The Eagles In Nashville, 1977

The Eagles played the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on June 23rd, 1977.
The day before, the band played a game of softball against radio and record company personnel.

_{The Eagles onstage in Nashville. Andrew Gold opened.}

Review from the Nashville Tennessean.

The day before the concert, the Eagles, aka “The Party Plane,” played a softball game against Elektra-Asylum personnel and local radio celebrities. Randy is in the background in the top right photo.

Playing for the opposing team was slide guitar aficionado, Mac Gayden. Below Gayden recalls (via Facebook) the softball game and mentions that he was initially considered as Bernie Leadon’s replacement before Walsh was added.

In 1976, when the Eagles were recording Hotel California at Criteria Studios in Miami, Gayden was in an adjacent studio at Criteria recording his album, Hymn To The Seeker. Gayden asked Randy to sing background on the song, “Someone Whispered.” It’s an overlooked gem in the Meisner canon of guest appearances. Check it out.

Footage of the Nashville softball game from the History Of The Eagles documentary.
_{©Alison Ellwood, Jigsaw Productions, 2013}

1977, Don Felder, Eagles, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Softball Game, Tennessee

Eagles
Miami Baseball Stadium
July 2nd, 1977

Jimmy Buffett and Andrew Gold opened.

Photo by Cindy Garcia White.

Miami Herald review, July 3rd, 1977

1977, Eagles, Florida

Eagles
The BJCC
Birmingham, AL, June 24, 1977

Photos by William S. Allen

Randy is playing a black Hagstrom here. A switch from his usual Rickenbacker 4001, which was his go-to bass on the 1977 Hotel California tour. See more of Randy’s basses here.

1977, Alabama, Eagles

Eagles
Omni, Atlanta, GA
June 19th-20th, 1977

Andrew Gold opened both shows. Steve Miller made a guest appearance on the 19th.

June 19th

“Randy Meisner, the bass guitarist, lifted the show to a new level of excitement with his singing of ‘Take It To The Limit.'”
Scott Cain, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 20th, 1977

June 20th

“Bassist Randy Meisner gave an outstanding singing performance on ‘Take It To The Limit.'”
Bill King, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 21st, 1977

_{Eagles onstage, June 20th, 1977. Photo ©Kelly Campbell.}

Review: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 21st, 1977

Randy at the Omni

1977, Atlanta, Don Felder, Don Henley, Eagles, Georgia, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Take It To The Limit

BANDS Hotel California Tour

Day On The Green, 1977

May 29, 2023July 24, 2023

by Jessica

The Eagles headlined two concerts at Day On The Green in Oakland over Memorial Day weekend. They also played a softball game.

EAGLES
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
June 27, 1977

Andrew Gold opened.

Randy handed out water to sweltering fans. His high note on “Take It To The Limit” was compared to opera soprano, Anna Moffo.

“Bassist Randy Meisner gave the crowd a good rush when he took a note in ‘Take It To The Limit’ that Anna Moffo would be proud to call her own. Meisner had a great rapport with the crowd. At least twice he came to the aid of fans sweltering on the front lines of the surging floor crowd with some liquid relief. They appreciated it and showed so by making him come to the mike to take a bow for his high note.”
Russ Edmonston, Greensboro Daily News, June 28, 1977

Notice that Randy is playing a black Hagstrom bass. A change from his usual Rickenbacker 4001 from the Hotel California tour. He played the black Hagstrom a few days earlier in Birmingham as well. Find out more about Randy’s basses here.

1977, Eagles, North Carolina, Take It To The Limit

EAGLES
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
March 30th, 1977

This was the Eagles’ second-to-last date on the first leg of their 1977 Hotel California tour (they played Cleveland the next two nights). Their next stop was Europe after a three-week break. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act.

The Eagles in Toronto:
Photo ©Doug McClement

Although their musicianship was flawless, many reviews from the Hotel California tour criticized the Eagles for just standing around like statues onstage. It was something that irked Randy, who wanted to move around and have fun. He was in a rock band, after all. The reviews for the Toronto show were no different in this regard. However, the critic for the Globe And Mail complimented Randy for bringing some much-needed humanity to the show, albeit temporarily, with his dazzling performance of “Take It To The Limit”:

“When humanity breaks through, it can often dazzle. Randy Meisner’s vocals were a case in point: he appeared throughout to be only passingly interested in the performance, but then stepped to the front for is impassioned vocal on ‘Take It To The Limit.’ Only then was it apparent that this man’s seeming disinterest actually hid some real emotion. The revelation passed as he returned to his bass.”
Paul McGrath, Globe and Mail, March 31, 1977 (see full review below)

Below: Randy dazzles the audience.
Photos © John Rowlands.

At a reception following the show, the Eagles were presented with a platinum record for Hotel California. Below they are photographed at the gathering with representatives from WEA (the international distributor for Asylum) and Toronto radio stations, CHUM & CFTR.
My only question is: Where’s Randy?

Reviews:

1977, Canada, Don Felder, Don Henley, Eagles, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh

Eagles
Madison Square Garden, March 18th, 1977

This was the third date on the Eagles’ 1977 Hotel California tour. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act.

Although this was the Eagles’ debut at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the band played Felt Forum, the Garden’s smaller venue, back in 1972. For this sold-out appearance, the Eagles were backed by an orchestra for three songs: “Desperado Reprise,” “Wasted Time,” and “Take It To The Limit.” Three members of the Rolling Stones attended the concert: Mick Jagger, Ron Wood, and Bill Wyman. Wood accompanied the Eagles onstage for their last encore of Chuck Berry’s “Carol.”

An after-show party was given by Elektra/Asylum at the Garden’s Penn Plaza Club.

Praise for Randy:
“The event of the evening came with bassist Randy Meisner’s stunning vocalization of ‘Take It To The Limit’. In addition to sing-along support from the total audience, he received a standing ovation after each chorus.” (Record World, April 23, 1977)

Setlist
(Compiled from contemporary reviews)

Hotel California
Turn To Stone
Lyin’ Eyes
Doolin-Dalton/Desperado Reprise
Wasted Time
Take It To The Limit
New Kid In Town
Desperado
One Of These Nights
Turn To Stone
Already Gone
Life In the Fast Lane
Victim Of Love
Rocky Mountain Way
Welcome To The Club
Witchy Woman
James Dean
Take It Easy
Best Of My Love
Carol

Reviews

Rolling Stone, May 5, 1977

Record World, April 23, 1977

The After-Show Party

Among the guests were Faye Dunaway, Paul Simon, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Linda Ronstadt and J.D. Souther. Although members of the Rolling Stones were present at the concert, they did not attend the post-concert party.

According to Rolling Stone magazine: “The guests dined on Mexican food, but only had one brand of cheap white tequila to wash down their tacos.”

Below: Glenn at the buffet table which included an ice eagle sculpture.

1977, Don Felder, Eagles, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, New York City, Take It To The Limit

BANDS Eagles Hotel California Hotel California Tour Songs Take It To The Limit

The Eagles At The Capital Centre, March 1977: A Closer Look

March 2, 2023July 1, 2023

by Jessica

We take a deep dive into the concerts and footage from the Eagles’ two-night stint at the Capital Centre in 1977.

Songbooks

These songbooks were released around the same time as each of the albums (Eagles & Desperado were published as one volume, back to back. Read one side, then flip it over to read the other). They included sheet music and lyrics for each song, accompanied by photos. The files below include abridged (shortened) versions of each these songbooks. I did not want to risk damaging the books by scanning every page (a couple are in fragile condition). All photos featuring Randy have been included.

Eagles – Eagles Songbook
Published 1973, Warner Bros. Publications
Included as a two-in-one with the Desperado Songbook.

Eagles – Desperado Songbook
Published 1973, Warner Bros. Publications

Eagles – On The Border Songbook
Published 1975, Warner Bros. Publications

Eagles – One Of These Nights Songbook
1976 Warner Bros. Publications

Eagles – Hotel California Songbook
1977 Warner Bros. Publications

Randy Meisner – One More Song Songbook
1981 Warner Bros. Publications

Tour Books

To my knowledge, the Eagles only published two tour programs during Randy’s tenure with the band. One to coincide with their Japanese tour in 1976 and one for the U.S. and European tour in 1977. Tour programs were published for Randy’s Japanese tours in 1981 and 1983. The latter is extremely hard-to-find. The ’81 program is included below.

Eagles – Japanese Tour Book 1976
Book included a poster

Eagles – 1977 Hotel California Tour Book
Distributed in both Europe and America.

Randy Meisner – Japanese Tour Book 1981

BANDS Concert History Eagles Hotel California Tour Songs Take It To The Limit

Nearing The End – The Eagles At Fort Worth, July 1977

December 1, 2022July 31, 2023

by Jessica

The Eagles performed two nights in a row at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas on July 7-8, 1977. These shows marked the next to last concert appearances of Randy Meisner with the band.

EAGLES
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
November 22, 1976

J.D. Souther opened.

Before the show, Randy, Don Felder, and J.D. Souther were spotted grabbing a bite at the Burger King down the street from Market Square Arena.

Don Felder, Randy Meisner and a 3rd guy I believe was JD Souther walked into the Burger King I was managing 2 blocks from old Market Square Arena in Indianapolis the afternoon of their local Hotel California tour concert at MSA. Saw them in the same clothes on stage that night. https://t.co/lShQwTBtdI
— JimW Thoughts (@jn_walkerjr) October 27, 2021

Randy’s performance of “Take It To The Limit” was the highlight of the evening and earned him a standing ovation.

“The man who stole the show, perhaps, was bass player Randy Meisner, who sang lead only once. The number was last winter’s giant hit, “Take It To The Limit.” Meisner had ’em cheering long before the finish of the song. His clean, crisp high vocals earned him the only standing ovation for an individual performance.”
Zach Dunkin, Indianapolis News, November 23, 1976

Review from Indianapolis News, November 23, 1976. Joe Walsh is incorrectly identified in the photo as Don Felder.

1976, Eagles, Indiana, Indianapolis

EAGLES
Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, TX
November 2nd, 1976

J.D. Souther opened for the Eagles.

“The turning point of the show occurred when Randy Meisner, bass guitarist, sang ‘Take It To The Limit.’ Meisner reached incredible high, sustained pitches with his strong, forceful voice that just sent shivers up the crowd’s spines. Crazed fans screamed and dashed toward the stage, where they remained until the end of the concert. Meisner received a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. When he realized the crowd wouldn’t stop, he danced and skipped around the stage which made the audience applaud even more.”

The Ranger (San Antonio College), November 12, 1976

1976, JD Souther, San Antonio, Take It To The Limit, Texas

EAGLES
Arizona State University
October 15th, 1976

On October 15, 1976, the Eagles played the Activity Center at Arizona State University. J.D. Souther opened.

Joe Walsh, Randy, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey perform “Seven Bridges Road.”

The review of the show in the Arizona State University newspaper, The State Press, mentions “Hotel California” as being played, which would have been the first documented performance of the song. The author incorrectly claims the album, Hotel California, was released in February 1976. This person must have been thinking of Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975, which had been released that February (and did not include “Hotel California). The album Hotel California was not released until December.