Don’t call it a pop-up. The Eagles don’t do pop-ups. This band is a rock powerhouse with 50 years of history.
“To me, this is more than a pop-up, it’s an experience,” says Cindy Frey, widow of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey and mother of current Eagles member Deacon Frey, who organized the third encore fan attraction at the Venetian. “I said, ‘Let’s make it real or we’re not doing it.’ We’re not just holding up a T-shirt and saying, ‘OK, here you go!’ This is as real as the band is.”
For example, one authentic piece is the drum set in the replica Troubadour Lounge, where Furay and Don Henley met to form the Eagles in 1970. Written on the drums is Felicity, the name of the band Henley formed in 1964. The drum set was bought for him by his mother and was the first one he ever owned, and it had been sitting in storage.
“I said, ‘Hey, we can use that,'” Furay says. “The fans are going to love it.”
Third Encore is so named because the Eagles encored twice during their permanent residency at the Sphere, and the attraction is located on the second floor of The Venetian’s Waterfall Atrium, the same location where similarly designed fan experiences for U2 and Dead & Company have been built.
The space is open Thursday through Sunday during show week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Free admission to the museum features memorabilia exhibits of historical material, items that would normally be donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, musical equipment, concert posters, and the “Eagles Come Home” video, which captures rare behind-the-scenes moments.
As a member of the Eagles family, Frey was the natural choice to take on this role.
“I don’t think we ever planned it. We were just like, ‘What if we did this? What if we did this?’ So we just brainstormed ideas and went with it.”
Along with Felicity’s drums, Frey also unearthed some old memorabilia and photos he never knew existed.
“There were some really special scenes, like walking off the stage at the old Wembley Stadium,” Frey said. “That scene was filmed in the original Wembley Stadium, which doesn’t exist anymore.” The show was at the 1975 Midsummer Music Festival, which also featured The Beach Boys and a pre-Eagles Joe Walsh.
The souvenir shop will have a sales floor area of 2,600 square feet and will feature designer merchandise exclusive to the Third Encore space.
The third encore will also feature the Troubadour VIP Lounge, a recreation of West Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour that will serve as the centerpiece of the attraction.
The club matches the aesthetic and architectural details that were present in the band’s early days — in short, it’s a cool place.
There’s a fee for the experience: As the news release states, those who sign up for the Vibee VIP package get “exclusive opportunities” to see rare Eagles memorabilia and order themed drinks named after the band (see eagles.vibee.com for details).
“We have a lot of old T-shirts and satin jackets that are a million years old,” Furay says, “and people look at them and think, ‘Wow, that’s amazing. I want to wear that today.’ Bands don’t even make that anymore.”
John Katsilometes’ column appears daily in Section A. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow us! Johnny Katz @JohnnyKats1 on X and @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.