally Sun, Oct 25, 2020)
October
1 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center (Originally Fri, Oct 16, 2020)
2 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center (Originally Sat, Oct 17, 2020)
15 Los Angeles, CA Forum (Originally Fri, Sep 25, 2020)
16 Los Angeles, CA Forum (Originally Sat, Sep 26, 2020)
19 Los Angeles, CA Forum (Originally Tue, Sep 29, 2020)
22 San Francisco, CA Chase Center (Originally Fri, Oct 2, 2020)
23 San Francisco, CA Chase Center (Originally Sat, Oct 3, 2020)