This live recording archive features songs that Randy sang lead or co-lead on between 1972-1977, during his tenure with the Eagles.
The Eagles played Berkeley Community Center on June 16th, 1973. King Crimson opened. Listen to an audience recording of the Eagles’ set below.
Randy sang lead on “Certain Kind Of Fool,” Tryin'” and co-lead on “How Long.” The full concert is also provided below.
“Certain Kind Of Fool”
“Tryin'”
“How Long” (co-lead with Glenn Frey & Don Henley)
Full Concert Recording
The recording includes a rare live version of “Bitter Creek.” On the album version, Randy played a guitarrón (acoustic bass). I believe he is playing it on this live recording because he can be heard tuning it before the song begins (@14:05). The guitarrón has a very deep sound, different from an electric bass.
Recording Setlist
Take It Easy (with Silver Dagger intro)
How Long
Doolin-Dalton
Bitter Creek
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado
Twenty-One
Early Bird
Certain Kind Of Fool
Outlaw Man
Witchy Woman
Lazy Days (Gram Parsons’ song)
Tryin’
Tequila Sunrise
The concert started with Glenn Frey parading around onstage with an eagle mask on his head and a Budweiser in his hand.
The Eagles, along with Melissa Manchester, The Temptations, John Sebastian and Sly & the Family Stone performed at the Schaefer Music Festival in New York City’s Central Park on August 1st & 2nd, 1973. Both nights were filmed for a TV special called ‘Good Vibrations from Central Park,’ which aired on August 23rd, 1973.
The Eagles appeared at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on June 21st, 1973 where they performed their entire DESPERADO album in sequence.
The Eagles appeared at Spring Fest on the campus of Southern Illinois University/Edwardsville (SIUE).
Livingston Taylor (James’ brother) opened.
The previous night, Glenn Frey had been arrested following the Eagles’ concert at Mershon Auditorium in Columbus. He was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and public intoxication.
Mugshot
Glenn made no mention of the arrest in a backstage interview in Edwardsville. He talked about the difference between “superfans,” who want to get as close to the stage a possible, and music fans, who stay a few rows back because they want to hear the music.
Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey were photographed in the afternoon prior to their appearance at Spring Fest.
Photo by John Milazzo (Focus magazine, October 1974)
The Eagles onstage.
The Eagles played the Portland Expo in Portland, ME on December 2nd, 1973
Spooky Tooth opened.
“Ex-Poco member, Randy Meisner, made his subtle and important mark on the evening by doing his “Certain Kind Of Fool” and “Tryin'”–both numbers of high energy and Poco-like vocals. Meisner’s bass playing is simple, but steady.” -Jim Gerard, Cleveland Scene, May 17, 1973
Also on the bill were Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dan Fogelberg.
The review below includes a very brief interview with Glenn Frey, who said he was at a “low emotional ebb” after performing five nights in a row. It also has a couple of misprints, including the ages of the band members (“23 and 24”). At the time of the concert, Randy was the oldest at 27, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon were 26, and Glenn Frey was 25. Randy’s “Tryin'” is listed as “Keep On Moving” and “Sun’s Come Up” is “Ol’ 55.” The latter would appear on their not-yet-released album, On The Border in April 1974. Another song intended for the album, “Don’t Be Mean To Your Bad Man,” written by J.D. Souther and Glenn Frey, was also performed, but did not end up on the album. It later appeared as just “Bad Man” on Randy’s self-titled debut in 1978.
Dan Fogelberg opened.
The review below also includes an interview with Don Henley and Glenn Frey backstage. Randy and Bernie did not contribute much, but “stuck their heads in to add dry wit from time to time.”
At the show, the Eagles played a couple of numbers that would eventually end up on On The Border, including “Good Day In Hell” and “Ol’ 55” (sung by Glenn, but the author incorrectly states it was sung by Bernie). They also played “Be Good To Your Badman” (aka “Bad Man”), co-written by J.D. Souther and Glenn Frey, which did not end up on On The Border, but did become the first track on Randy’s first solo album in 1978.
Randy wore the yellow Morehead jersey he purchased in the bookstore at Morehead State University when the band played a concert there the week before. He’ll wear it again in early 1974 during the taping of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
Photos from the Pine Knot yearbook, 1974
These photos were taken prior to the Eagles’ concert at the De Doelen in Rotterdam either backstage or at Mazel’s studio in The Hague.
Randy’s shirt is a nod to his hometown of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The Frank Implement Company was owned by the father of one of his friends. Randy worked there for several months in 1970 between stints touring with Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.
Randy and Glenn Frey are wearing gold medallions that were a gift from producer Glyn Johns.
“As a gesture of friendship, Glyn had these solid-gold medallions made for each of us, after which they threw away the mold. It had an Eagle on the front, and our names on the back. Proof that I was an original Eagle.” (Randy Meisner, To The Limit: The Untold Story Of The Eagles by Marc Eliot, 1997)
Closeup of Glenn Frey’s medallion. The word “EAGLES” can be seen along the bottom.
The Eagles played Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa, Florida on June 7th, 1973. REO Speedwagon opened. See photos, reviews, and listen to an audience recording.
The Eagles were the headliners at the third annual Ohio University Music Festival in Athens, Ohio on April 28th, 1973.
On November 30th, 1973, the Eagles played the College Of The Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. During the show, they performed a rare 10-minute epic, written and sung by Randy, called “Wait & See,” which was originally intended for ON THE BORDER.
