Little Big Town Said the Eagles’ Sobriety Made Them Feel They ‘Need to Behave’ on Tour
The Eagles are one of the biggest bands in the world, so it’s no surprise that country group Little Big Town was a little intimidated when they headed out on tour with the classic rock band. One aspect of the Eagles’ touring life really made Little Big Town feel the need to “behave” — their sobriety.
Little Big Town calls opening for the Eagles ‘a dream come true’
Little Big Town opened for the Eagles on the European leg of their tour in Summer 2022, hitting the Netherlands, Ireland, and England.
“Man — I mean, how could it be any better?” band member Karen Fairchild told Smooth Country. “It’s like, stadiums in Europe with the Eagles, you know? We sat in Dublin the other night, and just watched, top to bottom, their whole set. It’s just hit after hit after hit. The singing, the playing — it’s so otherworldly. It’s really a dream come true.”
Why the Eagles’ sobriety made Little Big Town feel the ‘need to behave’
Touring with the Eagles might have been a dream come true, but the band did admit that it was a little different from touring with their peers, like Miranda Lambert.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just that one is more fun,” Fairchild said during an episode of Spout Podcast. “Like, Miranda is just crazy like us, you know, like, crazy in a good way. It’s like, you know, we might end up in a pool all day long, like, before the show, or write a song. It feels like family, so we are always the same, but we do need to adapt.”
She continued, “You know, the Eagles, it’s more of, like, we are intimidated and we need to behave and, you know. We want to honor their process, and they’re used to a certain thing…we were just trying to obey the rules.”
“And they’re sober and we’re not,” added Kimberly Schlapman. The rest of the band cracked up, but Fairchild was quick to emphasize that the band was “so kind to us.”
Why the Eagles stay sober on tour
It’s strange to think about the previously hard-partying Eagles being sober. But as the band members have gotten older and settled down, they put an end to the after-show drinking and drug using.
Guitarist Joe Walsh has been sober for 27 years. He initially turned to alcohol to help him deal with his attention-deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Asperger’s syndrome.
“My higher power became vodka and cocaine,” he revealed in 2020 (via First Step to Recovery). “I burned all the bridges. Nobody wanted to work with me. I was angry. I turned into this godless, hateful thing.”
Walsh continued. “I met some old timers,” he shared. “Gradually they showed me that I’m not a unique individual, one-of-a-kind person. I’m just an alcoholic, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was somewhere where I belonged. I got sober because of a fellowship of men and women who were sober alcoholics.”
Drummer and singer Don Henley also prefers to stay sober while on tour, telling The Mirror, “There is no alcohol on tour. Sleep is very important. I don’t really have a social life – I stay in my room and I try to keep quiet.”
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