When Eagles began their historic final (?) run of shows at the magnificent Sphere in Las Vegas last month, the band also debuted a one-of-a-kind experience for fans at the Venetian Hotel next door. Dubbed Third Encore (a nod to the band’s legendary afterparties), the installation includes a trove of exclusive photos and memorabilia alongside the largest-ever Eagles merch pop-up—2,600 square feet of new and vintage designs, some exclusive to the fan experience.
But that’s not all: The main Third Encore attraction is a near-life-size replica of the Troubadour nightclub as it was in 1970, the year Don Henley and Glenn Frey first met there. Accurate in nearly every detail, the re-creation of the West Hollywood singer-songwriter Mecca houses even more treasures from the Eagles’ storied career. Those who have purchased VIP packages can actually go inside, get a drink at the bar, lounge, and ogle the goods up close.
Curated by Cindy Frey (wife of the late Glenn Frey) and Vibee, the Eagles Sphere residency’s VIP experience and hotel package partner, Third Encore allows fans to step back in time and remember—or discover—what it was like for one of the biggest bands in the world back in their earlier days. When Setlist went to the first Eagles Sphere show on Sept. 20, Cindy was kind enough to give us a guided tour. Check it out below.
Cindy Frey: We were lucky enough to be able to recreate the Troubadour to house all of our memorabilia and give a spot for people to walk in back into time a little bit and feel like, wow, this feels good. Putting on a pair of old jeans that still fit.
Joe: Exactly, and that's what you've done. And this is called Third Encore. Tell us about that.
Cindy: The band traditionally did two encores, and they would call the party back at the hotel the third encore.
Joe: And as we stand here in 1970, and then across the street it's 2024, and the Sphere, and technology that is mind blowing. Do you think there's any way that they saw that they would be this part of history? Is that the kind of thing they could see?
Cindy: I think when they were sitting down, writing songs, and they wrote a good one, some part of them knew, like, this could have the chance to stand the test of time. And I think that they approached all of their writing like that. They weren't just writing songs for fun. A little bit for fun, but they were really--
Joe: A little bit for the girls.
Cindy: A little bit for the girls. But they were really working on their craft.
Joe: Can you tell us how all of this came together?
Cindy: The idea for a pop-up came, and I'm like, "Well, what is that? Is it just a bunch of t-shirts hanging up on racks?" Let's make it an experience, something that, you know, our fans are really gonna love. And what do people come to our shows to see? They wanna go back in time. They wanna go back to a place that made them feel good.
---
