After over 50 magical years, US rock supergroup the Eagles have announced plans to retire from the stage after a 3 date farewell tour. This marks their third farewell tour, the (potentially) final chapter of “The Long Goodbye” shows.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1971, the band historically operated around the founding nucleus of drummer Don Henley and guitarist Glenn Frey. Long-time guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist Randy Meisner, and guitarist Don Felder rounded off their classic lineup which was responsible for 1976 album ‘Hotel California’. Eagles were always known for their uniquely well-rounded talents, with every member contributing lead vocals to various songs, all of them also gifted multi-instrumentalists.
Following internal disputes, Timothy B. Schmidt replaced Meisner, and after a nasty spat with Felder, Frey left the band. The group split in 1980 and all of the members pursued solo careers until they returned in 1994, performing with the same lineup until Felder’s sacking in 2001. Glenn Frey passed in 2016, leaving Henley the only original member still performing with the band. Since then, the Eagles have performed with a roster of Henley, Walsh, Schmidt, guitarist Vince Gill, and occasionally Frey’s son Deacon on guitar.
Eagles have an unrivalled legacy in the world of rock music, inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, as well as receiving 18 Grammy nominations and winning 6. ‘Hotel California’ is regarded as one of the best American rock albums of all time, and ‘Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)’ continues to be one of the most commercially successful albums ever released. In January, the latter, which was already named the best selling album of the 20th century, was announced to be the first album to receive the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) quadruple platinum certification, having sold over 40 million units.
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The first attempt at saying farewell came with 2023’s “The Long Goodbye” tour, but by 2024 the Eagles had shown no signs of stopping and began a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere entertainment complex. Now in 2026, the performances at The Sphere are still ongoing, having been extended from the initial 8 show run to a record-breaking 58 nights at the venue. The last dates of their residency are the weekend of the 27th and 28th of March, but as we know with the band this may be subject to change.
Act III of The (really rather) Long Goodbye Tour has been scheduled for the US this May, with three huge stadium concerts. It kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia’s Truist Park on the 5th of May, goes next to Nashville, Tennessee’s FirstBank Stadium on the 9th, with their current final show marked for the 16th at Arlington, Texas’s Globe Life Field. Support comes from Tedeschi Truck Band on all three dates, with tickets available here. As for whether this is really the last we’ll see of them, Don Henley suggests it probably will be. In an interview feature with CBS Sunday Morning earlier this month, he said “You know, I think this year will probably be ‘it’. I’ve said things like that before but I feel like we’re getting toward the end, and that will be fine too.” If this is indeed the end for Henley, Walsh and co. they’ll have certainly made it worth our while for the last half a century. As Henley puts it, if fans want more Eagles after this tour, “I guess they’ll just have to listen to the records.”
