The McHenry High School Eagles concert came about because an entire high school of determined students at McHenry Community High School in McHenry, IL, won a concert with the Eagles and Dan Fogelberg (with his band Fool’s Gold). They won it in the School Spirit contest sponsored by WCFL radio station in Chicago for May 12, 1975. There are several photos of the concert and backstage below. The newspaper articles below tell the story of how McHenry High School entered and won the Eagles concert.
May 10-11, the days before the McHenry High School concert, the Eagles performed at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago. The Eagles stopped by WCFL radio station to talk with DJ Larry Lujack.
From Cameron Crowe’s interview in Rolling Stone:
“Hiya! This is Superjock Larry Lujack! Sitting with me right here in the Super CFL Studios – straight from California – are everybody’s favorite hit makers…those darn Eagles! In town for two concerts at the Arie Crown Theater, the band is visiting one of Chicago’s top jocks to play, for the first time, the title track and single from One Of These Nights.”
Rolling Stone Magazine – Sept. 25, 1975
GIG Magazine – Oct. 1976
“Eagles: A Rare Interview with the High School Desperadoes”
and
“How the Eagles Cleaned Up the Wild West”
“Just before ‘One of These Nights’ was released, in the spring of 1975, the Eagles were raffled off in a WCFL radio contest as the prize for the Chicago area high school with the most school spirit. A school in the sticks, McHenry High, eventually won a free concert from the Eagles and Dan Fogelberg when the students were able to fit the station’s call letters, written 5,000 times, onto a miniscule piece of paper.”
Most of the photos in GIG magazine below are from their concert in Landover, Maryland, when they did the political benefit for Jerry Brown in May 1976.
Magazine Photographers: Richard Aaron, Hue & Eye, Chuck Pulin, and Susan Weinlk
Magazine Cover
Pg. 27
Pg. 28
Pg. 29
Pg. 30
Pg. 31
Arie Crown Theater Eagles concert May 10-11, 1975:
After adding a third show, the Eagles played three concerts at the Arie Crown Theater (May 10-11, 1975)
These concerts were prior to the McHenry High School performance of May 12.
Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, IL) – May 4, 1975
“Dan Fogelberg opened the show and demonstrated that he’s come a long way since his days as a folk-club solo performer.”
Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, IL) – May 11, 1975
McHenry High School Eagles concert May 12, 1975:
McHenry Community High School 1975 yearbook page
McHenry High School Eagles concert – Eagles on stage
Randy Meisner
Glenn Frey
Randy and Glenn are looking at each other, so they are probably singing “Take It Easy” here. When the Eagles sang that song, Randy and Glenn always looked at each other during the standing-on-a-corner verse.
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Don Felder
McHenry High School Eagles Concert
Kids interviewing the Eagles before the concert May 12, 1975
(If only we knew what questions they asked the Eagles)
Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley in the McHenry weight room before the concert
Poster advertising contest to win Eagles concert
Congratulations from DJ Johnny Driscoll on the school’s win
Banner hanging in McHenry High School gym
There were angry phone calls and disappointment with the radio station that was sponsoring this contest. After the kids worked so hard to get the petitions ready by the deadline, the station extended the deadline so other schools would have more time.
The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) – May 7, 1975
“Weekends and evenings were devoted to the tremendous task of obtaining signatures which ended in success.”
The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) – May 14, 1975
“As the result of winning the Radio Station WCFL School Spirit contest, McHenry high school students won $1,000 for their scholarship fund and the opportunity to hear two well-known rock bands in concert.”
The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) – May 14, 1975
The McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL) – May 16, 1975
Glenn Frey
Randy says “We’re not nervous, and we wanted to come. We were in high school once and wanted to come back and see if it has changed.”
The Daily Sentinel (Woodstock, IL) – May 16, 1975
WCFL radio station in Chicago with Larry Lujack:
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Cameron Crowe, Irving Azoff (Eagles manager), and DJ Larry Lujack
Don Felder, Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Dan Fogelberg, Don Henley, and DJ Larry Lujack
Don Henley is obviously very tired here, and Larry Lujack is quite amused.
Don Felder, Randy Meisner, and Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Irving Azoff (behind Henley), and Larry Lujack
This is a WCFL aircheck from May 3, 1975 with Larry Lujack. It’s just a few days prior to the Eagles visiting the WCFL radio station. It’s fun to hear the songs and commercials that were played on a Chicago radio station back in May 1975.
“The finished product was given its world premiere on WCFL, one of Chicago’s two major AM rock stations; within two months it entered the national Top Ten.”
Rolling Stone magazine – Aug. 28, 1975
Loved this article good job as always.👍
Wouldn’t that have been something to have the Eagles come to your school? I only hope I would have appreciated it back then.
I was there! I remember the “scene” and a couple of songs, and importantly, it was the time I saw a pair of Nike shoes for the first time! Not on the band, but on the feet of my wrestling coach.