Hotel California has been working the Eagles catalog since Ronald Reagan’s second term. The Canadian tribute band formed in 1986, the same year the Eagles entered a hiatus that proved far longer than anyone expected, and founding member Mike Dimoulas has been on stage for every year since. Forty years is a long time to sustain a tribute act. The ones that endure almost always treat the material with a level of technical seriousness the originals would recognize — the Eagles’ records were built to a very specific production standard, and audiences who grew up on them know immediately when the execution falls short. Hotel California’s reputation has been built on not falling short: still booking 30-plus dates a year across Canada and the United States, still described by booking agencies as setting “the standard for world-class tribute productions.”
About the Show
The January 29 performance brings Hotel California’s full production to Brockville Arts Centre: the layered guitars, the soaring harmonies, the talk-box, the double-neck. The band’s roster carries genuine depth: bassist Andy Lapointe joined in 1987 and has stayed; guitarist Al Langlade brings more than 35 years on the Canadian touring circuit; drummer Jay Riehl carries five Gold and five Platinum records from session and touring work and is described in the band’s materials as a Don Henley sound-alike. Together, the four members claim over a century of professional experience. The catalog they’re honoring earned the Eagles multiple Grammy Awards and a string of number-one albums, per the show’s promotional copy. Hotel California has shared bills with The Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gretchen Wilson, and REO Speedwagon. The Brockville date is one of more than 30 active stops on a touring season that spans both sides of the border, from Vancouver to Indiana.
Venue & Logistics
Brockville Arts Centre, a 700-seat theater at 235 King Street West in Brockville, Ontario, gives the show considerably more intimacy than Hotel California typically works. For a band whose touring history runs “from Japan to Dubai, Toronto to Texas,” per their own site, a room of that scale is a different kind of gig. For an audience in the North Country, it’s accessible without the arena tradeoffs. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7:00 p.m. show.
Tickets
Tickets are $54.21 CAD. The show is all ages, runs until 9:30 p.m., and is presented by Bounty Enterprises. Buy tickets