When Prince Albert of Monaco married South African Charlene Wittstock in 2011, rock legends, The Eagles, performed at their star-studded celebrations at Louis II Stadium on 30 June.
The royal wedding festivities kicked off on the eve of the wedding with the concert by The Eagles. Besides Prince Albert and Charlene, 15,000 Monegasque citizens were in the audience, and there was no charge for the Monegasques to attend to see one of the most popular bands in the 20th century.
Albert and Charlene’s civil wedding ceremony took place on 1 July, and their religious ceremony followed on 2 July.
[getty src=”117734271″ width=”594″ height=”396″] [getty src=”117803749″ width=”594″ height=”395″]About the concert, Prince Albert’s maternal cousin and best man, Chris Lavine, said about the event: “Some people hire a string quartet — he got The Eagles. It was a huge, huge weekend.”
So who are the famous Eagles?
The Los Angeles based rock band were founded in 1971 by Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner and the late Glenn Fry; the Texas-raised Henley and Michigan born Fry met while they were members of Linda Ronstadt’s band, and they soon decided to start a band together.
Their first album was released in 1972; Eagles, the name of their first album, was an overwhelming success, and they set out on a music career that would span decades.
The Eagles have seen several personnel changes over the years, with Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner and Don Felder leaving the band. The group even broke up for a period, with Don Henley saying they would get back together “when hell freezes over.”
The band reunited after over a decade and went on the “Hell Freezes Over Tour,” and a record of the same name was later released from their live performances. Glenn Frey said at their first live concert back together in 1994, “For the record, we never broke up; we just took a 14-year vacation.” Four years later, the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Eagles boast hit songs like “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” “Love Will Keep Us Alive,” and “Hotel California.” They’ve sold millions of records and had numerous hits in their career. Sadly, founder Glenn Frey died in 2016 from pneumonia, acute ulcerative colitis, and rheumatoid arthritis while he recovered from surgery on his intestines.
The band, now consisting of Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh, was unsure of touring again in the aftermath of Frey’s death but have since toured the country with Frey’s son, Deacon, stepping into his father’s role on tour. Country legend Vince Gill also tours with the group in place of Glenn Frey.
