Eagles In Denver, 1976: A Family Affair at Mile High Stadium

On August 8th, 1976, Randy’s wife and children, his parents, and numerous other relatives and friends traveled three hours from Scottsbluff to Denver to see the Eagles perform at Mile High Stadium. The concert took place on the heels of Randy’s monster hit with the band, “Take It To The Limit.” His hometown paper, the Scottsbluff Star-Herald, covered the concert and interviewed Randy’s parents, Herman and Emilie Meisner, as well as his first wife, Jennifer Meisner.

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The Eagles were the headliners at the third installment of the “Colorado Sun Day.” Also on the bill were Linda Ronstadt & Pure Prairie League. The Denver concert was the Eagles’ last tour date of the summer.

Concert Program

Backstage

Randy and Linda Ronstadt grabbing a bite before the show. All photos and clippings in this section courtesy of Jennifer Meisner.

Jennifer’s family backstage. Her sister Ann Datel, far left, nephew Doug, second from left in back, and niece Bobbi, second from right (holding a jacket over her head).

Doug Datel passed away last December.

Randy’s three children with their mom.

Concert

For the show, Randy wore a Cawley’s Potato Chips shirt. Cawley’s chips were manufactured in his hometown of Scottsbluff, Nebraska

The shirt said: “This is my bag. What’s Yours?” (the latter part is hidden on the bottom right of the shirt). Jennifer remembered that “we always bought a bunch to take to L.A. They were the best chips.”

Scottsbluff Star-Herald/Western Sky cover story
August 21, 1976

The Mile High piece was part of “Western Sky,” a weekend insert in the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. The article featured interviews with Randy’s parents Herman and Emilie Meisner, who talk about their son’s rise to fame and their fear at his entering the music business: “We were a little leerie for a while.” There’s also a great moment where Joe Walsh hands Herman a beer. Randy’s wife, Jennifer, was also interviewed. She described what it was like being on tour with the Eagles the previous two weeks, including having to jump a fence with Randy to escape a crowd in Foxboro, MA. She also provided some insight into his personality, as well as his plans for the future, including perhaps the first mention of Randy’s desire to do a solo album. I have provided an overview of the spread in the photos below, however part of the text is not shown. Skip further down to read the full article.

Full Article

The “overwhelming ovation” for “Take It To The Limit,” was “largely the product of Randy’s writing and soul-touching vocal work.” (Kevin Doll, Scottsbluff Star-Herald)

After a two-month break, the Eagles returned to the road on October 14th, 1976 in San Diego. See a full list of their 1976 tour dates in my Concert Archive here.