Also on the bill were Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne.
Randy performed “Take It To The Limit” at this show in one of his first-ever performances of the song. On a more bittersweet note, this was the last concert to feature the original four members of the Eagles. Bernie Leadon quit the band shortly after the Anaheim show and the Eagles did not perform again for the rest of the year. When they returned to touring in January 1976, the band included Leadon’s replacement, Joe Walsh.
Below is Robert Hilburn’s review of the festival in the Los Angeles Times, September 30th, 1975. This is the first known mention of “Take It To The Limit” in a concert review (second to last paragraph). Randy also performed “Midnight Flyer.”
“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
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.
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.
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.
Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), December 15, 1973
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.
Randy’s “Take It To The Limit” was “really well-performed and the crowd reaction was instantaneous, long and loud – so long, in fact, that he told the crowd it was embarrassing him, and he looked as if it were.”
This was Black Tie’s first club performance. The band included, Randy, Jimmy Griffin from Bread, Billy Swan, David Kemper from the Jerry Garcia Band, and Randy’s former Eagle bandmate, Bernie Leadon, who toured with the band through January 1986, when he was replaced with Blondie Chaplin.
All but Leadon appeared on the band’s album, When Night Falls, which featured Randy singing lead on one song: Buddy Holly’s “Learning The Game.” However, when the album was rereleased on CD in 1990, Randy’s lead vocal on the song was replaced with Griffin’s. Listen to Randy’s version here:
“Learning The Game” (original album version) – Black Tie
A crowd of nearly 40,000 packed Tampa Stadium on America’s 200th anniversary for “4th Of July Jubilation,” an outdoor concert featuring The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Loggins & Messina.
