Eagles
Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
May 3-4, 1977

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. 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.

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.”

North Wales Weekly News, May 12th, 1977


Setlist for Bingley Hall, Stafford
May 4th, 1977

Hotel California
Walk Away
Victim Of Love
Doolin-Dalton
Desperado (Reprise)
Lyin’ Eyes
Take It To The Limit
New Kid In Town
Turn To Stone
Already Gone
Rocky Mountain Way
James Dean
Best Of My Love
Take It Easy

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…

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.

North Wales Weekly News, May 12th, 1977

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)

Reviews

Read the full-length reviews quoted in this section here:

North Wales Weekly, May 12, 1977
Coleshill (England) Chronicle, May 13th, 1977
Signatures from Don Felder, Randy, and Glenn Frey obtained by an employee of Bingley Hall.
Source.

The Eagles took a three-day break before their week-long tour of Germany on May 7th.

Record Mirror, May 14th, 1977


Eagles in Sweden, May 17-18, 1977

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 in Hamburg on May 15th. At some point between Hamburg 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. I’m in the hotel room, old hotel, I hear him singing as he was coming down the hall.” (via personal correspondence with Jennifer Meisner)

May 17
Gröna Lund, Stockholm

The Eagles performed their first Scandinavian show at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm. It was windy and cold, as noted by the long sleeves and Randy’s turtleneck.

Photo ©Roland Schröder

Review of the Stockholm show from unknown Swedish music magazine, 1977:

Photo ©Gai Terrell

The Eagles equipment stacked up on the Stora Scenen stage at Gröna Lund Amusement Park, Stockholm.
Photo ©Jonte Strömberg

The Eagles onstage in Stockholm, May 17th, 1977:

Photo ©Roland Schröder
Photo ©Gai Terrell

May 18th, 1977
Scandinavium, Gothenburg

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
Lyin’ 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 “Take It To The Limit” in Gothenburg, May 18th, 1977. The audio is a bit sluggish, but Randy’s stunning performance of the song is the perfect coda for their European tour.

“Take It To The Limit” – Gothenburg, Sweden, May 18, 1977

EAGLES
Denver Coliseum
August 3rd, 1972

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.

Denver Post, August 1, 1972

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. Randy’s 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 band poses with Randy’s cousin, Nan Jill, at the Travelodge hotel in Denver.
L-R: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Nan Jill, Randy, Bernie Leadon.

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, (getting the rabbit ears) 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 Eagles’ early tours.

Review from the Straight Creek Journal (Denver), August 10, 1972

The Eagles played the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester on March 19th, 1977.

Randy performed both “Take It To The Limit” and “Try And Love Again” at this show. According to the review, his high note in TITTL was “nothing short of amazing…and about three octaves above any sound human beings are usually able to sing.”

Monroe Doctrine (Monroe Community College), March 25, 1977