Travis Tritt once said he wouldn’t film a music video for his cover of the Eagles‘ “Take It Easy” unless the Eagles were in it, and that’s the restorative power of an ultimatum—the Eagles reformed after 13 years because of that moment.
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Even though the band broke up in 1980 after a disastrous final concert where Glenn Frey told Don Felder he was going to “kick your ass when we get off the stage,” the Eagles’ manager Irving Azoff still held onto a sliver of hope that they could get back together. He nurtured that hope for 13 years until he eventually put together a tribute album titled Common Thread: The Songs of The Eagles.
A handful of country artists took on the Eagles’ discography. Vince Gill covered “I Can’t Tell You Why,” Tanya Tucker covered “Already Gone,” and Clint Black did “Desperado,” among others. However, Travis Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy” was the crown jewel of the album.
Azoff wanted to film a video for the track, but Tritt gave him the aforementioned ultimatum. The Eagles do indeed show up to the set, where they don’t have to do much except hang out. They shoot pool and converse with Tritt while he strums his guitar. It’s all very laid-back and chill, which apparently inspired the Eagles to reform.
The Eagles Reunite for 1994 Album Hell Freezes Over After Hanging Out With Travis Tritt
The Eagles lineup that appeared in the music video was Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. According to Schmit from a 2013 documentary, “There was a little bandstand scene where we all picked up our instruments and started playing.” He added, “I was thinking, ‘Guys, come on!’”
There was an attempt to reunite the band in 1990, but Glenn Frey was the only roadblock. However, in 1993, he changed his tune. “After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first,” he said in the documentary History of The Eagles. “You have a lot of common history together and a lot of shared experiences. I remembered mostly the good stuff … I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we’d had.”
In 1994, the Eagles released the album Hell Freezes Over, their first new material in more than a decade, and embarked on a tour. That album eventually sold more than the band’s first three albums combined and led to decades of tours. Right now, the Eagles are in residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Not bad for a band that almost didn’t get back together at all.
Featured Image by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
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