Photo Archive: Eagles, 1974
Unknown photographer or location.
Eagles
Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
April 26, 1974
The Eagles played Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on April 26th, 1974. The Marshall Tucker Band was the opener.
Photo ©Kirk West
Review: Chicago Tribune, April 29, 1974
Photos ©Kirk West
EAGLES
IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, DES MOINES
JULY 27, 1975
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.
Concert Review
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 didn’t 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.
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.
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 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 Eagles’ early tours.
Review from the Straight Creek Journal (Denver), August 10, 1972. The writer thought the Eagles were the best act of the evening.
Tour Of The Pacific: New Zealand and Australia, January 1976
The Eagles’ 1976 tour of New Zealand and Australia is highlighted, with photos, audio, and home movie footage.
Earlybird: The Story Of The Eagles’ 1972 Debut Album
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.
Eagles
War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY
March 19th, 1977
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.”
Elton John’s Mid-Summer Music at Wembley Stadium, June 1975
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.
Eagles
Regis College, Denver, CO
April 1, 1974
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.
I’ve Always Been A Dreamer: The Story of “Take It To The Limit”
From its origins to its continued legacy, the story behind Randy Meisner’s signature song.
Eagles
Indiana University Assembly Hall/Bloomington
September 1, 1974
The Eagles and Kansas opened for the Beach Boys at Indiana University’s Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The concert was originally supposed to take place outdoors at the 10th Street Stadium, but was moved to an indoor venue due to rain.
Indiana Daily Student, September 4, 1974 (Photo: Jim Maire):
Photo ©Neil Sharrow:
Randy backstage. Photo ©Neil Sharrow:
Eagles In Denver, 1976
The Eagles played Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado on August 8th, 1976. Several members of his family were in attendance, including his wife, children, and parents.
Eagles
Seattle Center Coliseum
August 21st, 1975
The Eagles played the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, WA on August 21st, 1975. Roger McGuinn opened. Listen to an audience recording of the Eagles’ set below.
Concert photos by Bill Sharpsteen.
Audience Recording
Randy sang lead on “Midnight Flyer” and “Too Many Hands.”
The concert started an hour late because a sound truck was involved in an accident in Oregon.
Eagles
Seattle Kingdome
August 6th, 1976
The Eagles played the Seattle Kingdome on August 6th, 1976. Linda Ronstadt and J.D. Souther opened.
The concert was attended by more than 50,000 fans. It was only the second concert in the newly-built Kingdome. The first was Paul McCartney & Wings in June.
Original concert poster
The sound was terrible in the giant venue unless you were seated directly in front of the stage. Fans who came to hear the Eagles’ perfect harmonies couldn’t hear them unless they were near the front. Patrick McDonald of the Seattle Times, noted that due to the size of the Kingdome and the number of people in attendance, the show resembled an “indoor Woodstock” with people milling around and friends sitting together passing pipes and joints. However, unlike Woodstock, the Kingdome was equipped with a giant video screen that hung near the stage:
“One major difference was the big screen, which did give everybody a good view of what was going on on stage. They were doing different things with than at the Wings show – split screen, dissolves, extreme close-ups, etc. It was like watching In Concert on a giant TV screen except the sound is better on TV.”
Patrick McDonald, Seattle Times, August 8, 1976
Footage
This video screen footage of the Seattle concert exists as a bootleg. Below I have included the footage of Randy’s two lead-singing performances, “Take It To The Limit” and “Midnight Flyer.” I have also included “One Of These Nights” and rare footage of “Seven Bridges Road.” The entire concert is also available at the bottom.
“Take It To The Limit”
Listen to the end to hear Glenn Frey say “That was Randy Meisner, our bass player, hitting the high notes there. We love it every night.” Then Joe Walsh pipes in: “He can sing higher than that if he needs to.” (@2:36) Unfortunately, the footage starts in the middle of the song.
“Midnight Flyer”
“One Of These Nights”
“Seven Bridges Road”
Full Concert
Reviews
“It should be mentioned that the Eagles’ singing was almost flawless throughout. Bassist Randy Meisner’s incredibly breathtaking vocal on ‘Take It To The Limit’ prompted Glenn Frey to remark, ‘The highest voice in the business…and he can sing higher,too.’ Their superb vocal harmonies were featured in a beautiful acoustic version of ‘Seven Bridges Road’ with drummer Don Henley stepping down to sing with the other four. It was reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.” (Nathaniel Koch, Cooper Point Journal, Evergreen State College, August 12, 1976)
The Kingdome show was the Eagles’ second to last concert on their 1976 summer tour. Their last stop was Mile High Stadium in Denver on August 8th, 1976. Several members of Randy’s family traveled from Scottsbluff, Nebraska to see the show. Read more about it below.
1976, Eagles, Midnight Flyer, One Of These Nights, Seattle, Seven Bridges Road, Take It To The Limit, Video, Washington