David Gold Again Performs with The Eagles

Just a month before the pandemic began, MBS Performing Arts Department Chair David Gold played three sold-out shows with The Eagles as part of their Hotel California tour at Madison Square Garden. Last month, he again supported the legendary band for two shows at Madison Square Garden and two shows at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. as they played their first gigs since COVID-19 derailed the tour.

Gold, who played viola as part of a 40-piece string section, accompanied The Eagles as they performed their legendary Hotel California album in its entirety, plus a set of greatest hits. The group, consisting of Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmidt, was also joined by Vince Gill and Glenn Frey’s son, Deacon.

“People were so thrilled to be at a concert again. Every crowd was so appreciative,” said Gold, who added that he felt comfortable performing again, especially given the many safety protocols. “In addition to wearing masks, we had to submit our vaccine cards a month in advance and show up early for a rapid test before each show.

At Morristown Beard School, Gold teaches a number of performance-based and arts literacy classes. Outside the classroom, he has had quite a distinguished and varied background as a musician. He has performed with members of R.E.M. on The Late Show with David Letterman, with Sinead O’Connor on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, with Christina Aguilera on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, with Ray LaMontagne on Saturday Night Live, and with John Mayer on Sesame Street.

He has recorded with Tony Bennett, Norah Jones, David Byrne, and Sheryl Crow; performed with Hall & Oates, Lou Reed, Johnny Mathis, Cassandra Wilson, and Burt Bacharach; and subbed on many Broadway shows, including Wicked, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miz, On the Town, An American in Paris, Finding Neverland, South Pacific, Gypsy, Spamalot, Into the Woods, Kiss Me Kate, and The Lion King. In 2017, he played the First National Tour of Bright Star, a bluegrass-infused musical written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.