Random Excerpt
This excerpt from CANYON OF DREAMS: THE MAGIC AND MUSIC OF LAUREL CANYON by Harvey Kubernik describes Randy’s arrival in California in 1966 and his introduction to the L.A. music scene.
“Coming Into Los Angeles: The Story Of The Eagles” by Pete Frame
This article from the British music magazine, Zigzag, includes a lengthy interview with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner (mostly Bernie) by Zigzag‘s founder and editor Pete Frame. The piece also includes one of Frame’s famous “family trees,” charting the origin of the Eagles. Randy is referenced in another of Frame’s family trees charting the history of Poco (Zigzag, December 1971). See it here.
The article is not without a few discrepancies and some liberty-taking with quotes. But it is a nice, early introduction to the band from its original stars, Bernie and Randy.
Eagles
Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
May 25, 1975
The Eagles played the Richmond Coliseum on May 25th, 1975. Linda Ronstandt opened.
Photo courtesy of Joan Shaver
According to the review in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the highlights of the evening were the two songs on which Randy sang lead: “Too Many Hands” and “Midnight Flyer.” The author of the latter, Paul Craft, was in the audience.
“The high points were a sizzling ‘Too Many Hands’ and Paul Craft’s churning ‘Midnight Flyer,’ the author, in the Coliseum audience, is not likely to hear his song done that well again.”
C.A. Bustard, Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 27, 1975
Taking the Party Plane to Oakland
Using private home movie footage, shared exclusively here, we’ll follow Randy Meisner and the Eagles from LA to Oakland where they played Day On The Green on August 3rd, 1976.
Eagles at Jeppesen Stadium
Houston, TX, July 9th, 1977
The Eagles performed their last concert of the Hotel California tour at Jeppesen Stadium in Houston, TX on July 9th, 1977. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act. This was Randy Meisner’s final concert as a member of the Eagles.
The reviews below mention Randy’s performance of “Take It To The Limit,” which proves that he performed the song right up until the end of the tour. This further discredits the claims made by Glenn Frey and Don Henley in the History Of The Eagles documentary that Randy was refusing to perform the song on the tour. It was also performed early in the concert, not as an encore. The encores that evening were “James Dean,” “Take It Easy,” and Chuck Berry’s “Oh, Carol.” The latter would mark the final song Randy performed as a member of the Eagles.1
Beaumont Enterprise, July 13, 1977
“Especially memorable from the impeccably-performed set were ‘Already Gone’ and ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ with the flying fingers of Glenn Frey, Don Felder and Joe Walsh trading guitar lines. But the crowd was no less enthusiastic about Randy Meisner’s rendering of ‘Take It To The Limit’ or the long and haunting version of ‘Witchy Woman.'” (Pete Churton, Beaumont Enterprise, July 13, 1977)
Houston Post, July 10, 1977
“But, from then until I had to leave some 50 minutes later, it was a typical Eagles-set, one old favorite after another, including ‘Doolin-Dalton,’ ‘Desperado,’ ‘Lyin’ Eyes,’ and ‘Take It To The Limit,’ along with an occasional, lesser-known album cut, such as ‘Victim Of Love.'” (Bob Claypool, Houston Post, July 10, 1977)
After the show, the Eagles were named honorary citizens of Texas by Governor Dolph Briscoe and received a Texas state flag that had flown above the capitol on July 4th.
- Get the real story about Randy’s departure from the Eagles below: ↩︎
Eagles
Holiday Jam ’74
Miami, FL, July 7th, 1974
Leon Russell was the headlining act at Holiday Jam ’74 at the Orange Bowl on July 7th, 1974. The Band, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sons of Champlin also performed. It was the first rock concert ever at the Orange Bowl.
The photos below were taken by John Gellman, who recalled attending the festival:
“The Eagles were the highlight of the day. They just killed. I remember their final encore song was Out Of Control, which they dedicated to President Richard Nixon, who resigned from office less than a month later. After the Eagles played, Alan Walden, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s manager, was extremely upset backstage yelling, ‘I’m NEVER gonna let one of my bands follow that band ever again!’ Alan was right to be upset. Following the Eagles onstage was not a good place to be. The Eagles left the Orange Bowl field with a 3 touchdown lead. Skynyrd played well, but never even got close. I enjoyed the Band’s set, but did not think they played nearly as well as they did earlier in the year when I saw them with Bob Dylan. I do not remember a single thing about Leon Russell. After a hot July day in the Miami sun, I was fried by the time he hit the stage. Or maybe it was the refreshments.”
-John Gellman, “Random rock shots – The Eagles in 1974,” jgphoto.com, December 22, 2012
Photo ©John Gellman.
Photo ©John Gellman
Eagles at the Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX, July 6th, 1975
On July 6th, 1975, the Eagles, along with Trapeze and Montrose, opened for the Rolling Stones at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Stones were on their legendary Tour Of The Americas.
With temperatures in the upper 90s, it was a hot afternoon in Dallas. The Eagles hit the stage around 5:00pm. In keeping with previous outdoor concerts on the Stones’ Tour of the Americas, the bands performed under a tent-like dome (see Kansas City and Milwaukee).
The Eagles’ set lasted for a little over an hour. They kicked it off with “Take It Easy,” and ran through a string of hits, including “Witchy Woman” and “Desperado.” They closed with encores of Chuck Berry’s “Carol” and “Best Of My Love.” Although Randy’s lead-singing performances were not mentioned in any review, it’s likely that he performed “Midnight Flyer” and “Too Many Hands,” which were part of the Eagles’ setlist in the Summer of 1975.
Randy at the Cotton Bowl.
Most reviews of the Dallas concert focused on the Rolling Stones since they were not only the headliners, but one of the most popular bands in the world in 1975. The Houston Post review below did the best job at detailing at least a few of the songs that the Eagles performed (see second column).
Photos
All images below ©Watt Casey.
New York Post Interview, July 1977
An interview with Randy Meisner published in the New York Post, July 15th, 1977.
Eagles at Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY, March 15-16-1977
The Eagles played two sold-out nights at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. It was the second stop on the first leg of the 1977 Hotel California tour. Jimmy Buffett was the opening act.
The two shows at Nassau Coliseum were the first of four concerts in New York. The Eagles’ next two stops were at Madison Square Garden on the 18th, then the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester on the 19th The band made the Drake Hotel in Manhattan their home base for their entire New York visit until March 21st, when they departed for Washington, DC. (see itinerary below):
Band itinerary on the right:
Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Irving Azoff, and road manager, Richie Fernandez outside the Drake Hotel, March 21st, 1977.
Concert Review
Photos
Photos exist for both Uniondale concerts, however I’m not sure which photos are from which show. Glenn Frey wore a New York Islanders jersey both nights. The Islanders are a hockey team from nearby Elmont, NY. In the 1970s, Nassau Coliseum was their home base.
Glenn in his Islanders jersey:
In this first set of photos, Randy is wearing a blue hoodie, possibly the same blue jacket from the Tour of the Pacific from January-February 1976:
In this second set of photos, Randy is wearing a gray sweatshirt. Glenn is once again in the Islanders jersey.
The Eagles at Santa Monica Civic, June 1973
The Eagles appeared at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on June 21st, 1973 where they performed their entire DESPERADO album in sequence.
Eagles’ Tour Of The Pacific
January- February 1976
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
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. 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)
Reviews
Read the full-length reviews quoted in this section here:
Source.
The Eagles took a three-day break before their week-long tour of Germany on May 7th.
EAGLES
Ahoy Rotterdam, Netherlands
May 11-13, 1977
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.
May 11, 1977
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.” 1
Excerpt from a review of the May 11th show from the Dutch paper, Het Parool (translated):
“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.’ 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. 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.’ 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.”
Photos from May 13th, 1977
© Klaas L. Wijchman
Below: Randy performs “Take It To The Limit,” Rotterdam Ahoy, May 13th, 1977
Photo © Klaas L. Wijchman
Tour Of The Pacific: Hawaii, 1976
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.