ESPN will air the new Eagles concert Live From The Forum MMXVIII (2018) over the upcoming July 4th weekend. The band, which features Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey, hit the Forum in Los Angeles for three sold-out, critically-acclaimed concerts on September 12th, 14th, and 15th, 2018. Highlights from all three shows have now been compiled for the new 26-song live album and concert film that will premiere on ESPN this Sunday, July 5th, at 8 p.m. ET and presented by longtime Eagles fan ESPN’s Chris Berman.
The Eagles' longtime manager Irving Azoff said in a statement, “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 4th weekend on ESPN, is the Eagles' gift to their fans.”
Live From The Forum MMXVIII was directed by Nick Wickham, was filmed on 14 4K cameras. It will be available on October 16th through Rhino in a variety of audio and video formats, including Blu-ray, CD, Vinyl, and Streaming. A super deluxe edition will also be available. According to the announcement: “(The collection) “captures definitive live performances of the band’s most iconic hits — 'Hotel California,' 'Take It Easy,' 'Life In The Fast Lane,' 'Desperado,' and beloved album tracks — 'Ol' 55,' 'Those Shoes', along with some of the individual members’ biggest solo smashes — Henley’s 'The Boys Of Summer,' Walsh’s 'Rocky Mountain Way,' and Gill’s 'Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away.'”
We asked Joe Walsh what he feels when he's fronting the band and letting loose on one of his signature solos: “It makes me very humble and very grateful. When I do that, everybody, kind of perks up — and I can feel that. I can feel that energy and I see a lot of people smiling and a lot of people dancing and singing the words. And that makes me wanna play my ass off, and that makes them happy. And that I can make that many people happy with my music, is all the payback I need.”
Back in 2015, Don Henley was interviewed by old friend Billy Joel at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y, and spoke candidly about how and where the Eagles fit into his life these days: “The Eagles is just a part of me. Glenn (Frey) and I started that band back in 1971 and we did have a little hiatus; y'know, we parted company for 14 years — and then in 1994 realized actually that there was still a demand for our services — and so, we got back together. And it hasn't always been smooth sailing, but as we've gotten older and more mature, and as we've all gotten married and had children, y'know, that will have a tempering effect on your personality.”
AUDIO: DON HENLEY ON CONNECTION TO THE EAGLES
AUDIO: JOE WALSH ON FEELING FANS LOVE
