The View From Behind

I've been asked by a couple of people on this forum to discuss some of the things I recall from my time (1971-1976) working as a roadie and technician for this band.

A caveat: I was not privy (nor did I wish to be) to the inner workings or thoughts or emotions of the members of The Eagles; I was an employee and worked on tours, and occasionally assisted on studio dates. Although I spent considerable time with the principals, I'm not qualified to comment on personal issues relative to them.

Well, the view you get from backstage is of… butts. I've grown so used to this over 40-plus years of working for groups and concert promoters that I feel uneasy being out in the audience, seeing the faces of the performers.

I got into all this because I got really tired of waiting in line at concerts for food, sodas, using the restrooms, etc. This all came to a head at (as I recall) a Moody Blues show at Hollywood Bowl. I was all of 17, but I knew that standing in line for mundane stuff line taking a leak was not something I wanted to repeat every time I went to a show.

And I saw a LOT of shows. Remember, this was L.A. in the late 60s and early 70s; great musicians playing all over town, in big venues and small. You'd have to be careful walking down Sunset Blvd lest you be struck down by a random Flying V or Dan Armstrong lucite bass.

The week after the Hollywood Bowl date, I drove down to the offices of L.A.'s most prominent music promoters - I think it was Avalon Attractions in those days - and presented myself as a seasoned, albeit young, stagehand. Sure, sure - done lots of shows, know my way around amps and gear and…

Well, they bought it, possibly because I had a good line of BS, but more likely because at that time being a band road crew member was hardly a glamorous job, and because it paid about $25 for each date, which covered maybe 12 hours of hard, physical work. Guys (all men back in the day) would work a couple of shows, realize they were working for about two bucks an hour, and quit to do something more profitable, like dealing dope.

But I stayed on. I really liked live music, and here was a way to see it (mostly backwards, but, hey…) without having to stand in line for every little thing. And, to be honest, the perks - mostly good, potent weed and friendly banter from outrageously beautiful Angelino women - were hard to turn down.

OK, enough for now. We'll return with Part 2 (maybe) if anyone finds this interesting...

I'll be waiting for part 2...

Me too! How exciting. Did Randy have a bass tech?

Certainly interesting to me. Waiting for more. :-)

Count me as another one waiting for part 2. It's interesting to hear about a different side of the music.

"You Can Pick Your Friends, You Can Pick Your Nose, But---

Can You Pick Your Friends' Noses?"

- Overheard in backstage conversation, circa 1974



On with the Show, or at least Part Two.

I worked all kinds of L.A. shows as a stagehand (AKA "Amp Ape"): everything from glam bands to ZZ Top, at venues such as the Santa Monica Civic, Shrine Auditorium (more of which later), and our steady every-weekend hall, the Hollywood Palladium.

And, speaking of ZZ Top, I learned something about the illusionary nature of show business: I'd noticed, when dragging gear in from the truck, that ZZ Top had a wall of custom, leather-covered, logo'd high dollar Leslie speakers. This was before the band had hit big, so I mentioned to their equipment guy that they must've spent a ton of money on their sound system.

He smiled at me, and said, "Come around back." He pointed at one of the cabinets, and I saw a little metal tag which read "Hecho En Mexico." They were fake Leslies, obtained from a shop in Juarez for a very reasonable $100 each.

At some point in all this frivolity, I worked on a Rick Nelson And The Stone Canyon Band date, at the Paramount Ranch in Calabasas outside the San Fernando Valley. This was the kind of concert where you saw a lot of "L.A. cowboys," guys like myself with long hair and cowboy hats and boots, who spent their nights at places like the Topanga Corral and the nearby Sundance Saloon, drinking San Miguel Dark and dreaming of friendly, tanned women wearing faded flannel shirts and tight jeans, while they tried to figure out how they were going to make a living raising herds of cosmic heifers that gave Bailey's Irish Cream instead of milk.

I remember fondly lying on my back in the dirt of the parking lots of these rustic outposts after closing time, peering hazily up at the innards of my vintage International 4X4 truck, trying to remember how to get it to start. Sometimes I'd get lucky, and one of those friendly cowgirls would be seated in my truck; I'd look over from my supine position and see her long, denim-clad legs and dusty bare feet there a few feet away. On nights like that, the possibilities were endless.

But I digress. One sunny Saturday, I was sitting around backstage at a Rick Nelson And The Stone Canyon Band gig, listening to the music, and I began conversing with this longhaired guy smoking a fat hooter. Over tokes, he told me that he was a guitar player originally from Detroit who'd come to California to Make It Big. Said he was getting his own band together with some drummer from Texas, and another guitar picker who had been in one of my favorite groups, the Flying Burrito Brothers. My new amigo turned out to be Glenn Frey, and of course he was talking about Don Henley and Bernie Leadon. His new outfit was going to be called The Eagles.

Well, I told him who I was, what I did, and by and by we killed off that joint (someone had to). I handed him an overdrawn account notice with my name and number on it. "Yeah, give me a call when you guys are ready to roll," I said. "I'll be ready for a tour gig by then." Then I had to go back to work.

In the following couple of months, I saw Frey again at the Troubador taking in some of the talent passing through town. I had forgotten about the whole thing until, one day, I got a phone call from a guy named Tom Nixon. He explained that he was the road manager of Glenn Frey's new band, and was I still interested in spending a few weeks moving equipment for a short West Coast tour? Things were slowing down after a frenetic summer of dates around L.A., so I said, yeah, sure - just give me a couple of weeks' notice.

Now, it happens that I'd heard, sort of, of Glenn Frey and Don Henley. They were in a band that played small venues around L.A., a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle. I'd done a gig with John Stewart, at the Ash Grove, and he'd said something about how good these guys were. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that their bass player was Randy Meissner, who had been in Poco, another band I was into big time. All of a sudden, this was starting to sound pretty interesting…

Enough of this for one night. I'm gonna go sit in the hot tub.

You have a great narrative style, peneumbra. Looking forward to more!

enjoying reading your posts ... keep 'em coming

a few of us gals on the board probably would have enjoyed that view from behind
;)

"You Can Pick Your Friends, You Can Pick Your Nose, But---

Can You Pick Your Friends' Noses?"

- Overheard in backstage conversation, circa 1974

This cracked me up !
ZZ Top played at my college graduation weekend. I had no idea who they were back then - lol. Not my kind of music.
Keep it coming - I love your stories !

peneumbra, I have enjoyed reading your stories as well. Would love to hear more when you have the time to share with us.

I'm a little late for the party with your post , but I have a couple of questions. I never saw the Eagles, per se. But, I did see Linda Ronstadt a couple of times at UC Riverside gym/auditorium (I'm from Riverside,BTW). I swear Glenn Frey & Don Henley were her back-up band at the time. This would be 1969-1971-ish. Does that sound about right? I was only 14 at the time.

They started the Eagles in the summer of 71, so I'd say the timeframe is right for them to have been with her, right up until then.

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Originally Posted by BillBailey1976

They started the Eagles in the summer of 71, so I'd say the timeframe is right for them to have been with her, right up until then.

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Thanks. I thought so. It's all a blur to me now, but I thought it was so.
I also have a friend who is older that I am that tells me stories of hanging out at The Troubadour & Dan Tana's with the then young & cocky Glenn, Don & Neil Young. :D

Linda Ronstadt had a revolving cast of backup musicians in the early 1970s, including Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and,occasionally, Bernie Leadon.

Back in those days, she played dates at the Swing Auditorium in beautiful downtown San Bernardino (YUCK!), the Inland Empire Fairgrounds (MORE YUCK!!), and the Performing Hall at Redlands University (with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as opening act, as I recall), in addition to UCR.

Then there was the free concert in Taquitz Canyon in Palm Springs, an event so rowdy that the Coachella Tribe, upon whose property the concert was held, closed off the Canyon to non-tribal visitors for decades.

Dan Tana's, once the hangout of singers like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, was not exactly friendly to longhaired people in the early days - until they realized that those same longhaired rockers had LOTS of money.

Remember Ian Hunter, from Mott The Hoople? (A great name for a band, btw).

He almost got tossed out of Dan Tana's because of his English accent. The manager thought he was cursing up a storm, but it was just non-offensive English slang. Well, he did call someone "a bloody wanker," but, hey...:fainting:

I went to The Swing quite a bit. My first concert there was Jefferson Airplane & Iron Butterfly. But UCR had a lot of concerts as well. I saw Poco on my 15th birthday, Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge outdoors, Commander Cody, Jim Kweskin, and Linda a couple of times.
I was always high, so it's a blur, but I do recall thinking how hot Linda's guitar player was.
Those were the days.

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Originally Posted by MarthaJo56

I went to The Swing quite a bit. My first concert there was Jefferson Airplane & Iron Butterfly. But UCR had a lot of concerts as well. I saw Poco on my 15th birthday, Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge outdoors, Commander Cody, Jim Kweskin, and Linda a couple of times.
I was always high, so it's a blur, but I do recall thinking how hot Linda's guitar player was.
Those were the days.

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Both of you are so lucky! How I'd wish to see those artists in their prime! I'm only 16, and the only replacement is a bad quality bootleg :weep:

1977, 1980 are my favorite years and there is very little from those years.

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Originally Posted by cosec3791

Both of you are so lucky! How I'd wish to see those artists in their prime! I'm only 16, and the only replacement is a bad quality bootleg :weep:

1977, 1980 are my favorite years and there is very little from those years.

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There is that meme going around.."I may be old, but I got to see all the cool bands". I've seen it on a t-shirt, too.
But you might want to take it easy. I was so busy trying to be a grown -up, I missed California Jam in 1974.

I was so busy trying to be a grown-up that I WORKED at California Jam.:weep:

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

I was so busy trying to be a grown-up that I WORKED at California Jam.:weep:

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:rofl:

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

I was so busy trying to be a grown-up that I WORKED at California Jam.:weep:

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Not going to California Jam, getting married for the first time at 19 are two of my greatest regrets.
Who did you work for at CJ?

I was "assistant equipment manager" for The Eagles. In some of the video of their set, I'm standing at the side of the stage, drinking a beer and trying to look cool.:rockon:

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

I was "assistant equipment manager" for The Eagles. In some of the video of their set, I'm standing at the side of the stage, drinking a beer and trying to look cool.:rockon:

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Really? Are you in the video? Which song?
I'll look for you the next time I watch it...(although I'll admit, I'm not looking at anything but the band!)

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

I was "assistant equipment manager" for The Eagles. In some of the video of their set, I'm standing at the side of the stage, drinking a beer and trying to look cool.:rockon:

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peneumbra, would you happen know the identity of the little boy who plays his guitar during the video of Take It Easy? Some have suggested Jackson Browne’s son or Randy’s but their ages don’t fit.

I don't recall who the kid was - i don't even recall SEEING a kid, but it was a very long day...:rockon:

But I remember THIS:

The car (the limo) wouldn't start. This was at the end of the day. The sumbitch wouldn't crank over, and (naturally) nobody had jumper cables, never mind that there were a couple hundred electricians around the backstage.

We all tried tightening the clamps, but Henley finally fixed it by installing a screw between the clamp and the negative (ground) battery terminal, which made the connection nice and tight, which allowed the car to start right up. "My dad taught me this trick," he said after he'd amazed us with his technical brilliance.:yay:

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

But I remember THIS:

The car (the limo) wouldn't start. This was at the end of the day. The sumbitch wouldn't crank over, and (naturally) nobody had jumper cables, never mind that there were a couple hundred electricians around the backstage.

We all tried tightening the clamps, but Henley finally fixed it by installing a screw between the clamp and the negative (ground) battery terminal, which made the connection nice and tight, which allowed the car to start right up. "My dad taught me this trick," he said after he'd amazed us with his technical brilliance.:yay:

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That's cool, peneumbra! Nice to know he can use his hands for other things besides musical instruments. :wink: :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by peneumbra

But I remember THIS:

The car (the limo) wouldn't start. This was at the end of the day. The sumbitch wouldn't crank over, and (naturally) nobody had jumper cables, never mind that there were a couple hundred electricians around the backstage.

We all tried tightening the clamps, but Henley finally fixed it by installing a screw between the clamp and the negative (ground) battery terminal, which made the connection nice and tight, which allowed the car to start right up. "My dad taught me this trick," he said after he'd amazed us with his technical brilliance.:yay:

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Yep, Don is brilliant. LOL....That's cool. 8)