Eagles’ Classic Catalog Is More Vivid Than Ever at Night 1 of Las Vegas Sphere Residency: 6 Best Moments

For more than 50 years, the Eagles have been painting vivid pictures with their music, from the dark desert highway of “Hotel California” to the billion stars all around of “Peaceful Easy Feeling” to the cold, cold city of “Life in the Fast Lane.” On Friday night (Sept. 20), those images came to intense life at Las Vegas’ Sphere, where the technology of 2024 finally caught up to the band’s enduring artistry and created a technicolor display worthy of their classic, illustrative songs from the 1970s and beyond.

The California country-rock group – formed by Don Henley and the late Glenn Frey in 1971 – could have never imagined this future for itself because this kind of game-changing venue simply didn’t exist in their heyday. The first night of the Eagles’ five-month Sphere residency proved there’s something particularly enchanting about pairing songs that have this deep of a history with a brand-new medium to experience them. Many of the fans in the building for opening night might have checked out a stop of The Long Goodbye Tour over the past year-plus, but even though the setlist wasn’t too far off (with some notable swaps – more on that below), this show was worlds apart from any Eagles concert before it. The group still boasts the pristine harmonies, tight guitar licks, and overall passion that belies their veteran status; it’s just that now you can also take a literal trip into a spooky forest for the otherworldly “Witchy Woman,” so it’s not just the unnerving production setting the macabre mood.

The band – made up of Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill and Glenn’s son Deacon Frey, as well as a team of longtime touring musicians – was never overpowered by the Sphere’s floor-to-ceiling visuals because the 20-song set made up exclusively of hits always held its own against the immersive spectacle. Seeing the Eagles catalog backed by this dazzling display only enhanced just how timeless and impactful these songs are.

Below, find Billboard’s best moments from Eagles’ opening night at Sphere.