The one encore that would end the Eagles’ touring life: “I’m gonna kill him”
Bands like the Eagles can be the closest of friends, and even then, that doesn’t make them immune to the natural consequences of spending every day in a contained environment with one another.
There’s a reason why highly successful groups often tour in separate tour buses and try to minimise the time spent with each other when they aren’t on stage. While it may appear to be a sign of a fractured relationship, which, of course, can be the case, more often than not, it’s done to preserve friendships.
Ultimately, there’s too much money on the line with these high-scale tours to allow anything to risk the situation becoming untoward, and tension to cut through like a knife to the heart of the operation.
For five years, since 1975’s One of These Nights, which catapulted them into the mainstream, the Eagles didn’t take their foot off the accelerator, and the success of Hotel California only took them further into uncharted territory.
On July 31st, 1980, the night when it all came crashing down for the Eagles, they had spent six weeks on the road playing shows, and spending that much time in each other’s pockets led to a dramatic conclusion.
Before the gig at Long Beach Arena, the band were introduced to Senator Alan Cranston and his wife, Norma Weintraub. On paper, it was just meant to be a polite meet-and-greet – the couple wanted to thank the Eagles for playing a fundraiser that had helped Cranston get re-elected. But things didn’t exactly run smoothly. What should’ve been small talk spiralled, and in the end, that very conversation set the stage for the Eagles to go on a long hiatus.
Glenn Frey later explained: “I felt Don Felder insulted Senator Cranston under his breath, and I confronted him with it. So now we’re onstage, and Felder looks back at me and says, ‘Only three more songs till I kick your ass, pal.’ And I’m saying, ‘Great. I can’t wait. We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love,’ but inside, both of us are thinking, ‘As soon as this is over, I’m gonna kill him.’ That was when I knew I had to get out.”
Felder also addressed the incident in his book, Heaven and Hell, admitting that he said, “Nice to meet you” to Wientraub, before slyly uttering under his breath, “I guess”.
He continued, “I think Glenn [Frey] overheard me say that. I had no idea who they were, nor did I care, for that matter. Glenn found me in the dressing room and started yelling at me for what I said. Trying to keep the peace, I finally walked out.”
During the gig, you could cut the tension between Frey and Felder with a knife. They stopped short of actually swinging at each other, but Felder did storm off during the encore and took it out on a Takamine acoustic, smashing it to bits. Notably, Frey had a sponsorship agreement with the brand, which meant the whole band had to play Takamine instruments.
“That was the only time I ever did that,” Felder continued in his book. “Joe used to do that all the time when he got really upset. When you break a guitar, it’s an expensive mistake, for one thing. The other thing is, you could hurt yourself with splinters and stuff, or hurt somebody around you. It’s not a very safe or healthy way to relieve your frustration.”
While the concert in Long Beach was the last show of their tour, and they’d have likely taken a break anyway, this incident was the final nail in the coffin. They simply couldn’t go on any longer; otherwise, the damage would have been more extreme than an acoustic guitar.
Time is the ultimate healer, and after 14 years, they finally repaired their wounds to reunite for an MTV special. In the three decades since then, the Eagles have been on a triumphant victory lap, and as things stand, their seemingly never-ending farewell tour will finally come to a close at the MSG Sphere later this year, allowing them to bow out on their own terms.
