The Eagles, with opening act, McKendree Spring, played Wetherby Gymnasium on the campus of Morehead State University (home of the MSU Eagles), located about an hour east of Lexington (my hometown.) It was during this visit to MSU that Randy and Bernie purchased the Morehead shirts that they later wore during the filming of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
Below is the somewhat lackluster review from the student paper. Randy is identified merely as “An Eagle” in the photo. Although the crowd was “so enthused” that they “formed a line and danced to the music around the fieldhouse,” they were less impressed by the band’s lack of showmanship. Nevertheless, the Eagles weren’t skewered nearly as hard in the review as McKendree Spring, who could play well enough, but made the mistake of yodeling instead of singing. The crowd didn’t seem to mind, however, and during one square dance number, they were “jumping up and down, dancing and going buck wild.”
Images of the Eagles and McKendree Spring from the MSU yearbook, Ranconteur (1974):
L-R: Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Randy.
Comments about the show from Morehead State University’s Facebook page. The last comment mentions that the band played songs from their first two albums, plus several songs from their forthcoming album, ON THE BORDER. No setlist exists for this concert, however, other setlists from this time period show that Randy often sang both “Certain Kind Of Fool” and “Tryin’.” Therefore, it’s quite possible he performed those songs on this night as well.
