2018 MICHIGAN Battle Creek - Tribute to the Eagles Band

My brother Bob seems to have an in at the casino in Battle Creek. He got tickets and asked around the family if anyone might join him and Lo. The event starred the original Eagles tribute band, Hotel California. Eight of us attended. My neighbor Alanta and her mom came along. I asked Alanta because she is a guitar and bass player and I thought she might enjoy the show.

It was pretty snowy weather and I was nervous on the 30-mile drive, but we got there safely. We found a parking space two spots from the door. My luck was running good.

We had a bite to eat at the new tap room, Darcy's. Not a good spot for vegetarians, but everyone else was scarfing down their food. I had chips (fresh made) and dip (garlic-onion). It was tasty, but not what I expected for dinner.

Two cute couples caught our attention at the next table. They had matching his-n-hers suits and dresses. Hadn't seen that in a while on grown-ups. Two were dressed in blue with snowflakes and the others were in green with tree ornament design. Their "snappy" outfits were getting a lot of attention.

We had a little time before the concert, so decided to take a gamble at the machines. As my two friends had not spent much time in a casino, I was going to show them how to lose money in the very quickest way. I picked my favorite poker slots and plugged in a fiver. Lo and behold, on my very first spin, I got a full house and won 30 bucks. Alanta, Joy, myself and a few gamblers around us were impressed.

Wow, some more good luck, but I wasn't going to push it. I decided to call it a night, even though it was my first shot. Got a slip for my $30 winnings plus $5 investment and walked. It was fun, but not as much fun as the old days when you could hear the tinkle of quarters spewing into the tin bowl and walk away with the actual money in a big plastic cup.

Next into the concert hall. My bro had gotten excellent seats--center and only 10 rows from the stage. When the tribute band came out and started strumming and singing, I was amazed. They were VERY good. If my eyes had been closed, I might have thought it was the real Eagles.

I looked on this tribute band's website http://hotelcalifornia.ca, but there they don't look anything like they do on stage today!!!  So I don't know their real names, but that is OK as they are obviously not the real Glenn Frey, Don Henley, etc.

Here's some photos made with iPhone (so not great, but adequate).

 

They had a neat set up with some instruments on a stand. While "wearing" their original string thing, they play the instrument on the stand at the same time. Here he is holding his guitar and playing the mandolin on the stand. Alanta thought that was quite cool.

 This fellow played the dual neck guitar on floor for a few songs.

 

They played all the oldies that I remember and love. Among them were Heartache Tonight, Take It Easy, Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane, In the City, and Love Will Keep Us Alive. We all sang along or at least mouthed the words and had the best time.

The actual Eagles originally ran from 1971-1980 and was one of my faves from way back when. Not the real thing today, but it was a nice refresher to enjoy the music once again. Wish my sis had come. She knows every word to every song from her (and my) "yout."

We stopped by the money machine and turned in our winnings slip for real money and headed down the road back home. It was even more slick, but less traffic. Had a wonderful evening and made it home just fine.

Thanks, B&L.