Jimmy Buffett opened.
“Meisner’s skyscraper vocals on ‘Take It To The Limit’ were the night’s best, without doubt.” – Sean Brickell, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Listen to a live recording of the Randy Meisner Band at Universal Amphitheater on September 8th, 1978.
The Eagles played Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, SC on June 21st, 1977. Andrew Gold opened.
“Immobile, shy-looking hassist Randy Meisner steps to the mike for his one lead vocal of the evening, on ‘Take It To The Limit.’ Perhaps it’s his lack of postering, or just some quality in his voice, or just that he feels what he’s singing, but he reaches an evocative plane that no one else has touched this evming.” (Barbara Ballinger, USC Osceola, July 1, 1977)
“A personal favorite they sang was “Take It To The Limit” with Randy Meisner singing the lead with lines such as ‘When there’s nothing to believe in…still you’re coming back for more’ and ‘take it to the limit one more time.” (Linda C. Owens, The State, June 22, 1977)
Randy Meisner “a seemingly shy, introverted type with plain, straight hair who seems out of place among the more flashy, mustachioed members of the band.” Edward Fennell, Charleston News & Courier, June 25, 1977)
The Eagles played New Haven, CT on March 26th, 1977. Listen to an audience recording, see rare photos, and more.
This live recording archive features songs that Randy sang lead or co-lead on between 1972-1977, during his tenure with the Eagles.
The Eagles played Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, CT on March 26th, 1977. Jimmy Buffett opened. Listen to an audience recording of the Eagles’ set below.
“Take It To The Limit”
Full Concert Recording
Recording Setlist
Hotel California
Walk Away
Doolin Dalton/Desperado Reprise
Lyin Eyes
Take It To The Limit
New Kid In Town
Desperado(Cut)
One Of These Nights
Turn To Stone
James Dean
Best Of My Love
Funk#49
Take It Easy
Already Gone
Victim Of Love
Life In The Fast Lane
Rocky Mountain Way
Witchy Woman
See more dates on the Hotel California Tour below:
The Eagles played the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA on July 27th-28th, 1976. Boz Scaggs opened.
Randy sang lead on “Midnight Flyer” and “Take It To The Limit,” which was “an obvious fave of the crowd,” according to Peter Crescendi from Sounds magazine. “Meisner’s sustained howl near the song’s end had everyone roaring with approval and appreciation.” Read the rest of the review below:
“Of special note were Meisner’s falsetto work on ‘Take It To The Limit’ and Don Henley’s soulful vocals on ‘Desperado.” …Only the Beach Boys can really match them for the number and variety of voices available.” (Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, August 14, 1976)
The Eagles played four sold-out concerts at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, October 19-22, 1976. Get all the details and hear audio from the shows, plus one complete concert.
In December 1982, Randy Meisner recorded a live concert at Nick’s Uptown Theater in Dallas, TX, which later aired on the radio and was released as a live album in Japan.
Randy made his solo debut at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, CA on August 25-26, 1978. Listen to a live recording of the show.
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.
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 the Hamburg show 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.”
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.
Review of the Stockholm show from unknown Swedish music magazine, 1977:
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:
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.
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.”
From its origins to its continued legacy, the story behind Randy Meisner’s signature song.
