Members of The Eagles, from left, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, and Joe Walsh perform in Las Vegas in 1999.
Boy, Don Henley wasn't kidding when he sang, "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."
We've been hearing Hotel California on the radio for nearly three decades, and fans of the Eagles, one of the biggest bands of the 1970s, still can't get enough.
Good thing the California band, featuring Henley and two other top-notch songwriters, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh, had a string of hits that could dizzy any music freak. There were the cheerful ones: Peaceful Easy Feeling, Take It Easy and Best of My Love. The misanthropic numbers included Henley's bummer Desperado and Frey's angsty Heartache Tonight. Don't forget Take It To The Limit, Witchy Woman and Lyin' Eyes.
Jeez, guys, did you leave any 1970s radio waves open for other acts?
Well, those Eagles guys could write, and write they did, from 1971 until "creative differences" and just plain hating the sight of each other made them call it quits a decade later. Walsh always had a solo thing on the side, but after the band went kaput, Frey and Henley went on to enjoy solo stardom, too.
But, as any musician will tell you, broken-up bands and old lovers share a lot of similarities, and by 1990, the guys started fooling around again. In 1994, the Eagles performed in a concert for MTV that inspired them to embark on a full-scale tour, releasing the live disc Hell Freezes Over. (Clever title, no?)
Realizing that they still have that special spark encourages the Eagles to get together every so often, reminding fans why the band has all those Grammys, and top-selling albums, and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Eagles, despite themselves, just can't resist each other.
The band plays at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $45-$175. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
Twisted brigade
Les Claypool, the quirky bassist and front man for Primus, attracted attention recently as a member of Oysterhead, the supergroup with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland. That trio released a debut CD, The Grand Pecking Order, in 2001 and toured for a while.
But Claypool goes for something funkier, jazzier and more twisted with his Frog Brigade. The group, heard on the recently released Purple Onion, features well-known jam band players Skerik (saxophone) and Mike Dillon (percussion) along with guitarist Eenor and drummer Paolo Bandi.
Live, the band is just as likely to tackle originals as to stretch out on tunes like King Crimson's Thela Hun Ginjeet or Jethro Tull's Aqualung. Opening act Drums & Tuba, actually a brass band-influenced trio with guitar, have picked up rave reviews for their latest disc, Mostly Ape, a spacy jam-rock delight.
The Les Claypool Frog Brigade performs at 8 p.m. Friday at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. Tickets are $20 advance, $23 day of show. (727) 896-2276.
