Bruce Springsteen performed a touching tribute to the late Glenn Frey when he covered the popular Eagles hit Take it Easy overnight while on his worldwide The River tour.
Just a day after the sad passing of the country rock legend, Springsteen took to the stage in Chicago and honoured his fellow rocker.
It was a stripped back version of the massive hit that saw him standing amongst a sea of lights at the suitably named United Centre. He was later joined by violinist Soozie Tyrell as the song built to its climax. The name of Frey reverberated around the stadium as Springsteen repeatedly called it out to loud cheers from the crowd.
The @UnitedCenter all lit up for "Take It Easy" in memory of Glenn Frey. #TheRiverTourChicago pic.twitter.com/R3D5AVsYYG
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) January 20, 2016
Frey, who was a founding member of the hugely popular Eagles, died at the age of 67 on Monday.
In a post on Frey’s Facebook page, a statement read, “Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia.”
The Detroit native got his first real break when he moved to Los Angeles towards the end of the 1960’s. It was there that he would soon meet drummer and fellow founding member of the Eagles, Don Henley. The two played together as members of Linda Rondstadt’s backing band, and later formed the Eagles in 1971.
They went on to become one of the true giants of 1970’s music, as they fine-tuned their sound to become a radio staple. Their mega hit Hotel California went on to define the sound of that particular time and also dominate the charts in the process.
Not long after, the Eagles released a Greatest Hits (1971-1975) album to celebrate their phenomenal success, and it went on to become the second best-selling album of all time, second only to Michael Jackson’s world conquering Thriller record.
Watch the touching cover below: