Even rock’s biggest bands have to start somewhere. Virtually every superstar act has a tale of disastrous early shows as they attempted to get their foot on the first rung of the ladder of fame.
Eagles are no exception. Before the country rock outfit became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, they put in the hard yards on the US live circuit, occasionally appearing on bills that can best be described as ‘mismatched’.
Eagles were formed in Los Angeles in early 1971 by singer/guitarist Glenn Frey and drummer/vocalist Don Henley after both had been enlisted as members of singer Linda Ronstadt’s backing group.
The band – completed by guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner – signed to hot new label Asylum Records in September 1971, releasing their debut single, Take It Easy, in May 1972 and their self-titled debut album the following month.
Their rise may have seemed speedy, but there was a lot of hard work. After creating a local buzz playing LA’s Troubadour club, they found themselves booked to open for more established bands both in the city and further afield.
Some of these team-ups made sense. In April 1972, for example, Eagles opened for Joe Cocker at the Denver Coliseum.
But others look baffling with the benefit of hindsight. Especially the trio of British progressive rock bands Yes found themselves sharing a stage with in quick succession just as their own career was starting to take off.
The first was Jethro Tull. In June 1972, Eagles opened a handful of shows for the Ian Anderson-fronted band, who had recently scored a US Number 1 with their fifth album, Thick As A Brick.
“It was due to an agent who didn’t really care whether the groups had anything in common or not,” Don Henley told Classic Rock. “He said, ‘You’re gonna open for this group called Jethro Tull, and we went, ‘Uh, OK.’
“We only had one hit – Take It Easy – so we’d go out and play that and a couple of other songs. Back then there was no trying to match styles of music - they just put you out there and you had to sink or swim.”
Speaking to Prog magazine in 2024, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson looked back on the frostiness that existed between Eagles and Tull’s audience.
“No one had ever heard of the Eagles at the time,” Anderson said. “They were shiny and new, which is why they wanted to do it – because it was exposure. But in the meantime, before the tour began, they had a big hit with Take It Easy, which was across the radio spectrum.
“By the time the tour began, they were becoming very well known,” continued Anderson. “Though not to our audiences, because the concerts were sold out and new Eagles fans couldn’t get tickets.
“They didn’t enjoy the tour - they seemed rather remote. I remember them being kind of laid back, country rock music. It wasn’t really music that was gelling with our audiences, who could be rather spiky.
“We didn’t really talk to them. I don't think they liked us, and we didn't really like them that much either.”
Speaking to Classic Rock, Don Henley described the dates with Tull as “an absolute mismatch”.
But a month later they found themselves opening for not one but two more British prog bands – first Yes and then Procol Harum.
At least this time, the experience was more pleasant for the Americans.
“The guys in Yes were nice to us,” recalled Henley. “And Procol Harum were very kind to us. I remember their wives translating some of the reviews in German for us.”
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