BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY
‘Hotel California’ checks into Tivoli for two nights, might never leave
“Figuring out how we can do all the real guitar licks everyone is familiar with was hard. Underneath, there’s all sorts of stuff going on.” — J. WILLOUGHBY, BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY FOUNDER
In December 2010, Black Jacket Symphony was 18 months old and had already made a name for itself through note-for-note perfect performances of classic rock opuses. To some, however, it was starting to look like its founders had nothing but Britain on the brain.
Since its founding in May of 2009, the Birmingham, Ala.-based ensemble’s rotating cast of players had dissected and performed note-for-note perfect shows of classic albums by a rush of U.K. legends, including The Beatles (“Abbey Road”), The Who (“Who’s Next), The Rolling Stones (“Let It Bleed”) Pink Floyd (“Dark Side of the Moon”) and Led Zeppelin (“IV”).
When Black Jacket Symphony finally turned its attention closer to home, however, there was just one band — and one album — that presented the most-compelling target: The Eagles’ “Hotel California.”
“The Eagles was our first American band,” says Black Jacket Symphony founder J. Willoughby. “When you start thinking of American bands, they are the biggest-selling of all time.”
The Eagles’ fifth studio album — of seven — released nearly 40 years ago on Dec. 7, 1976, spawning three singles: New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and the title track, which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978. In all, the Recording Industry Association of America has certified 16 million album sales of “Hotel California,” making it the 18th best-selling ever in the U.S.
Black Jacket Symphony has performed a slew of records in Chattanooga, but the last “Hotel California” show was in 2012. Willoughby says the album is always a popular selection, but the decision to reprise it at the Tivoli Theater on Friday and Saturday nights, Sept. 16-17, was made more poignant after the January death of Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey.
“We’re doing this as an homage to him,” Willoughby says. “That piques people’s interest, but The Eagles are kind of an everyman band. There are so many people who love The Eagles, and that goes across a big demographic of listeners.”
Like many Black Jacket Symphony dates, the show was originally slated to be a single concert, but a rush of early sales quickly sold out the Friday performance. Fortunately, Saturday night was available, and their one-off became a two-night residency, which Willoughby says was a definite windfall.
“Playing two nights at the Tivoli will just be amazing,” he says. “That’s what I’m looking forward to the most. I really do love it there; we all do.”
Dissecting albums down to their components inevitably reveals unexpected complexities that are hard to replicate, especially live, but Willoughby says “Hotel California’s” trickiest moments would be obvious to any Eagles fan.
“The vocals and guitar, both,” he says, without hesitation. “To nail all the vocal parts was almost like doing a Beach Boys record. And the guitar, figuring … out how we can do all the real licks everyone is familiar with was hard. Underneath, there’s all sorts of stuff going on.
“Not to take anything away from the other players, because they had their hands full too, but those were the biggest challenges.”