The Eagles played the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on November 12th and De Doelen in Rotterdam on the 13th. The group also received an award and took a set of famous photos.
The Dutch shows were preceded by a week-long tour of England opening for Neil Young & Crazy Horse. This was the group’s second visit to the Netherlands in 1973. In March, they played the Concertgebouw, as well as the Popgala event in Voorburg.
“The Eagles Are Coming To The Netherlands”
Tubantia, October 26, 1973
AMSTERDAM
November 12th, 1973
At noon, the Eagles were presented with an Edison award for Desperado (the Edison is a Dutch version of the Grammy) at the Hilton hotel. They were also presented with silver Eagle pins by Stance Oort, who was a press promoter for the dutch label, EMI-Bovema. Four years later, in 1977, Oort presented the band with an award before their show in Rotterdam.
Concertgebouw, November 12th, 1973
Randy onstage in Amsterdam, donning a shirt representing Ajax, the Dutch soccer club.
Concert review, Het Parool, November 13, 1973
Highlights:
- The band “interweaved exciting high-pitched screams (Randy Meisner) with melodic guitar playing.”
- The band performed Gram Parson’s “Lazy Days,” perhaps as a tribute to Parsons, Bernie Leadon’s former Burrito Brothers bandmate, who had just passed away in September.
Translation of review in Het Parool (Amsterdam), November 13, 1973:
Brilliant Eagles: English Group In Amsterdam
The Eagles have come up with an effective way to visit the Netherlands. Every time they record a new LP in England (the third one is called “The Border”) they drop over for concerts, which is why they performed last night in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and tonight in the Rotterdam Doelen.
The Eagles are the world’s strongest vocal group. A group with so much talent and sparkling craftsmanship that every live concert almost comes close to listening to their records. Also last night, because with the first twinkling sounds of Bernie Leadon’s guitar, crystal clear versions of “Take It Easy” and “Outlaw Man” unfolded.
The Eagles actually have everything you can expect from a top group. Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner and Don Hensley all sing equally well as soloists. And together they create a close harmony, with counterpart choirs, which sometimes give you chills.
But beyond those vocal aspirations, the Eagles are made up of guys, each of whom has a wealth of country rock experience. They are all-round in a fascinating way. And so it happened, that Randy Meisner (bass) took the lead vocals in “Certain kind of Fool,” Bernie Leadon also played the banjo now and then and Glenn Frey crawled behind the grand piano (“Desperado”), stating that they were very grateful for their Edison award.
After a number of flawless and movingly beautiful country-rock songs, such as “Doolin-Dalton”, a somewhat heavier part began. For this occasion they even let themselves be tempted to new work, but also in the heavier accented songs they interweaved exciting high-pitched screams ( Randy Meisner) and melodic guitar playing. With one encore the audience was not satisfied. To please they needed a second one, including “It’s a long Day” [Lazy Days] (Gram Parsons) and “Oh Carol.” It was a long and beautiful concert.“
ROTTERDAM
November 13th, 1973
Photos by Peter Mazel, November 13th, 1973
Before the Eagles took the stage at the Doelen, they were photographed by Dutch photographer, Peter Mazel. The band members are donned in the same outfits seen during their performance, including Randy, who wore a shirt promoting the Frank Implement Company, a John Deere dealership located in his hometown of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
More photos from this session can be found at the link below:
De Doelen, November 13th, 1973
Concert Review from Algemeen Dagblad, November 14, 1973
Highlights:
- The Eagles’ unparalleled harmonies were the high point of the show.
- Randy is described as the “virtuoso bassist.”
Translation of review in Algemeen Dagblad (Rotterdam), November 14, 1973:
The Eagles Are Talented Musicians
The popularity of the young American pop group The Eagles is measured by the massive interest in their concerts yesterday and the day before yesterday in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This popularity is of course, to some extent, explained since two of the four Eagles were previously part of two very renowned pop groups. The virtuoso bassist Randy Meisner comes from the group Poco and guitarist-banjoist Bernie Leadon played with the famous Flying Burrito Brothers. The musical origin of this pair impresses a clear mark on their predominantly country-rock-ish repertoire.
The great class of this formation, however, lies in the unparalleled combination of their voices. Vocally, the Eagles proved to be by far the boss in the crowded Rotterdam Doelen yesterday evening. It is not only the crystal clear voices of Bernie Leadon and guitarist Glenn Frey that determine the flawless close harmonics of the Eagles. Drummer Don Henley and bassist Meisner make an equally important contribution. Especially the warm, hoarse voice of Don Henley was in songs like “Witchy Woman” and “Desperado” masterfully nostalgic. Those romantic singing voices were instrumentally supported with an equal dose. The Eagles reached an absolute highlight with an exquisite version of their hit song “Early Bird.”
1“Bad Man” was also considered for the Eagles’ debut album. The song was performed a handful of times on the 1973 tour.
2Mazel also photographed the band on March 9th, 1973 prior to their performance at the Popgala in Voorburg.
Thank you
Now you’re a translator, too. You’ve got the skills! Great article! Love being able to tie the pictures to an event. And, seeing an image of that Eagle necklace a bit closer up. 🙂
Thanks so much, Janis! This one was fun to put together.
Such great information & fabulous pictures. Concerts on today’s date. I love celebrating their anniversaries. Thank You Jessica!