"5-7 times a year": Charles Barkley boasts a 35-year love affair with 'Eagles' concerts, attending over 50 shows
Charles Barkley once joked that he majored in “music appreciation” while he spent three seasons playing college basketball at Auburn. The Hall of Famer described his course as simply sitting in a classroom while he appreciated the music played around him. There must have been some deeply-rooted reason for his hilarious comment. He is a diehard and longtime Eagles fan.
On the Dan Patrick Show, “Chuck” was asked about his favorite band. He promptly answered that his favorite rap group is “Public Enemy” and added that Aretha Franklin was the singer he loved most.
Still, there’s one group that he hasn’t gotten tired of following:
(1:22 mark)
“The Eagles are my favorite band. I’ve been traveling with the Eagles for the last 30 years. I’m getting ready to go see him on their last tour. I think on November 3rd they’re in Atlanta. I’ve seen them 50 times. I’ve been with those guys even before Glenn Frey passed away.
“They’re the kind of band like Billy Joel or Phil Collins, you don’t even know the good songs they sing until they start singing them. … It’s the same way when I started going to see the Eagles, about probably 35 years ago. I see the Eagles about probably 5-7 times a year.”
“The Eagles” are an American rock band that debuted in 1972 with an album named after their group. “The New Kid in Town,” “Hotel California,” “Heartache Tonight” and “I Can’t Tell You Why” are a few of their hits. They won six Grammy Awards and Five American Music Awards and became one of music’s most iconic bands.
Charles Barkley was born in 1963 so it’s no wonder “The Eagles” played a part of his early life while growing up in Leeds, Alabama.
The Eagles once dedicated a song to Charles Barkley
“The Eagles” reunited in 1994 when they decided that they’d be playing together until hell froze over. In 2010, “The Hell Freezes Over” concert was held at the New England Patriots’ home field, Gillette Stadium.
One of the thousands who attended the concert was none other than Charles Barkley, who was in the 10th year of his retirement from the NBA. He last played for the Houston Rockets before hanging up his jersey in 2000.
Before the group, led by the late Glenn Frey, played “Sin Wagon,” they told the audience that the song was dedicated to Barkley. The band called him a fellow “bad boy.”
Over the years, Charles Barkley has been known to drive to concerts to watch “The Eagles” play. It doesn’t look like the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar plans on stopping anytime soon.