7 Bridges

The Mahoning Valley clearly loves 7 Bridges.

The Eagles' tribute band made two appearances at Warren Community Amphitheatre in 2010, and after a single stop last year, promoter Sunrise Entertainment is bringing the band back twice for the 2012 River Rock at the Amp concert series.

The feeling is mutual.

''We love it there,'' said Jason Manning, who handles Glenn Frey's parts in the band. ''The people, the energy we get from Warren is amazing. We feed off of that. The Greek-style stacked amphitheater is one of our favorite venues will play in the country. It's not too big that you lose connection with the guy in the last row, but it's big enough to have fun.''

And Manning said the crowds there definitely seem to be having fun.

''There's always a lot of dancing going on, sometimes warranted and sometimes not,'' he said. ''It's a good time, but you never know what's going to happen. It's one of the easier venues for people to rush the stage.''

7 Bridges has been performing the music of the Eagles since 2008, longer if you count the stint that some of the guys did in an Eagles tribute band called Tequila Sunrise. That band evolved into 7 Bridges when Tequila founder Paul Sidoti was hired to play guitar for Taylor Swift.

The current lineup - Manning, guitar, keyboards and vocals; Keith Thoma, drums, percussion and vocals; Bryan Graves, bass and vocals; Douglas Gery, guitar and vocals; Race Godson, guitar and vocals; and Vernon Roop, keyboards, percussion and vocals - has been intact for a couple years, and that experience together shows on stage, according to Manning.

''I wouldn't say it's a disaster without it, but it's very important knowing the flow of the show and being able to anticipate how the other person is going to act and react on stage,'' he said. ''The music itself is very intricate, especially with all the harmonies. Everyone sings every part and plays every part exactly as they do.''

The Eagles may be the most successful American band of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, ''Eagles: Their Greatest Hits, 1971-75'' has sold 29 million copies. ''Hotel California,'' with 16 million copies sold, also ranks in the all-time top 20. Add to that about 20 Billboard Top 40 hits and several other songs that didn't make the pop charts but dominated album-oriented rock radio in the '70s and classic rock radio today.

As a result, 7 Bridges has no trouble filling its set list.

''We typically stick to the hits,'' Manning said. ''At the Warren show, we'll play 2, 2 1/2 hours of music, and there just isn't time to play everything. If we didn't play 'Desperado,' we might not make it out of there alive ... There may be some super fans who want to hear that deep cut, and we've been known to pull a few out from time to time, but typically we stay with the hits. And we might throw something extra in for the Warren crowd. We might go off of the Eagles set list and play something fun for the encore.''

And Manning promised that none of the Eagles' favorites associated with one-time Kent State student Joe Walsh would be left out.

''In northeast Ohio, you think of Joe Walsh,'' he said. ''That style, he brought more of an edge to the Eagles that they didn't have before, that air of fun and let's just enjoy ourselves and not be so serious. When you see them live today, it's still there. He's the entertainer of the group.''

Manning said the band averages 50 to 75 shows a year. And like most touring acts, 7 Bridges is busiest during the summer (although the band is planning a four-night ''Best of My Love'' Cruise of the Caribbean for fans next February.

When he's not making music with 7 Bridges, Manning has a country act called Manning Dixon, and he and his fellow Bridge workers are working on some original music.

''Three or four of us are pretty strong songwriters,'' he said. ''There are completely different skills that we bring to the table. It's similar to the harmonies of the Eagles, but it's more 2012-sounding than the stuff we play in the Eagles show.''