Last night, from 5:00 to 11:30, we spent at Petco Park downtown San Diego with what I estimate were 40,000 of our best friends at a triple header concert, headlining The Eagles.

Here you see The Woman in front of the poster. The stadium was packed. It seats 42,445 people for ballgames, but for the concert configuration there were some sections empty behind the stage, but then there were thousands of people on “the field” in front of the stage. Those tickets went for over $1,000 each, and I am not going to tell you what ours cost.

It started out with the Doobie Brothers, a staple band whose songs transported me back to my senior year in high school. I found myself reminiscing about sitting in the yellow school bus rolling through snowy Lakewood, New York, with

Old black water, keep on rolling
Mississippi moon, won’t you keep on shining on me?

playing on the speakers.

After the 90 minute set of the Doobie Brothers, they brought on the Zac Brown Band. While everyone around me cheered and sang along, I must admit that somehow Zac Brown had not been a name or band that I had ever consciously heard before. I am not much of a country music listener. They played a high energy set of rock and country, with an amazing rendition of the Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, something I had never heard before in a live concert. I concluded I need to listen to more Zac Brown. They also promoted one of the charities they sponsor, the Camp Southern Ground:

Camp Southern Ground is located on over 400 acres in Fayetteville, GA and will serve children ages 7-17, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races and religions, with activities to challenge, educate and inspire campers. As an inclusive camp, Camp Southern Ground will bring together typically developing children, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, learning and attention issues, social or emotional challenges, and those with family members serving in the military.

Then, by 9:00pm, The Eagles finally came on and played for a solid two and a half hours.

One of the founders, Glenn Frey, died in January 2016 of complications from rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 67. To our surprise, his 24-year-old son Deacon Frey, has taken his father’s place and played front and center all night. Here is a picture of him shot in zoom with my iPhone off the big screen. How amazing it must be for him to play on the main stage with his father’s friends from the Seventies!

The Eagles played many of their staples, but also some songs or renditions I had never heard before. But it really kicked in with the encore, when they thundered out a powerful version of Hotel California.

The picture above is the best shot I could get zooming into both screens showing Joe Walsh and Don Henley, having the time of their lives, passionately pounding out Hotel California, one of the most iconic songs in rock history, right up there with Like a Rolling Stone by Dylan.

Walsh and Henley, both 71 years old, obviously had a great time performing in this concert and made 40,000 people rock and reminisce. It is amazing to think that two “old men” could fire up an audience in a rock concert, but these guys are some of the masters in the field. It’s no surprise that Walsh’s net worth is around $75 million and Henley’s over $200 million. I guess that’s what happens when talented musicians dedicate their entire lives to their craft.

The Eagles concert was worth every penny we spent on it, and Hotel California right here in California seemed just right on every level.