Tour Of The Pacific: Eagles in Japan, 1976
An overview of the Eagles’ tour of Japan in 1976, with audience recordings and home movies.
EAGLES
Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC
August 3rd, 1975
Jimmy Buffett opened. Randy sang lead on “Midnight Flyer” and “Too Many Hands.”
When Buffett inducted the Eagles into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998, he recalled that he met the band for the first time backstage at this show.
SETLIST:
Take It Easy
Outlaw Man
Desperado
One Of These Nights
Train Leaves Here This Morning
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Ol’ 55
Journey Of The Sorceror
Midnight Flyer
Already Gone
Too Many Hands
Good Day In Hell
James Dean
Witchy Woman
Oh Carol (encore)
Best Of My Love (encore)
Tequila Sunrise (encore)
EAGLES
Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ
May 18, 1974
Jesse Colin Young opened
At the show, Randy wore a Cowtown Ballroom t-shirt. The Cowtown Ballroom was a music venue in Kansas City, MO, whose logo featured a reefer-smoking cow. The Eagles never played there, but they did play the Memorial Ballroom in Kansas City in December 1973. It’s possible that’s when Randy acquired the shirt.
EAGLES
State University Of New York/Geneseo
May 4, 1974
The Eagles performed at the Ice Arena at SUNY Geneseo. Leo Kottke opened.
Original poster:
Concert preview from Geneseo Lamron newspaper, May 3, 1974:
Photos from SUNY Geneseo’s Oh Ha Daih yearbook
EAGLES
Greensboro Coliseum
June 27, 1977
The Eagles played Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC on June 27, 1977. Andrew Gold opened. This concert was one night before the infamous Knoxville concert where Randy and Glenn Frey had a backstage fight.
During the concert, Randy provided “liquid relief” to sweltering fans in the front rows, and 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 1977 Hotel California tour. He played the black Hagstrom a few days earlier in Birmingham as well. Find out more about Randy’s basses here.
Photo by Marc Y. Chenevert:
During this stop in Greensboro, Randy was interviewed by Lou O’Neill, Jr from the New York Post. The short interview was published on July 15th, 1977. Read it below:
The Eagles played to 200,000 at the music festival, California Jam, held at the Ontario Motor Speedway outside of Los Angeles. The concert was produced by ABC and simulcast on TV and radio on May 10th, 1974. Jackson Browne filled in on several songs with the band in the absence of Don Felder, whose wife went into labor on the day of the concert.
Two stages were used that were perched on 600 feet of railroad track. As one band played, the other stage was set up for the next act, then rolled onto center stage. The stages can be seen under the striped canopies. The semi-circle of trailers behind the stages were the bands’ dressing rooms.
Photo by Mark Sullivan.
The Eagles played a 45-minute set (only 20 minutes was televised)
(Not in order of performance)
James Dean
Blackberry Blossom
Midnight Flyer
Already Gone
Take It Easy
Tequila Sunrise
Witchy Woman
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Early Bird
Outlaw Man
Below is a clip of the Eagles’ intro from the radio simulcast on ABC’s KLOS-FM in Los Angeles:
Heading to the stage:
L-R: Glenn Frey (behind the door), Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, and road manager, Richie Fernandez.
Bernie, Randy (blue shirt), Glenn and Don
Randy’s blue shirt with the hand-embroidered eagle was a gift from a fan named Terri “Woody” Smith. She also gave him a yellow shirt with the cover design from On The Border, also hand-embroidered (see it here).
Randy performing “Midnight Flyer” from On The Border, which had just been released:
The footage below includes the five songs that aired in the televised concert on May 10th, 1974:
“James Dean”
“Blackberry Blossom”
“Midnight Flyer”
“Already Gone”
“Take It Easy”
Eagles Full Concert
Below is a post-show interview with Bernie Leadon that appeared in the San Diego Door, May 14th, 1974. Although Bernie talked mostly about the band’s music and albums up to 1974, he did voice his frustration to interviewer Greg Leonard about the band’s mid-day performance at Cal Jam:
“Bernie had just returned from what he felt was a frustrating performance in the mid-day heat. When I met him he was nursing a glass of champagne trying to relax after the tension of playing outdoors, with no prior soundcheck, before nearly 200,000 people.”
Click below to read full article:
Reviews and further reading (click images to access articles).
The art show was called “El Chingadero” (Elder’s nickname) and was arranged by fellow artist John Van Hamersveld. The event took place in Venice at a garage that was converted into an art studio. Elder’s artwork was later used on the cover of three Eagles albums: One Of These Nights (1975), Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 (1976) and The Very Best Of (2003).
This art show is often touted as the first public performance by the Eagles. This is simply false. Please see my post about the shows in Aspen and Boulder in November and December 1971. These were all advertised gigs in front of an audience. Other articles claim the band was “unsigned.” This is also untrue. The Eagles signed with Asylum in September 1971. They had just finished recording their debut album a couple of months before the art show.
The poster for the El Chingadero, which also served as an invitation.
The poster was created by Rick Griffin, who later designed the unique lettering for the Eagles’ third album, On The Border:
In Marc Eliot’s biography To The Limit, Elder recalled that the band stood in a corner and played the same songs over and over because they were nervous and didn’t seem confident in their material. Perhaps this is true, but it seems unrealistic. A couple of weeks later, they would set out on a short tour as an opening act for Joe Cocker. So, it seems unlikely that they wouldn’t have had a setlist already worked out. Plus, they had just finished recording their first album. It’s possible that they were nervous to be playing for the first time in front of an audience of their peers.
Below: Jackson Browne watches as the Eagles perform (Randy at left). ©Henry Diltz.
Bernie Leadon, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, David Geffen, and Ned Doheny at the opening. ©Henry Diltz.
The Eagles paid homage to “El Chingadero” in the song “Visions” from One Of These Nights with the line: “Play on, El Chingadero, Play on.” The song was co-written by Don Felder and Don Henley (and sung by Felder). In his autobiography, Felder recalled the line and its meaning:
At one point in the lyrics, Don and Glenn sing, “Play on, El Chingadero, play on.” I learned later that chingadero is Spanish and loosely translates to ‘motherfucker.'”
Don Felder, Heaven and Hell: My Life In The Eagles (1974-2001)
Hear the line at 2:02:
Henry Diltz shot footage of the opening, which was shown in the documentary, History Of The Eagles. You can hear the band singing “Tryin'” as well as “Get You In The Mood,” a non-LP track, written by Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne, that later appeared as the B-side to “Take It Easy.” Henley’s narration makes it seem as though this footage was filmed in Colorado in 1971, but it was actually filmed at the art show in April 1972. You can see the artwork on the walls at :26, plus Jackson Browne, who is wearing the same clothing as the photo above. More footage from the event can be seen here.
Footage from History Of The Eagles ©Alison Ellwood, Jigsaw Productions, 2013.
The Eagles played Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario on March 30th, 1977. It was the second-to-last date on the first leg of their 1977 Hotel California tour. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act.
The Eagles in Toronto:
Photo ©Doug McClement
Although Paul McGrath, from the Toronto Globe & Mail, criticized the Eagles for just standing around onstage, he did compliment Randy, albeit backhandedly, for bringing some much-needed humanity to the show, 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 his impassioned vocal on ‘Take It To The Limit.’ Only then was it apparent that this man’s seeming disinterest actually hid some real emotion.”
Paul McGrath, Globe and Mail, March 31, 1977 (see full review below)
Below: Randy with his Rickenbacker 4001 at Maple Leaf Gardens.
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. Randy is not pictured.
Reviews:
The Roberts-Meisner Band in Atlantic City, 1988
The Roberts-Meisner Band played a three-week engagement in the Players Lounge at The Sands in Atlantic City, NJ from June 7th-July 3rd, 1988.
EAGLES
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
MARCH 18th, 1977
On March 18th, 1977, the Eagles played Madison Square Garden in New York City. This was the third date on the Eagles’ 1977 Hotel California tour. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act. Although this was the Eagles’ first appearance at Madison Square Garden, the band played the Garden’s smaller venue, Felt Forum, 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.” Randy also performed “Try & Love Again” from their latest album, Hotel California. Three members of the Rolling Stones attended the concert: Mick Jagger, Ron Wood, and Bill Wyman. Wood, along with J.D. Souther, accompanied the Eagles onstage for their last encore of Chuck Berry’s “Carol.” Linda Ronstadt was also in the audience.
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.” (Kristeen Nicholson, Record World, April 23, 1977)
Setlist
(Compiled from concert reviews)
Hotel California
Turn To Stone
Try & Love Again
Lyin’ Eyes
Doolin-Dalton/Desperado Reprise (with orchestra)
Wasted Time (with orchestra)
Take It To The Limit (with orchestra)
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
Oh Carol (with guest Ron Wood)
Photos below ©Stephanie Tarre.
Reviews
New York Post, March 19, 1977
This review mentions Randy’s performance of “Try & Love Again,” although it is misspelled as “Trying Love Again.” The reviewer, Jan Hodenfield, referred to the song as “The Eagles meet Hall and Oates, at the intersection of San Bernardino and South Philly.”
Rolling Stone, May 5, 1977:
“Certainly the Eagles stage presence and show are not intended to drive anyone to the brink of Rollermania…the Eagles strike no rock & roll stage poses, flaunt no athletic grace, if anything, they loiter….
“The tunes “” and the Eagles must be celebrated for their tunesmithing “” were certainly fun to listen to. Don Henley, who has a problem drumming and singing at the same time (admittedly, not the easiest of tasks), wasn’t miked loudly enough, a problem since he’s taken over most of the lead singing. But Randy Meisner’s tenor cut through the instrumental mix well, and Glenn Frey, the original California dreamer, was surprisingly forceful.” (Peter Herbst, Rolling Stone)
Record World, April 23, 1977:
Variety, March 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 with Faye Dunaway and Joe with his mom.
Photos from Rolling Stone, May 5th, 1977:
Below: Glenn at the buffet table which included an ice eagle sculpture.
Agora Ballroom, Columbus, OH, March 8th, 1981
Randy Meisner played the Agora Ballroom in Columbus, OH, on March 8th, 1981, his 35th birthday.
EAGLES
Sunshine Festival, Anaheim, CA
September 28th, 1975
The Eagles played the Sunshine Festival in Anaheim, CA on September 28th, 1975. Also on the bill were Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. The concert was the Eagles’ last tour date of 1975. A live recording of the Eagles’ concert is included on the recently released One Of These Nights Deluxe Edition.
Randy sang “Take It To The Limit” at this show in one of his first-ever performances of the song. He also performed “Midnight Flyer.” The concert also marked Bernie Leadon’s last appearance with the Eagles. He quit the band later that year and was replaced with Joe Walsh.
All photos ©Jeffrey Mayer.
Reviews
Los Angeles Times, September 30, 1975
Highlander (UC Riverside), October 2, 1975
The Eagles At The Capital Centre, March 1977: A Closer Look
On March 21st and 22nd, 1977, the Eagles played sold-out shows at the Capital Centre in Largo, MD. Both of the shows were filmed. Here we take a deep dive into the concerts and existing footage.