Eagles January-February, 197
In January 1976, the Eagles embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, with a final stop in Hawaii. It was their first major tour with new member, Joe Walsh. Read more about each of the dates below:
January 18-29, 1976 – New Zealand & Australia
February 12, 1976 – Honolulu, Hawaii
Following the four-night stand at the Wembley Empire Pool, plus two shows at the Apollo in Glasgow, the Eagles ended the first leg of the 1977 European tour with two sold-out shows at Bingley Hall in Stafford. Valerie Carter opened. One thing the band set out to prove was that they were no longer a laid-back, easy-going country-rock band:
“Any doubts about whether their sweet-sounding California dreaming songs might turn out to be monotonous and dirge-like when performed live were swiftly dispelled by their gig in Stafford. The difference between the country-rock outfit I saw…in 1973, and The Eagles as they are today, lies In their Extra Added Ingredients.
North Wales Weekly News, May 12th, 1977
The blend has been enriched by the addition of guitarist Don Felder, a late arrival for the On The Border LP, who stamped his mark on One Of These Nights.
But it Is the newest member, Joe Walsh, who has really transformed the group into a world-beating act. His credentials are envious–a period with the James Gang followed by a series of solo albums–a man rated as one of the best guitarists in the world by Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend.”
The Stafford audience was treated to two-hours of “non-stop exhilaration”:
“There wasn’t a bad number in the whole set. No lull in the proceedings, Just a series of highlights…
North Wales Weekly News, May 12th, 1977
The first was ‘Doolin-Dalton,’ the opening track from Desperado, which struck home early in the set. Then it was Walsh’s thumping rendition of ‘Turn To Stone,’ ending in a slide-guitar crescendo, all perfectly controlled.
Praise for Randy’s performance of “Take It To The Limit”:
“Then it was Randy Meisner’s ‘Take It To The Limit’ from One Of These Nights, which showed off another of their assets, those harmonies, to the full. In whichever department you look, The Eagles are either competent, good or brilliant.” (North Wales Weekly News, May 12th, 1977)
“Bass guitarist Randy Meisner, together with his super voice on”Take It To The Limit,” provided the 12,000 plus crowd with the perfect foil for the rest of the band.” (Coleshill (England)Chronicle, May 13, 1977)
Read the full-length reviews quoted in this section here:
The Eagles took a three-day break before their week-long tour of Germany on May 7th.
On May 17th and 18th, 1977, the Eagles played two concerts in Sweden. These were the final dates of their 1977 European tour. An audience recording exists of Randy’s performance of “Take It To The Limit” at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, their final tour date. Listen to it below.
The band arrived in Stockholm following their appearance inย Hamburg on May 15th. At some point between the Hamburg show on May 15th (left) and Stockholm on May 17th (right), Randy got a haircut, which is noticeable in the photos below.
Randy’s first wife, Jennifer, and son, Dana, had joined him for the European tour. Jennifer recalled Randy singing to her at their hotel in Sweden:
Jennifer:
“He always liked to sing ‘Jennifer Juniper’ to me. I remember it so well in Sweden. Iโm in the hotel room, old hotel, I hear him singing as he was coming down the hall.”ย
The Eagles performed their first Scandinavian show at the Grรถna Lund amusement park in Stockholm. It was windy and cold, as noted by the long sleeves and Randyโs turtleneck.
Review of the Stockholm show from unknown Swedish music magazine, 1977:
The Eagles equipment stacked up on the Stora Scenen stage at Grรถna Lund Amusement Park, Stockholm.
Photo ยฉJonte Strรถmberg
The Eagles onstage in Stockholm, May 17th, 1977:
This show was their final gig of the 1977 European tour. Listen to an audience recording of the concert below.
Setlist
Hotel California
Walk Away
Victim Of Love
Lyinโ Eyes
Take It To The Limit
New Kid In Town
Desperado
One Of These Nights
Turn To Stone
Already Gone
Life In The Fast Lane
Rocky Mountain Way
Witchy Woman
James Dean
Randy performing โTake It To The Limitโ in Gothenburg, May 18th, 1977. The audio is a bit sluggish, but Randyโs stunning performance of the song is the perfect coda for their European tour.
Location: Troubadour, West Hollywood
Taken in 1969 when Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band were still a four-piece.
L-R: Randy Meisner, Pat Shanahan, Rick Nelson, and Allen Kemp.
On May 11th, 1977, the Eagles kicked off a three-night stand at the Ahoy Rotterdam, as part of their 1977 European tour. Valerie Carter was the opening act, replacing Dan Fogelberg.
This was the Eagles’ second appearance at the Ahoy Rotterdam. The first was on June 18th, 1975, with Joe Walsh opening for them.
The three nights at the Ahoy, originally scheduled for April, were inserted between the Dusseldorf and Hamburg dates of the German tour.
The Eagles stayed at the Hilton in Amsterdam.
Prior to their opening night on May 11th, the band was presented with an award from their record company, WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic), for exceeding half a million in record sales in the Netherlands. Posing with the band in the photographs is Stance Oort, whose company, Golden Design, created the award. In 1973, Oort presented the band with silver Eagles pins prior to their show at the Concertbegouw in Amsterdam.
Translation (De Telegraaf, May 13th, 1977):
Bullion For Eagles
The Eagles were awarded by their record company WEA for the sale of more than half a million LPs in the Netherlands . Director Ben Bunders presented The Eagles with a very special gold and platinum record made by Stance Oort and her husband Aat from Beverwijk, who have become world famous in the past five months for the special designs that they are able to create with such precious metal. They have previously produced records for Fleetwood Mac, Bryan Ferry, Queen and Fats Domino. For her friends The Eagles (Stance also made the now famous silver Eagles brooch), 3 gold, 2 platinum and 1 diamond LP in a perspex plate.
The Eagles sold out all 8,000 seats of the Ahoy for three nights in a row. According to Dutch journalist Constant Meijers, “the first [concert] was the most interesting, the second the best, and the third the coziest.”ย 1
Excerpt from a review of the May 11th show from the Dutch paper, Het Parool (translated):
ย “After singer Valerie Carter, the stage darkens around a quarter past nine. The dimmed lights also hide the speakers suspended high in the sky, which guarantee a crystal-clear reproduction. Cheers, shouts and applause mingle with the intro sounds of ‘Hotel California.’ย The light is soft green as drummer Don Henley’s unsurpassed lead vocals slowly flow into swirling unison guitar riffs from both guitarists Don Felder and Joe Wash.ย A great start. A series of twinkling gems will follow….After ‘Lyin ‘Eyes,’ bassist Randy Meisner comes into the picture as lead singer of ‘Take it to the Limit.’ย A delight thanks to his high-pitched falsetto screams and Glenn Frey’s assistance at the grand piano.”
Het Parool (Amsterdam), May 12, 1977
Setlist
Hotel California
Walk Away
Victim Of Love
Lyin’ Eyes
Take It To The Limit
New Kid In Town
One Of These Nights
Doolin-Dalton
Desperado (reprise)
Already Gone
Turn To Stone
Seven Bridges Road
Life In The Fast Lane
Rocky Mountain Way
Witchy Woman
James Dean
Best Of My Love
Take It Easy
Carol
Randy & Joe duck walk across the stage most likely during the finale of Chuck Berry’s “Carol.”
ยฉ Klaas L. Wijchman
Below: Randy performs “Take It To The Limit,” Rotterdam Ahoy, May 13th, 1977
Photo ยฉ Klaas L. Wijchman
The Eagles played Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu on February 12th, 1976. See photos and rare home movie footage from the Meisner’s Super 8 video camera, shared here exclusively.
The Eagles played Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on April 26th, 1974. The Marshall Tucker Band was the opener.
Photo ยฉKirk West
Review: Chicago Tribune, April 29, 1974
Photos ยฉKirk West
The Eagles played the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 27th, 1975. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Dan Fogelberg and J.D. Souther also performed.
With temperatures in the 90s, Randy’s first wife, Jennifer, remembered shopping with Randy to find a visor to wear onstage:
“It was so hot, we were running all over town to find Randy a sun visor. I remember sitting in the hotel room looking through the yellow pages, which I always did everywhere we went.”
Also in attendance that day were Jennifer’s cousins, Connie and Mike Hall, from Missouri. Connie recalled that they got to sit on the stage as the band performed and ride in the limo with Randy and Jennifer after the show. The photo below was taken at the hotel.
L-R: Jennifer, Randy, Connie, and Mike. Do not share without permission.
The next night, the Eagles played the Civic Auditorium Arena in Omaha, NE. According to Jennifer, Randy wanted to drive instead of taking the limo:
“Randy decided he didnโt want to take a limo to Omaha, so he rented a car and the two of us really enjoyed the drive, stopping at a little drive-in to eat, like the A&W back then. Two of our high school friends, Pam and Dave, who lived in Omaha, came to the concert and back to the hotel.”
All quotes from Jennifer Meisner via personal correspondence.
The Eagles opened for Yes and Edgar Winter at Denver Coliseum on August 3rd, 1972. Several members of Randy’s family traveled from Scottsbluff to attend the concert. Many thanks to Jennifer Meisner for the photos and remembrances.
Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner back stage (man on right unknown). Photo by Jennifer Meisner.
Jennifer Meisner:
“It was a strange show. Everyone around us smoking pot, passing a joint around. Randyโs mom and dad were there. His sister, Carol, and husband Art with daughter Jana, his cousin Jodene, her husband Doug and daughter Cori Chappell, my sister Ann, husband Bob and kids, Bobbi and Doug, his aunt Lydia and daughters Nan Jill and Normanda, my mom, etc. The audience was there to see Yes and Edgar Winter. Horrible rainy night .”
The Eagles pose with Randy’s cousin, Nan Jill, at the Travelodge hotel in Denver.
Randy with his aunt, Lydia Ohlund, sister of his mother, Emilie.
Another group shot with Randy’s son, niece, and cousin.
In front (L-R), Randy’s eldest son, Dana (with Glenn’s hands on his head and arm), his niece, Jana, and cousin, Cori.
Randy with his son, Dana, his mother, Emilie, and father, Herman, at the hotel in Denver. Randy is wearing a “Carlo Sound” t-shirt. Carlo Sound was a Nashville sound company, who worked on some of the Eaglesโ early tours.
Review from the Straight Creek Journal (Denver), August 10, 1972. The writer thought the Eagles were the best act of the evening.
The Eagles’ 1976 tour of New Zealand and Australia is highlighted, with photos, audio, and home movie footage.
A detailed look at the making of the Eagles’ 1972 debut album and the importance of Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon in the Eagles’ early success.
The Eagles played the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester on March 19th, 1977.
Randy performed both โTake It To The Limitโ and โTry And Love Againโ at this concert. According to the review, his high note in “Take It To The Limit” was โnothing short of amazingโฆand about three octaves above any sound human beings are usually able to sing.โ
The Eagles played Elton John’s Mid-Summer Music concert at Wembley on June 21, 1975. Get all the details, as well as audio and home movie footage.
The Eagles played the Fieldhouse at Regis College (now Regis University), a Jesuit Catholic college in Denver, on April 1st, 1974. The Talbot Brothers opened.
Article about the show from Regis’ Brown & Gold newspaper. A couple of band member’s names are misspelled early on: Glenn Trey (Glenn Frey and Doc Telder (Don Felder).
Randy and his wife, Jennifer, backstage at Regis College.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Meisner.
The reviewer for Boulder’s underground paper, The Straight Creek Journal, felt that the Eagles put on a great show, but the crowd’s overreaction to every song was insincere.
