They actually had Billy Gibbons’ Les Paul there at the time. Then I went back and had a meeting with the head of their custom shop, who does their reproductions. So I had them send the 12-string from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Gibson's custom shop, and I shipped them my '59 Les Paul. The one thing I felt impelled to demand was that the guitars be as close and identical in production, scale, tone, pickups and finish as humanly possible. GUITAR WORLD: How does a signature model get off the ground?įirst of all, we have a lot of meetings - in advance - about what they’re gonna do. We recently asked him about the process went into creating the high-end "Hotel California" models. While the originals are safely stashed away (the '59 is under lock and key and the 1275 is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio), Felder tours with the Gibson Custom guitars ("I honestly can't tell the difference between the originals and the copies," he said). (Styx & Foreigner only)Ģ - Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, Wash.With both guitars so closely associated with the classic track, Gibson Custom created not one, but two signature Felder signature models - the "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul (MSRP: $10,351 and up) and the "Hotel California" EDS-1275 (MSRP: Aged White, $9,174 Aged White - Signed, $12,704). Augustine, Fla.Ģ4 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, AtlantaĢ9 - Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre, Tuscaloosa, Ala.ģ0 - Charter Amphitheatre, Simpsonville, S.C.ġ - Farm Bureau Amphitheatre, Virginia Beachħ - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, Mo.Ģ8 - Nikon Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, N.Y.Ģ9 - Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conn.ģ - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, N.J.ĩ - Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center, Canandaigua, N.Y.Ģ2 - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, DenverĢ7 - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, Calif.ġ - Marymoor Park Concerts, Redmond, Wash. "But there will be some pleasant surprises."ĭates for The Soundtrack of Summer tour follow:ġ7 - Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie, Texasġ8 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, HoustonĢ3 - St. "Who knows what we're going to put together for this tour," Felder says. It's so lyrical, so melodic, particularly on Hotel California, probably the most played and most known Eagles song, and he wrote all the music to that." "Don Felder is extremely complimentary of my guitar playing, as I am of his, because we play guitar very differently. And Styx has some incredible songs and what I think is the best band on the planet. He has penned some of the greatest rock songs of our time.
"Mick Jones of Foreigner is an incredible writer and an excellent guitarist. It's also a mutual admiration society, Young says. Styx guitarist James Young says The Soundtrack to Summer bill "was not intended to be a battle of the bands, but it's always going to be that, a little bit." "It grows from this acoustic steel-string version to where the electric guitars come in at the end." The new version incorporates some flamenco rhythms before progressing into a full-scale rock treatment.
WHAT IS HOTEL CALIFORNIA SONG ABOUT HOW TO
"I was a bit perplexed about how to go about doing it" a second time, says Felder. The Soundtrack of Summer will go on sale May 6, exclusively at Walmart.įelder, who wrote the song with Don Henley and Glenn Frey, has refurbished the song once before, giving it an acoustic arrangement for the Eagles' 1994 Hell Freezes Over live album. It will appear on The Soundtrack of Summer tour-companion CD, which also will feature several of the best-known songs from Styx and Foreigner. The new version of Hotel California, premiering at USA TODAY, has Felder swapping lead vocals with Styx's Tommy Shaw and Foreigner's Kelly Hansen. The three acts will hit that road together on The Soundtrack of Summer tour beginning May 14 in Wichita.
Hotel California, that '70s rock staple, is getting a face lift.įormer Eagles member Don Felder has recorded a new version of the song with members of Styx and Foreigner.