The History of the Eagles…In Colorado

As music fans across the world mourn the loss of legendary Eagles founder Glenn Frey, here's a look back at the history of the Eagles in Colorado.

The Eagles formed in 1971 when Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Scottsbluff, Nebraksa, native Randy Meisner were hired as members of Linda Ronstadt's touring band.

In high school, Meisner formed a Scottsbluff band called The Dynamics. He would later migrate to Denver, joining the Soul Survivors. After moving to Hollywood and renaming themselves The Poor, Meisner then bounced around working as a session musician for Poco and The Stone Canyon Band before joining Linda Ronstadt and eventually forming the Eagles.

The future Hall of Famers performed their first concert in August of 1971, playing under the name Teen King and The Emergencies at a club called "The Gallery" in Aspen, Colorado. Following another show at Tulagi's in Boulder, the band was rebranded as The Eagles and recorded their debut album in early 1972.

Their first national tour would bring them back to Colorado on August 2, 1972, when they opened for Yes at the Denver Coliseum.

In 1974, the band embarked on a tour with the Talbot Brothers, stopping at Fort Lewis College in Durango on April 2. The tour would pass through Aspen later that year.

By the time they returned one year later on the "One of These Nights Tour", they were among the biggest acts in the country. On August 18 - 19, 1975, they headlined two sold out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

The following year, they made their first appearance at Mile High Stadium. Their former boss Linda Ronstadt opened the show on August 8, 1976, which also included Pure Prairie League.

Their next visit would come two years later, when they headlined a sold out show at Folsom Field in Boulder on July 27, 1978. They returned to Boulder on "The Long Run Tour", playing another sold out Folsom Field show on June 28, 1980. Sadly, it would be nearly 14 years before the band would return.

After breaking up in 1980, The Eagles launched their legendary "Hell Freezes Over" reunion tour in 1994. June 14-16, they sold out three consecutive shows at Fiddler's Green Amphitheater in Greenwood Village. The would return to Mile High Stadium the following year, playing in front of nearly 80,000 fans on May 5, 1995.

Six more years would pass before the Eagles would play Colorado again, this time at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium on their "Evening with Eagles Tour", August 11, 2001.

A year later, they would play their first show in Colorado Springs, selling out the World Arena on September 22, 2002. Their first of several concerts at Denver's Pepsi Center took place on June 24, 2003.

In 2004, the band hit the road for a "Farewell Tour". Their first, and only, show in Wyoming took place on May 26, 2004, at the Casper Events Center.

After releasing a new album Long Road Out of Eden, the Eagles returned to Denver's Pepsi Center for a gig on May 20, 2010. Several years later, their "History of the Eagles Tour" came to the Pepsi Center on October 5, 2013.  Sadly, it would be the last time the band would ever perform live in Colorado.