Felder’s solo sounds as fresh today as it did 40+ years ago
No matter how many times you’ve heard the extended guitar solo that closes “Hotel California,” released over 40 years ago, it’s hard to take your eyes off Don Felder whenever he performs it. The guitarist does so on a 2017 episode of AXS-TV‘s Rock and Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar Presented by Mercury Insurance.
A clip for Felder’s appearance on the premiere episode of the series’ second season cycle was released on June 9 and it’s great to watch not only Felder’s solo but also Hagar‘s reaction as he stands next to his pal.
In this 30-minute episode, Hagar heads to Las Vegas to cruise the Strip with the former Eagles lead guitarist in a classic Cadillac and hangs out with Styx backstage at the Venetian Theater before bringing the house down with a raucous “Hotel California” jam. The episode originally aired on Sunday, July 9, 2017.
Felder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Eagles in 1998. He has toured frequently with Styx and this episode was taped during the two classic rock acts’ recent Vegas residency. Hagar asks him: “How do you come up with an iconic guitar solo” like the one on “Hotel California”?
Felder says: “It was right after Joe [Walsh] joined the band. Before he joined, he and I would go out and do these things as ‘Joe Walsh and Friends’ where we would just play and jam together on some of his songs, challenging each other.” To hear the rest of his explanation, you’ll have to wait until the episode’s July 9 premiere!
Watch the performance for the July 9 episode, including Felder’s solo
Season Two of the series premiered March 5. Other upcoming episodes of the season’s second half included interviews with Joe Satriani and Vince Neil.
Season Two’s first half featured Hagar road trips and candid conversations and jams with Mick Fleetwood, Billy Gibbons, Jason Bonham, Rick Nielsen and others.
Related: Our exclusive preview of Hagar’s conversation with Fleetwood
4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationHe should be back with the Eagles. Its like taking Page out of Zep.
I never thought much of Glenn Frey, whose nose was always buried so deep up Don Henley’s ass. And Henley will always be one of the biggest egos of Rock ‘and’ Roll. What a shame Felder wasn’t brought back to the Eagles !
Too bad it ” so closely resembles” Jethro Tull’s “We Used To Know”, as Ian Anderson used to point out in concert.
Great to see Don and Sammy playing together.Taking a ride on “heavy metal”!