Watch the video at the end of this article.
Introduction
13 YEARS AFTER THE EAGLES BROKE APART, A COUNTRY VIDEO BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER AGAIN
Sometimes, the biggest reunions begin with the smallest moments. In 1993, country star Travis Tritt recorded a cover of “Take It Easy” for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, a tribute album featuring country artists performing some of the band’s greatest hits. Tritt may have believed he was simply honoring a legendary group, but his music video helped change rock history.
When plans for the “Take It Easy” video began, Tritt made one special request: he wanted the former members of the Eagles to appear together. It was an ambitious idea. The band had broken apart in 1980 after years of success, pressure, and growing tension. For 13 years, fans had waited for a reunion that seemed increasingly unlikely.
Then, on December 6, 1993, something remarkable happened.
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, and Timothy B. Schmit gathered inside a Los Angeles bar to film the video. There were no dramatic announcements, emotional speeches, or bright concert lights. Instead, the musicians played pool, talked quietly, laughed, and stood beside one another as if they were slowly rediscovering an old friendship.
On camera, the scene looked relaxed and natural. Behind the scenes, however, it represented something much more meaningful. The former bandmates were sharing the same room again, reconnecting without the pressure of discussing contracts, tours, or unresolved disagreements. A simple country music video accomplished what years of speculation and formal conversations had failed to do: it reopened the door.
Only a few months later, the Eagles officially reunited. In 1994, they launched the historic Hell Freezes Over project, whose title came from Don Henley’s famous joke that the band would reunite “when hell freezes over.” The album and concert tour became enormous successes, introducing the Eagles’ music to a new generation while giving longtime fans the reunion they had almost stopped believing would happen.
Travis Tritt never set out to rebuild one of America’s greatest rock bands. Yet his request created the perfect opportunity for five old bandmates to meet again without expectations. Sometimes, history does not change through grand plans. Sometimes, it changes over a pool table, inside a quiet bar, while an old song plays in the background.