Authored by Frankie James
OK, so here we go … Another first for Culture Rock Media. We normally don’t do featured articles on cover bands, but I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised watching this band as they cranked up hits of The Eagles at the Thunder Valley Casino Pano Room which was close to capacity. Bryan Jenkins, Rick Ricketts, Bryan Eldridge, Madical Barrett & Lonnie Garcia make up Life in the Fast Lane and after a few decades, they are still here to stay. The stage at Thunder Valley Casino is sizable with great sound and lighting so it did compliment this show.
It all started off with Take it Easy which brought the crowd to an upright sitting position and listening intently. This song flowed right into Whichy Woman & Life in the Fast Lane … And at this point things got a little serious and you can tell this band has paid their dues and took to heart what they bring to the stage. It’s so difficult to review a cover act because it’s not the real band, but there’s something to be said about that because it sounds so good it can almost be the original. So the hits kept coming and how could they not play Hotel California … Which was their encore!!
So what I really wanna touch on here is why a tribute band? Well to Eagle fans this is a big deal because they grew up listening to them. There’s memories of their first date, a first kiss or even a large group of friends partying their asses off on a weekend. It brings back feelings of old friends, and hell, they might even contact an old friend and say “Hey remember this time when …?” Anyway it was fun to see the crowd sway back and forth and couples holding hands and towards the end all the fans coming close to the stage to dance off the couple of drinks they consumed … and all in all it was a pretty cool experience.
I did talk to a lot of people that came specifically to see these guys perform, and now I can see why. The casino demographic was right, the songs of yesteryear was perfect, the memories hit the spot and the stage show was entertaining. The conclusion? Well, there’s definitely a place for “Good” cover / tribute bands. With out a doubt there’s demand for them … so my recommendation is; and because these are feel good bands as well, to go out and support em if you’re a fan. In my humble opinion, you can’t go wrong with quality live music … Of any kind!! So check out their Facebook page with the same name, like it and the next time their at a venue near you, round up those friends, get your tickets, meet up early for drinks and I guarantee stories will come out of the woodwork!!
Authored by Frankie J … “Anyone got ear plugs?”
