Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band took time out of their River Tour stop at Chicago's United Center to perform a cover of the Eagles' "Take It Easy" in tribute to Glenn Frey, whose death on Monday (Jan. 18) hit the music world by surprise.
Springsteen performed the cover without his backing band, although violinist Soozie Tyrell does join him mid-song. After he finished the moving interpretation of the track, which originally appeared on the Eagles' 1972 self-titled debut album. he yells Frey's name to the crowd who applaud wildly.
Frey, who was one of the original founding members of the Eagles along with Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, died on Monday (Jan. 18) at the age of 67. In addition to "Take It Easy," Frey was essential to writing some of the band's biggest hits including "Tequila Sunrise," "Desperado," "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane." He was also known in part for his solo career.
In similar fashion, Springsteen also performed a cover of David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" during his band's tour opener in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 16, dedicating the performance to the times he spent with the iconic artist who died just last week at the age of 69 after an unfortunate 18-mont-long battle with cancer.
Springsteen's 24-date North American tour was launched in support of his latest release, a box set reissue of his classic 1980 album The River, titled The Ties That Bind: The River Collection. According to The Boss' official website, the tour is said to display an "in-sequence, complete performance of The River album in addition to other Springsteen favorites."
