Eagles in San Diego, July 6th, 1972

On July 6th, 1972, the Eagles opened for Procol Harum at Golden Hall, which was located at the San Diego Community Concourse facility. It was the second of two Southern California gigs. The first was two nights at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, also opening for Procol Harum. Following the San Diego concert, the Eagles were interviewed backstage by a young journalist named Cameron Crowe.

A photo of the band was taken backstage at Golden Hall by Gary Elam, a friend of Cameron Crowe, who interviewed the band in their dressing room for the underground paper, The San Diego Door.

In 2015, Crowe recalled attending the concert and meeting the Eagles backstage. However, he mistakenly recalled that the concert took place at the San Diego Civic Theater. He also states that the Eagles opened with “Seven Bridges Road.” I can find no evidence of the Eagles performing that song until 1976. He probably meant the folk ballad “Silver Dagger, ” which was an early a cappella opening for “Take It Easy.”

Cameron Crowe:

“‘Take It Easy’ had only been out a few months in the summer of 1972. I was a big fan of the song, and was still in high school when the Eagles came to the San Diego Civic Theatre. They were the opening act on a bill with Procol Harum and Cold Blood, and the Civic Theatre was a few blocks from my house. I bought a ticket, and brought my tape recorder. The idea was to slip backstage and talk the band into an interview for the local underground paper, The San Diego Door.

The Eagles opened the evening without an introduction. The lights lowered, and they began with an a cappella version of ‘Seven Bridges Road,’ quickly adding instruments and swinging into ‘Take It Easy.’ They were fierce and joyful, playing with all the piss and vinegar of a young band hitting its early stride. I slipped backstage with my photographer friend from high school, Gary Elam, and asked their road manager if I could interview the band. They were eager to talk. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner all hung out in a tiny dressing room and spent hours detailing their history and their dreams of hitting the big-time. ‘If you like us, you should check out our friend Jackson Browne and John David Souther,’ Glenn Frey said excitedly, clutching a long-neck Budweiser. They posed for a photo by the amps, arms around each other, and we exchanged phone numbers. I stayed in touch with them. (Little did I know, that fuzzy group shot would be one of the only known photos of all four original members hugging each other. Looking at it today, it has the same slightly surreal quality of one of those photos of the Loch Ness Monster.) –“Cameron Crowe Looks Back On His Eagles Cover Story,” Rolling Stone, August 17, 2015.

Below is the interview from the San Diego Door, November 3rd, 1972. Randy is not quoted, except to tell Crowe that he “liked to listen.”

“Meisner kept silent throughout the following conversation, choosing to remain quietly attentive. Later he responded with a ‘”‘I like to listen.’ Hopefully, it was sincere.”

_{“Movin’ Up With The Eagles” by Cameron Crowe}