Eagles to reunite for latest US mega-festival

The Eagles will play their first full concert since the death of co-founder Glenn Frey as they headline the latest festival of mega-stars from classic rock.

Fleetwood Mac, Journey, and Earth, Wind & Fire will also play the festival, to take place on July 15-16 in Los Angeles as The Classic West -- and again on July 29-30 in New York where it will be called The Classic East.

The new event, announced Wednesday by leading concert promoter Live Nation, comes a year after organizers of California's Coachella amassed a fortune with a festival that brought out six rock all-stars including Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones.

The Classic West and The Classic East will mark the first concert by The Eagles since guitarist and singer Frey's death last year following a series of illnesses. They played him a tribute at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

The Eagles for decades have been one of the most popular live and recorded acts in the United States with rock hits rooted in folk and country such as "Hotel California."

Earth, Wind & Fire also suffered tragedy last year when its founder Maurice White died, although the band has kept on going.

The group, with its funky take on R&B, had a string of hits in the 1970s and won a wide audience beyond its original base, becoming the first African-American band to sell out Madison Square Garden.

Fleetwood Mac, the British-American band known for bluesy pop numbers and Stevie Nicks's unique sandy voice, has remained a major draw on the live circuit.

A 2014-2015 global tour marked the return of the classic lineup with the reclusive Christine McVie rejoining the band, which features her ex-husband John McVie and was known for turbulent relations among its members.

The festivals come months after Journey is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and will also feature rockers The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan.

The number of festivals has been growing rapidly in recent years, especially in the United States, with the boom spreading from young revelers to diverse demographics.

Coachella's promoters have not yet said whether October's Desert Trip -- which also featured Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, The Who and Neil Young -- will become an annual occurrence.

The Classic East will overlap with one of Coachella's latest projects, its New York festival Panorama, which will take place the same weekend.

source: AFP