{"id":109341,"date":"2025-08-01T04:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T04:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/109341\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T04:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T04:29:10","slug":"on-this-day-in-1980-the-eagles-imploded-in-spectacular-fashion-during-an-infamous-benefit-concert-in-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/109341\/","title":{"rendered":"On This Day in 1980, The Eagles Imploded in Spectacular Fashion During an Infamous Benefit Concert in Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don Felder, who played lead guitar for The Eagles from 1974 to 2001, says he\u2019s on good terms<\/a> with his former bandmates now. However, that was far from always the case. Contrasting with the band\u2019s soft-rock image, Felder and co-lead singer Glenn Frey had a strained relationship that ultimately led to the band\u2019s undoing. On this day in 1980, a Long Beach, California audience witnessed The Eagles fall apart in real time.<\/p>\n

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The Eagles waving goodbye to the crowd, 1980. pic.twitter.com\/0YjzXDG12h<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Classic Rock In Pics (@crockpics) June 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why Did The Eagles Break Up in 1980?<\/p>\n

Long-simmering resentments between Glenn Frey and Don Felder came to a head on July 31, 1980, during a celebratory benefit concert for Senator Alan Cranston in Long Beach, California.<\/p>\n

The concert had been Frey\u2019s idea, and Felder wasn\u2019t thrilled about The Eagles dipping their toe into political waters. Still, \u201cI knew that if \u2018The Gods\u2019 [Frey and drummer Don Henley] wanted to get into political campaigning, then I wasn\u2019t in a position to argue,\u201d the guitarist, now 77, wrote in his 2007 autobiography,\u00a0Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Felder couldn\u2019t hide his distaste when the senator and his wife, Norma Weintraub, introduced themselves prior to the show. \u201cHello! Nice to meet you,\u201d\u00a0he responded, muttering, \u201cI guess,\u201d under his breath as they walked away.<\/p>\n

Overhearing the slight, Frey promptly smashed<\/a> the long-neck Bud he was drinking against the wall. By the time the band took the stage, \u201cI was\u00a0seething,\u201d the late co-frontman recalled in\u00a0the 2013 documentary\u00a0History Of The Eagles. \u201cI wanted to\u00a0kill\u00a0Felder.\u201d<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Eagles: Behind the Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey Beef and Lawsuits]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe walked onstage, and he came over while we were playing\u00a0The Best of My Love\u00a0and said, \u2018F\u2014 you. I\u2019m gonna kick your ass when we get off the stage,\u2019\u201d Felder said.<\/p>\n

The whiskey continued flowing throughout the gig, and with it, the insults and threats. \u201cWe start getting towards the end of the set, and I\u2019m looking at him going, \u2018three more songs, a\u2013hole,\u2019 Frey remembered.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the curtain fell\u2014on both the performance and The Eagles. The \u201cHotel California\u201d legends wouldn\u2019t share a stage again for 14 years, when they reunited for\u00a0Hell Freezes Over. Not coincidentally, the title also reflected the timeline Don Henley had given for when his bandmates would tour together again.<\/p>\n

Featured image by Richard E. Aaron\/Redferns<\/p>\n