The Fiery Backstage Drama That Led To The Breakup Of The Eagles

The first Eagle to fly away from the band was Bernie Leadon. It was a case of “last one in, first one out,” as he was the final original member to join the group. The guitarist is often credited with being instrumental in shaping the country rock sound which first brought the band to the fore.

In 2008 Leadon told Rolling Stone, “I just wanted some time to regroup. I suggested we take some time off. They weren’t excited about that idea.” The other guys wanted to forge ahead on their current path of success, so Leadon’s suggestion fell on deaf ears — and this frustrated him.

Interestingly, people have often said Leadon fundamentally disagreed with Henley and Frey over the band’s sound evolving into the stadium-friendly rock and roll the Eagles became so synonymous with.

The next member to seek greener pastures was Randy Meisner, who quit in 1977. He and Frey got into an altercation before the third encore of a gig one night — because Frey wanted him to take center stage to sing “Take it to the Limit.”

Meisner told Rolling Stone, “I was always kind of shy… I liked to be out of the spotlight. One night in Knoxville, I stayed up late and got the flu. We did two or three encores and Glenn wanted another one. I told them I couldn’t do it, and we got into a spat. That was the end.”

The departures of Leadon and Meisner point to a growing feeling that a divide had formed in the Eagles. Leadon told Rock History Book that, on their first two albums, it was a real collaborative effort — but he claimed that wasn’t what Frey and Henley wanted going forward.

Leadon continued, “Glyn Johns, by the way, was very adamant that Meisner and myself should be pushed forward as well, and it not just turn into the Glenn and Don show immediately which is I think what they wanted. They were pretty pushy, honestly, but Glyn Johns kind of created the balance that exists on the first two albums.”

The Eagles’ membership chopped and changed quite a bit during this mid-to-late ’70s period. Guitarist Don Felder joined in 1974, the year before Leadon left. In ’75 Joe Walsh stepped in to replace Leadon, and over the years Walsh and Felder formed a truly iconic on-stage guitar duo. Then, when Meisner left in ’77, bassist Timothy B. Schmit stepped into the void.

Under normal circumstances, a band experiencing an all-conquering hit album like 1976’s Hotel California would be a good thing. But the Eagles weren’t a normal band, and success simply piled pressure upon their strained relationships. On top of that, it made writing a follow-up album seem like an impossible mountain to climb.

Frey continued, “The Long Run was the most difficult album I’ve ever been involved with. It was the same for all of us. We worked hard to keep it loose, but everything had to be right, and we spent three years on it, far longer than any other record.”

Indeed, recording the album in the studio was so fraught that Frey likened it to being forced to go to school! He confessed, “I simply didn’t want to go.” The band members were finding out that money and success didn’t necessarily marry well with creating worthwhile material — and when you throw drug habits and conflicting personalities into the mix, all bets are off.

Interestingly, Frey also suggested that the band were worried they’d exhausted all their creative reservoirs on their previous opus. You see, it was such an artistic highpoint that they wondered if they truly had anything meaningful left to say within their music.

The album eventually saw release in 1979 — and the band were glad to see the back of it. Frey revealed, “Towards the end, we just wanted to get the record finished and released. It is a very polished album, as well it should be after all that, and has some excellent moments, but none of us wanted to go through that again…”

In Don Felder’s book Heaven and Hell, he detailed the infamous “Long Night at Wrong Beach” — an ill-fated concert which left the band on the verge of collapse. He wrote, “Glenn committed us to playing a benefit gig at the Long Beach Arena on July 31, 1980, for the re-election of the liberal California senator Alan Cranston…”

Therefore, when Cranston and wife Norma came backstage to introduce themselves, Felder admitted his response to her polite “Hello” was less than enthusiastic. He gave her a subdued “Hello. Nice to meet you,” but, “As she walked away, I added, under my breath, ‘I guess.’”

Felder confessed, “Just before we stepped onstage I turned to him and said, ‘You know, Glenn, what you just did back there? You’re an [expletive] for doing that.’ He replied, ‘That’s an honor, coming from you.’”

As hard as it is to believe, the band’s road crew began to worry that Felder and Frey’s arguments would be heard by their adoring fans, so they actually turned down Frey’s microphone between verses! Felder claimed, “He approached me after every song to rant, rave, curse — and let me know how many songs remained before our fight.”

Felder revealed, “When we came offstage and were waiting to be called back for the first encore I stayed by myself, trying to calm down. Then I remembered something Joe Walsh would do to release tension.”

By the time Felder had finished breaking the instrument into as many pieces as possible, he’d been able to work out most of the anger and frustration he’d been feeling throughout the show. That was something of a positive, right?

However, when Felder made a beeline for the back door, he saw “the Cranstons standing right behind me, their mouths agape. A few feet away stood a stony-faced Glenn.” They had all seen him smash his guitar to smithereens, and the politician and his wife didn’t quite know what to say.

After the Cranstons had made their excuses and left, the two warring bandmates were left alone. Frey spat, “Typical of you to break your cheapest guitar,” which was like a red flag to a bull for Felder, who claimed, “Afraid of what I might do if I opened my mouth to respond, I jumped into my limo and sped off.”

Felder went on to explain, “Within a few days, I’d cooled down. The phone rang. It was our producer, Bill Szymczyk.” Felder, seemingly thinking the argument would be chalked up to a couple of idiots blowing off steam, just like all the other arguments, asked, “What’s the schedule for the band?”

Frey’s perspective on the “Long Night at Wrong Beach” is very similar — although he claims Felder was the one threatening him more forcefully! He told The Long Run, “For me, it ended in Long Beach, California, at a benefit for Alan Cranston.”

“We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love,’” lamented Frey, “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.” Frey was adamant this was the straw that broke the camel’s back — but, in truth, he already knew the writing was on the wall long before it.

In the end, the band got back together in 1994 for a reunion tour named — in hilariously appropriate fashion — the Hell Freezes Over tour! They were subsequently welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but, in 2001, trouble reared its head once again.

In 2008 Felder told Rolling Stone, “I withstood the abuse until I could no longer tolerate it and stood up for myself.” He chafed at allegedly being treated like an employee by Henley and Frey, as opposed to a fully contributing band member.

“That was never the case, and never will be, with the Eagles,” claimed Felder. “I find it ironic that a band with a name that stands for freedom in America is ruled with iron fists. When you can’t even have fun onstage without being accused of pulling focus, it’s time to question why you’re there. I wasn’t willing to do it for the money.”

Henley summarily dismissed Felder’s claims in 2015, though. He told The Guardian, “A lot of people on the outside believe a lot of the bull… in Don Felder’s book and believe Glenn Frey and I are some kind of tyrants. The fact is, we are largely responsible both for the longevity and the success of this band.”

Overall, Henley firmly believes drama and strife simply comes with the territory — and every band needs leaders. In 2014 he told News Corp Australia, “You cannot take four or five creative people who have egos and creative desires and expect them all to see things the same way all the time.”

Felder and Frey's Iconic rift and near blows are a dime a dozen among their rock star peers. While U2 might have maintained the love, almost every other infamous rock n' roll band has seen its members at each other's throats. With Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, tension was there from day one.

Nash went on to say that the source of all the issues was Crosby. In 2014 he voiced his reservations over Young’s then-girlfriend Daryl Hannah, though he did apologize for it a fortnight later on The Howard Stern Show.

Although their lineup has changed over the years, when The Beach Boys first got together in 1961 the band was made up of four family members. Carl, Dennis and Brian Wilson were the bulk of it with their cousin Mike Love and family friend Al Jardine completing the set.

After being together for so long though, it can’t have all been smooth surfing. Mike Love and Wilson often disagreed on what direction the band’s sound should take.

When The Yardbirds formed in 1963 it introduced the world to three guitarists who would become super-famous: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. Although they started life as a blues group, The Yardbirds later branched out into various different styles throughout their rise to fame.

So what was it that put The Yardbirds on edge? Apparently, there was a falling-out between Beck and the rest of the band. Initially, Beck had wanted the band to try out some experimental sounds instead of sticking to pop, but he also disagreed with the heavy 1966 tour schedule.

Ranking among the biggest rock bands of the swinging ’60s, The Kinks had many inspirations, and it showed in their music style. Ray and Dave Davies were the most consistent band members, and while they originated in London they rode the British invasion wave to the USA along with other big hitters like The Beatles.

If you have a brother or sister yourself, you probably have at least a passing familiarity with sibling rivalry. Well, according to Ray himself, that played a part in their rough patches. He told Wales on Sunday in 2010, “We were battlers, but the very thing that makes a band special is what ultimately causes it to break up.”

The initially all-British band Fleetwood Mac formed in 1967 and extended their line-up to feature an American folk duo — Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham — in 1974. They’re one of the best-selling bands in the world with 120 million record sales under their belt and they were welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Despite appearances, tensions were running high behind the scenes for Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, for example, were in a relationship prior to joining the band. In 1990 Nicks spoke to Woman’s Own saying, “When we broke up, two years after joining Fleetwood Mac, it was like a living nightmare.

You have to admire how Fleetwood Mac separated their personal and professional lives, because even when they were at odds off stage they were making great music on it. They were writing and performing throughout their relationship breakups and even made three albums in the process.

Nicks and Buckingham weren’t the only Fleetwood Mac relationship, there were actually several going on at once. Christine and John McVie were married, but as she revealed in the book Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac it just didn’t work out.

Since the Band started life as a backing group for Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins, they were originally called The Hawks but they struck out on their own in 1968. Obviously, this required a new name and “The Band” was as good as any other!

So who was responsible for such an original sound? Well, that’s up for debate and it’s also the origin of a lot of the tension within the band, particularly between Levon Helm and Jamie “Robert” Robertson. The Last Waltz, a 1978 documentary filmed by Martin Scorsese, portrayed Robertson as The Band’s main songwriter and figurehead.

Gregg and Duane Allman lent their name to the Allman Brothers Band, which laid the groundwork for Southern rock back in 1970. Their initial album got little traction, but then Eric Clapton set them up to record with Derek and the Dominos.

Instead, Duane’s brother Gregg looked out for the band and that meant dealing with some unwanted behavior from another band member. Dickey Betts, the band’s guitarist, was about as stereotypical a rocker as you can imagine! Gregg didn’t approve and the resulting tension led to the band breaking up.

Despite being dismissed in some quarters as a band which “only” churned out hit singles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, or CCR, were huge in ’60s and early ’70s, with classics such as “Bad Moon Rising” and “Proud Mary” still arguably as timeless today as they were at their height.

Unfortunately, disagreements between John and his brother came to a head and led them to fall out. Tom eventually left the band and they never truly made up before Tom passed away in 1990.

When Deep Purple first formed in 1968 their sound was more progressive and psychedelic rock, but as time went on, their musical style evolved. In 1970 they released an album called Deep Purple in Rock, which marked the band’s change to heavier rock.

Believe it or not, this shift was a point of contention among band members: specifically between Deep Purple’s guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, and singer Ian Gillan. The latter abruptly left in 1973 under mysterious circumstances at the time, but he since revealed the reason to Classic Rock in 2020.

Initially performing in glam-rock makeup and adopting personas based on comic-book characters, Kiss debuted in 1973 with four band members: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley. They quickly rose to fame not just on one stage but across multiple media.

Apparently, the band was split into two sides: Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on one, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss on the other. Simmons and Stanley claimed the other two didn’t take the band seriously, and in his 2012 memoir, Makeup to Breakup, Criss admits to intentionally sabotaging songs during a live performance. 

Music ran in Phil and Don Everly’s blood, so it was only natural they’d follow the career path that they did. They formed a band together in 1957 and worked so well together they laid the pathwork for country rockers to come, such as Simon & Garfunkel and even The Beatles.

The Everly Brothers had a very public break-up on stage, cutting the gig short and signaling the end of their duo and causing Don to announce to the crowd, “The Everly Brothers died ten years ago.” The good news is that they made up in 1986 and even began performing as a duo again!

If you didn’t know already ,you could probably guess that Pink Floyd’s sound was largely psychedelia, which was big when they made their appearance in the mid-1960s music scene. It was experimental, and that meant fresh, so audiences looking for a new sound lapped up Pink Floyd’s eclectic offerings.

Tensions ran high with band members David Gilmour and Roger Waters, who bickered over the quality of the lyrics. On the subject of the others writing lyrics, in 1987 Waters informed Rolling Stone, “They'll never be as good as mine. Gilmour's lyrics are very third-rate. They always will be.”

If you’re looking for the band that pioneered rock opera, you need look no further than the mid-1960s British band, The Who. Part of the reason they became famous was because they had no interest in sugar-coating feelings of anger and frustration.

A disagreement over lost practise time almost came to blows between Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, as the former revealed in his memoir, Thanks a Lot Mr. Kibblewhite. “Pete, fueled by the best part of a bottle of brandy, went off like a firecracker,” Daltrey wrote. “He was up in my face, prodding me.

Although technically not related, all members of The Ramones took the band name as their surname for performances when they got together in 1974. It’s thanks to them that punk rock became as popular as it did, with the titular musicians sporting the iconic rebellious style and going against the grain with their fast-tempo tunes and intentionally nonsensical lyrics.

Does sibling rivalry extend to people who aren’t actually siblings? Regardless, tour stress got to Johnny and Joey Ramone and culminated in the 1980s with rumors that Johnny’d had an affair with Joey’s girlfriend at the time, Linda.

When it comes to rock bands, there are few with reputations as big as The Rolling Stones, who got together in 1962. Although they started out playing covers, they soon graduated to performing their own tunes.

When The Rolling Stones performed the song “All About You” in 1980 the lyrics Richards sang were misinterpreted as a jab at Jagger, who quit the band soon after. Yet they did make up several years later and Jagger rejoined — they even toured together in 2022!

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel actually performed as a duo called Tom and Jerry before they made their name as Simon & Garfunkel in 1963. Perhaps the former name was more appropriate though!

Hot on the heels of their initial success in 1957 Simon signed a solo deal as well, which rankled with Garfunkel throughout the years. In his 2017 memoir, Is It All But Luminous, Notes from an Underground Man, Garfunkel said “I concluded in an eighth of a second, and the friendship was shattered for life… I never forget, and I never really forgive.”

You’ll need no introduction to The Beatles, who from the 1960s onwards have become a household name and cemented themselves in history as the most successful band of all time, as well as the most influential.

Apparently though, all was a bit tense off-stage. Take Paul McCartney and George Harrison, for example. Harrison disputed McCartney’s place as a joint figurehead for The Beatles, and it led to some tension.

As huge as they were, all things must come to an end, and that time arrived for The Beatles in 1970. Of course, John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono was — widely but unfairly — believed to be the cause of their dissolution, but there were plenty of factors in their split that had nothing to do with her relationship to Lennon.

Lennon elaborated on the subject to Rolling Stone in 1971. He said it had all been to do with the 1970 documentary film, Let It Be. “That film was set up by Paul, for Paul,” he revealed. “That is one of the main reasons The Beatles ended. I can’t speak for George, but I pretty damn well know we got fed up of being sidemen for Paul.”