The Irony of Don Henley’s “Hell Freezes Over” Comment
When the Eagles released Hell Freezes Over in 1994, the world of Rock & Roll welcomed the reunion of a band that released some of the best light rock songs of the 1970s.
Fans hadn’t seen the Eagles since a messy breakup at the end of their tour in 1980. Glenn Frey and Don Felder came close to a physical confrontation backstage after a show in Long Beach, and it looked like the band was dead.
Things looked so bleak that their founder and star Don Henley made a bold and ultimately ironic statement that the band would only reunite “when hell freezes over.”
Hell Freezes Over
It took some time, but hell did eventually freeze over for the Eagles. A group of country artists stirred up some nostalgia when they released Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles as a tribute album in 1993.
The lure of an all-time great classic rock band proved to be too much to pass up. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmit, and Joe Walsh put the past behind them.
The reunited Eagles recorded an MTV Special in April 1994, appropriately named Hell Freezes Over.
Pretty soon, the Eagles set out for 160 shows on the “Hell Freezes Over” tour from 1994-96.
They released the iconic album Hell Freezes Over in November 1994. It included songs from their self-titled debut album in 1972, Hotel California in 1976, and Don Henley’s solo album The End of the Innocence from 1989.
Fans of the Eagles once again heard “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” and “Life in the Fast Lane” without the drama of the 1980 breakup.
The Eagles Look Back
Don Henley explained the situation with the benefit of hindsight to The Washington Post in 2016.
“I think enough time had gone by, and (band manager) Irving (Azoff) had talked to everybody one on one. He realized that we were still a big deal, that we were still popular. We didn’t realize it, we didn’t really think about it.” -Henley
Timothy B. Schmit added to the same perspective.
“I would see that the Stones were still together even though there was a lot of publicity about Mick and Keith having a lot of problems. That’s what it finally came down to. Let’s do this thing and come together and work again.” -Schmit
The 1990s reunion led to another stint that will eclipse 30 years for one of the giants of classic rock.
The Eagles recently announced their “Long Goodbye” tour that will run through 2025. None of it would’ve been possible if hell hadn’t frozen over.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Eagles' 'Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)'
