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)

*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.

Eagles In Denver, 1976: A Family Affair

Author

Jessica Buxton

1976, Eagles, Midnight Flyer, One Of These Nights, Seattle, Seven Bridges Road, Take It To The Limit, Video, Washington

Eagles
Northern KY State College, Highland Heights, KY
July 22, 1974

The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band opened.

Ticket stub courtesy of Chris Buxton:

1974, Eagles, Kentucky

Eagles
University Of Cincinnati Fieldhouse
May 8, 1975

Dan Fogelberg opened.

This was the Eagles’ third visit to the “Queen City” (and Randy’s fourth).

Eagles at UC Fieldhouse. Photo by Tom Kistner.

Before the show, the Eagles were presented with the key to the city by Vice-Mayor William Chenault.
Eight years later, Randy, along with his mom, Emilie, was presented the key to the city during a concert in Omaha, NE at Pogo’s Electric Cowboy.

1975, Eagles, Ohio

Eagles
Olympia Stadium, Detroit
July 20th, 1976

The Eagles played Olympia Stadium in Detroit on July 20th, 1976. J.D. Souther opened.

Both Glenn Frey and the concert’s opening act, J.D. Souther, were born in Detroit. In 1964, Glenn’s aunt Virginia took him to see the Beatles at Olympia Stadium, when he was 15-years-old.

_{The Eagles perform “Seven Bridges Road” at Olympia Stadium.}

Randy sang lead on “Midnight Flyer” and “Take It To The Limit.”

Author

Jessica Buxton

1976, Eagles, Glenn Frey, Michigan

Eagles
Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
July 21st, 1976

The J.D. Souther opened.

Louisville Courier-Journal, July 21, 1976

Elton John, the Eagles, and Elvis all performed at Freedom Hall within the same week.

Courier-Journal, August 29, 1976. Photo: Bill Strode

“Randy Meisner’s astonishing falsettos were consistently greeted with wild applause.”

“…everybody had either a beard or mustache except bass guitarist Randy Meisner, who looked downright clean in his Prince Valiant haircut. Meisner proved he was in the right place when he sang lead on ‘Take It To The Limit,” one of the Eagles’ smash hits.

Author

Jessica Buxton

1976, Eagles, Kentucky

Eagles
Ozark Music Festival, Sedalia, MO
July 19th, 1974

The Eagles played the first night of the three-day festival held at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Also appearing on the 19th were Bob Seger, Elvin Bishop and Joe Walsh.

Although promoters planned for only 50,000 concertgoers, it is believed that as many as 300,000 attended over the course of the weekend. Many lured by an ad for the festival in Rolling Stone magazine.

_{Ad for the festival in Rolling Stone, July 4th, 1974.
This early ad does not mention Joe Walsh, who performed on the 19th. Bruce Springsteen was billed, but did not attend.}

The festival was also aimed at those who may have missed Woodstock recalled John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band:

“A lot of us missed Woodstock, including some who were there. The 1974 Sedalia concert sounded like it was going to recapture that shows legendary vibe…just like the big time, only…smaller.”
(Join Together: 40 Years Of The Rock Music Festival by Brant Marley, 2008)

The Eagles at the Ozark Music Festival. Photo by Richard Galbraith.

Author

Jessica Buxton

1974, Eagles, Missouri

The Eagles on The Helen Reddy Show,
July 12th, 1973

The Eagles appeared on the third episode of The Helen Reddy Show on July 12th, 1973. Also featured were Mac Davis, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Cheech and Chong. The Eagles played two songs: “Witchy Woman” and “Tequila Sunrise.” It was their U.S. television debut.¹

On the heels of Reddy’s hit, “I Am Woman,” her friend Flip Wilson offered her his primetime NBC time slot while the Flip Wilson Show was on summer hiatus. The eight episodes were billed as Flip Wilson Presents The Helen Reddy Show.

In addition to being a guest on her show, Mac Davis also appeared in concert with Reddy numerous times in 1973. She had also recorded one of his songs, “I Believe In You,” for her 1971 debut album I Didn’t Know How To Love Him. Ironically, Reddy and Davis died on the same day (September 29th, 2020) at the same age (78).

Short clips of the Eagles’ performances of “Witchy Woman” and “Tequila Sunrise”:

_{(Sources: 2018 promo video for Eagles Legacy Box Set. History Of The Eagles documentary, 2013)}

Randy’s wife Jennifer, their 9-year-old son, Dana, and Jennifer’s 13-year-old niece, Bobbi, were present at the taping, which took place a few weeks earlier at NBC Studios in Burbank. Jennifer remembered that the filming was a long process, with the groups stopping and starting to make sure their performances were perfect. Gladys Knight & The Pips took the longest, she remembered. “They made me insane.”

Below is an article from the Scottsbluff Star-Herald, Randy’s hometown paper, announcing The Helen Reddy Show appearance. Included with the article was a photo of Jennifer posing with a poster from the Eagles’ concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall in March 1973 (the poster would later end up on the wall of their apartment in Studio City). Unfortunately, the article is riddled with misspellings, the most glaring is Randy’s last name. Near the bottom, the paper quotes Jennifer as saying the Eagles had finished taping a show with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. This would have been the 90-minute In Concert special on ABC, which aired August 3rd, 1973. When the Helen Reddy Show aired in Scottsbluff, Randy was home and able to watch it with his family.

In March 1973, the Eagles made two European television appearances on Popgala ’73 and BBC’s In Concert. Although the Reddy show marked the Eagles’ U.S. television debut, it was not Randy’s first stint before television audiences. His group, The Poor, appeared on episodes of Ironside and The Name Of The Game in 1968. Poco (then Pogo) appeared on local L.A. television also in 1968. Randy also made a number of TV appearances with Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band between 1969 and 1971. ↩︎

Author

Jessica Buxton

1973, Eagles, Helen Reddy, Jennifer Meisner, TV, Video

Eagles
Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
September 20, 1972

The Eagles and Gentle Giant opened for Yes.

The Eagles at Fairgrounds Coliseum. Photo by Neil Sharrow.

1972, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Eagles, Glenn Frey, Indiana

BANDS Eagles On The Border

Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, 1974

June 29, 2023February 15, 2026

An inside look at the Eagles’ appearance on DON KIRSHNER’S ROCK CONCERT in April 1974.

The Eagles In Nashville, 1977

The Eagles played the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on June 23rd, 1977. Andrew Gold opened.
The day before, on June 22nd, the band played a game of softball against radio and record company personnel.

_{The Eagles onstage in Nashville.}

Review from the Nashville Tennessean.

The day before the concert, the Eagles, aka “The Party Plane,” played a softball game against Elektra-Asylum personnel and local radio celebrities. Randy was catcher.

Randy’s yellow and white “Party Plane” shirt (photos courtesy of Jennifer Meisner):

Playing for the opposing team was slide guitar aficionado, Mac Gayden. Below Gayden recalls (via Facebook) the softball game and mentions that he was initially considered as Bernie Leadon’s replacement before Walsh was added.

In 1976, when the Eagles were recording Hotel California at Criteria Studios in Miami, Gayden was in an adjacent studio at Criteria recording his album, Hymn To The Seeker. Gayden asked Randy to sing background on the song, “Someone Whispered.” It’s an overlooked gem in the Meisner canon of guest appearances. Check it out.

Footage of the Nashville softball game from the History Of The Eagles documentary.
_{© Jigsaw Productions, 2013}

Author

Jessica Buxton

1977, Eagles, Mac Gayden, Nashville, Softball Game, Tennessee, Video

EAGLES
Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT
September 25, 1972

The Eagles and Edgar Winter opened for Yes.

This show was originally slated for August 14th, but had to be rescheduled due to rain.

Randy wore a t-shirt with the anti-war slogan: “War Is Not Healthy For Children & Other Living Things.” The shirt matched a sticker he added to his gold Fender bass in 1971.

1972, Bernie Leadon, Connecticut, Don Henley, Eagles, Glenn Frey

The Eagles on ABC’s IN CONCERT, 1973

The Eagles appeared on ABC’s In Concert series on August 3rd, 1973. The 90-minute show also included Ike & Tina Turner and Jim Croce, among others. It was taped on June 20th, 1973 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Soundcheck

At the soundcheck, Randy wore an unusual knit shirt covered with faces, which he purchased at L.B. Murphy’s, a department store in his hometown of Scottsbluff, NE.

Eagles during their soundcheck:

IN CONCERT

In Concert aired on August 3rd, 1973.The program featured, along with the Eagles, Ike & Tina Turner, the funk band Mandrill, Jim Croce, who would be killed in a plane crash a month later in September 1973, and the blues “supergroup” Triumverate featuring Mike Bloomfield, Jim Hammond and Dr. John.

The Eagles performed “Tequila Sunrise,” Early Bird,” and “Witchy Woman.”

Footage

In 1974, The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, hosted an In Concert second anniversary special, which revisited performances from the past two seasons. Below is his introduction to the Eagles segment.

Below are the three songs the Eagles performed on In Concert in 1973. Apologies for the low quality.

“Tequila Sunrise”

“Early Bird” (co-written by Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner)

“Witchy Woman”

Author

Jessica Buxton

1973, Eagles, TV Appearances, Video

Eagles
Miami Baseball Stadium
July 2nd, 1977

Jimmy Buffett and Andrew Gold opened.

Photo by Cindy Garcia White.

Miami Herald review, July 3rd, 1977

1977, Eagles, Florida

Eagles
Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center
Birmingham, AL, June 24, 1977

The Eagles played the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (aka BJCC Coliseum) in Birmingham, AL. Andrew Gold opened.

According to the review, Randy gave a “stunning rendition” of “Take It To The Limit.”

Randy played a black Hagstrom bass. A switch from his usual Rickenbacker 4001, which was his go-to bass on the 1977 Hotel California tour. See more of Randy’s basses here.

_{Photos by William S. Allen}

Joe Walsh

1977, Alabama, Eagles