The Ole Seagull will readily admit that he didn’t even know who the Eagles were when he went to do a review of the "Take It To The Limit Tribute to the Eagles" appearing at Branson’s Grand Place theatre on the evening of June 19, 2007 but, trust me, he does now! Eagle fan or not, no gimmicks here, just about two hours of great music, number after number, presented by one of the most talented energetic casts he has seen.
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| A tribute to the Eagles from beginning to end. |
For those who don’t want to read a whole review here’s the Ole Seagull’s one paragraph review containing all that most folks will need to know about this show. Eagle fans will just love it. Why? Well according to one fan who said that he has seen the actual Eagles perform, "You could close your eyes and you could almost swear you were listening to the original." Those who are not familiar with the Eagles will enjoy this show because of the variety of music covered, the musicality and enthusiasm of the cast, and the unique blend of five part harmony, great solo singing, and instruments that is just a joy to experience.
Those wanting a high production variety show with dancing and comedy etc. need to look elsewhere. This show is unabashedly a musical tribute to the Eagles and their music, from the first to the last number.
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| Producer Tim Coday at the keyboards. |
The Eagles are famous for not only their hits but the sound they, if not created, certainly popularized; the southern California sound that combined rock and country into a unique sound that was just right for the 70’s. The show’s producer, Tim Coday, has done an excellent job in producing a show that takes full advantage of the versatility of the Eagles music and integrates it into a show that holds the audiences interest as it moves from one number to the next all the while providing variety, either in the type of music itself or the way it was presented.
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| High energy vocals courtesy of Eric Rankin. |
The lead vocalist is Erik Rankin. He was featured in a number of songs such as "Life in the Fast Lane," "Wasted Time," "James Dean," and the Eagles remembrance of 9-11, "Hole in the World." His rendition of "Desperado" and "Hotel California" and the trumpet of Tim Coday and the guitar duet of Chris Wainscott and Larry Holiday on "Hotel California" made it a great way to end the show.
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| Greg Morton provided vocals and guitar. |
Like the original Eagles many of its members were excellent instrumentalists as well as vocalists. Except for drummer Dannel T. One, a.k.a. Taz and Chris Wainscott on Acoustic Guitar, all the other band members, Tim Coday on Keyboards, Robbie Danna, Bass Guitar, Chris Wainscott, Acoustic Guitar, Greg Morton, guitar, and Larry Holiday, guitar also do vocals in the show. Lance Conque, the other keyboard player was on his honeymoon the night of the review and Darrell Croy was sitting in for him.
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| Larry Holiday did a great job on guitar and vocals. |
The combination of Robbie Danna on doing the vocal and the beautiful trumpet introduction by Tim Coday made "Tequila Sunrise" really standout. Other show highlights were Larry Holiday as the featured vocalist in "Lyin Eyes" and "Take It To The Limit," Tim Coday, in "Take It Easy," "Already Gone, "and Peaceful Easy Feeling," and Greg Morton in "One of These Nights" and his beautiful rendition of "Love Will Keep Us Alive. The explanation of how "There’s A Hole In The World," came into being as well as the beautiful harmony involved as it was presented was special.
Interestingly, the Ole Seagull took his two granddaughters, one going into her freshman year and the other sixth grade and both enjoyed the show and thought other kids their age would too. If you want to see a show with a unique sound, presented by an extremely talented and energetic cast, with music that has endured from the 70’s into the 21st century then "Take It To The Limit Tribute To The Eagles" is for you.
The "Take It To The Limit Tribute To The Eagles" show will be appearing at The Grand Palace through October 27, 2007. Click here for access to addtional information and schedules.
Photos by Basil Groman
Complete more photos of Take It To The Limit – Eagles Tribute Show can be found here.
