Flashback: The Eagles Reunite With Founding Guitarist Bernie Leadon For “Peaceful Easy Feeling” Performance

Louisville, Kentucky | July 6, 2013

Is it just us, or does it always feel like all is right with the world when bands reunite with members from their early days? That’s certainly how Eagles fans felt in 2013 when their favorite band kicked off their History of the Eagles world tour in Louisville, Kentucky with none other than founding guitarist Bernie Leadon by their side; outside of a two-song set at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1998, the Eagles hadn’t performed with Leadon since his departure in 1975 and as far as everyone was concerned, a reunion was long overdue.

Leadon’s Exit Explained

It’s been widely reported that Leadon left the Eagles in 1975 because of the band’s steady course away from their country rock sound, but in 2013 he reported that the situation was far more complicated than that.

“That’s an oversimplification,” he told Rolling Stone. “It implies that I had no interest in rock or blues or anything but country rock. That’s just not the case. I didn’t just play Fender Telecaster. I played a Gibson Les Paul and I enjoyed rock & roll. That’s evident from the early albums.”

It may have been over four decades since the guys and Bernie stood shoulder to shoulder onstage for a full tour but judging by their performance of “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” not a single thing changed – in fact, they sounded even better together than we could have ever imagined! The addition of Leadon brought Eagles fans back to rock and roll’s glory days; when songwriting was paramount to an artist’s existence, genuine talent was never sacrificed for a shot at fame, and when giants like the Eagles reigned supreme with their fiercely honest brand of good old fashioned country tinged rock and roll music. If this was to be the last Eagles tour to involve Glenn Frey, then we’re pretty damned glad that Bernie Leadon was part of it; so it begins, so it all ends.