Goodbye, Glenn Frey ... You Will Be Missed

Glenn Frey, 2008

I woke up this morning to the news that Glenn Frey died yesterday. As soon as I heard the news, I called Superman, a huge Eagles fan. He had already heard the news, but my daughter overheard the conversation and asked me who died. I told her Glenn Frey, and she looked at me like Penny looks at Sheldon when he's explaining physics.

"Of the Eagles," I added.

"Oh", she said, then turned over to sleep a little longer.

She didn't know who Glenn Frey was, but she did know the Eagles (even though his death didn't seem to affect her much!). All of my kids know the Eagles music and all the words to most of their songs. They should ... they listened to it throughout their childhood because I listened to it. Anyone who grew up listening to the Eagles never quit listening to the Eagles.

I don't remember the Beatles breaking up, but I do remember the Eagles breaking up. Their music had filled our lives through all of our formative years. It seemed such a shame that this talented group of musicians, that had made such amazing music together, would no longer be serenading us everywhere we went.

They got back together again in 1994 and began a reunion tour ... and their fans rejoiced. In 2007, they released their first new album in 28 years ... Long Road Out of Eden. Superman and I saw them in concert in October of 2010, and it was the best concert I have ever been to. Some of the band members looks a little worse for wear and tear, but their musical talent and their voices were still sharp and clear.

Music touches the soul in a way that no other art can. It can transport us back in time. For those of us who grew up listening to the Eagles, when hear Hotel California, or One of These Nights, or Tequila Sunrise, we're not middle-aged people raising kids and struggling through life ... we're sixteen again. We're riding through the night with the car windows down and the warm, summer breeze blowing across our faces. Our biggest problems are whether the boy we have a crush on likes us and how far we can push our midnight curfew without getting grounded. We're young and innocent again, full of joyful expectations of our journey towards adulthood.

Fans all over the world are mourning the death of Glenn Frey, and those who kept intending to go to one of their concerts are kicking themselves for missing out on the opportunity to see one of the greatest legends of rock and roll. I am so glad I got to see them. The tickets were expensive, but they were worth every penny.

Glenn Frey did what we all dream of doing ... he created a legacy that will live on long after he's gone. His name will be echoed in halls by people not yet born.

Thank you, Glenn Frey (and the Eagles), for providing the soundtrack to my youth.

Eagles in 2008 (left to right):
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy Schmit