Balboa Stadium in San Diego was the location of one of two separate Eagles concerts held during a weekend in September 1975 in California. The two concerts were a day apart with the same lineup of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt. Sept. 28 was the Sunshine Festival at Anaheim Stadium. The day before on Sept. 27 in San Diego was this concert at Balboa Stadium called the One of These Days concert. (Linda wore almost identical dresses to each concert.) There is a video of Linda below from this concert.
Concert filmed for Howard Cosell’s show:
The Balboa concert was filmed for Howard Cosell’s new TV show on ABC called “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell” and included an appearance on stage by Alex Karras. Alex was a sportscaster and actor and had also been a football player with the Detroit Lions. (This was not the same show as the more well-known Saturday Night Live Show on NBC.) A quote found in a 2018 news article about Cosell’s show states “Because of the show’s short run, there aren’t any videos of any of the programs.” However, there is an audio of the beginning of the show below.
Other guests on Cosell’s show that day were Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, John Wayne, Redd Foxx, Barbara Walters, and Harry Blackstone, Jr.
The Eagles walking up the ramp to the Balboa stage
Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Richard Fernandez (tour manager)
Randy Meisner and Glenn Frey
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, and Don Felder
Alex Karras is in the orange wig on stage.
Glenn Frey’s shirt is printed with “Alex Karras Blues Band”.
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Alex Karras, Don Felder, and Bernie Leadon
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Alex Karras, Don Felder, and Don Henley (on drums)
Linda Ronstadt and David Lindley
David Lindley and Linda Ronstadt
JD Souther and Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA) – Sept. 27, 1975
Balboa Stadium in San Diego
Audio of Eagles on ABC’s “Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell” TV show
Intro and “Already Gone”
Star Herald (Scottsbluff, NE) – Sept. 27, 1975
Linda Ronstadt at Balboa Stadium
“Heat Wave”
LA Times (Los Angeles, CA) – Aug. 23, 1975
Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario) – Sept. 27, 1975
The segment taped for Cosell will feature the Eagles performing ‘Best of My Love’ and ‘Already Gone’. Miss Ronstadt will sing her current single, ‘Heat Wave’.”
Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA) – Sept. 27, 1975
“It all happened at Balboa Stadium Saturday afternoon, where the scheduling of performances by Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles was geared to the vagaries of ABC’s network variety show, ‘Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell’.”
San Diego Union (San Diego, CA) – Sept. 29, 1975
Triton Times (student newspaper of Univ. of California San Diego) – Sept. 29, 1975
Correct identification is Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon
(Accompanying article “Together Once Again” below)
Triton Times (student newspaper of Univ. of California San Diego) – Sept. 29, 1975
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Don Felder
(Accompanying article “Together Once Again” below)
“The Eagles warmed up with ‘Take It Easy’ and the crowd went wild.”
Concert review in the Triton Times (student newspaper of Univ. of California San Diego) – Sept. 29, 1975
“After some ‘show biz’ talk, the Eagles, along with ‘rock star’ Karras, sang ‘Already Gone’ and ‘One of These Nights’ for Cosell’s show. The Eagles then went on to sing their best until 7:15, when the stage went dark.”
Concert review in The Arrow (student newspaper of Clairemont High School in San Diego) – Oct. 1, 1975
