Eagles Honor Jimmy Buffett at Madison Square Garden

Eagles kicked off their The Long Goodbye final tour at New York’s Madison Square Garden last night (Sept. 7) with a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett, who passed away Sept. 1 at the age of 76.

The band performed a trio of Buffett songs-“Margaritaville” and “Come Monday” was delivered by former Coral Reefers bandmate Timothy B. Schmit.

Guitarist Joe Walsh honored Buffett donning a Parrothead hat for a performance of “Fins” while joking “Jimmy and I got thrown out of some of the finest hotels in the world.” 

Beforehand, Henley eloquently eulogized Buffett with words of endearment.

 “Last weekend we lost a dear friend and the world lost a musical icon. Our dear friend Jimmy Buffett is now sailing on that cosmic ocean having that cheeseburger with Glenn and Randy,” said Henley, referring to the late Eagles members Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner. “We always laughed and said we survived the ’70s together and the ’80s were pretty rough too, come to think of it.”

Buffett, Henley said, was “one of the hardest working men I ever saw,” but noted, “he made work look like play and he brought joy to everything he did, including the work.”

Finally, he shared, “One of his final wishes was that we keep the party going … responsibly.”

Eagles have another show at Madison Square Garden tonight (Sept. 8) and at the Prudential Center in Newark Sept. 16-17.