Don Felder, Styx and Foreigner Share New Version of ‘Hotel California’
A newly reworked version of 'Hotel California' finds co-writer Don Felder employing a flamenco style similar to the Eagles' '90s-era live version of the track -- but with an added wrinkle: He's appearing alongside tour mates from Styx and Foreigner.
Styx's Tommy Shaw and Foreigner's Kelly Hansen share vocal duties with Felder on the update, originally voiced by co-writer Don Henley. This new take, streaming now via USA Today, builds from an acoustic-focused intro into a full rock treatment, with a roar of electric guitars.
“I didn’t want to do just a remake of the same version of ‘Hotel California’; I thought that had been done twice. It had to be new and fresh,” Felder told us last month. “The choruses where the harmonies come in is just stellar, I have to say. I haven’t heard that song sung quite that well in a long time.”
Felder will appear with Styx and Foreigner this summer on a series of concert dates dubbed the 'Soundtrack of Summer,' kicking off on May 14 in Wichita, Kansas, and continuing into July. Shaw and Felder collaborated on the former Eagles guitarist's most recent solo album, as well.
Watch Don Felder, Foreigner and Styx Discuss the 'Soundtrack of Summer' Tour