[In] February of 1972, the band was in England with Johns recording their self-titled debut. Eagles was released in June 1972 and featured three Top 40 singles, including the Frey-sung “Take It Easy.”
In later years, Frey, Henley and Joe Walsh, who joined the band in 1975, would maintain homes in Colorado.
CU T-shirts and Mile High shows
The band, which split in 1980 and reunited in 1994, has passed through Colorado frequently over the years.
In their initial run, the Eagles performed at CU’s Folsom Field in 1978 and 1980 — which may help explain’s Frey’s onetime penchant for wearing CU T-shirts on stage, as can be seen in old performance footage on YouTube and the documentary “History of the Eagles.”
Dave Plati, the Buffs’ sports information director, delved into that subject in a 2013 blog post, seeking input from longtime CU fixture J.C. Ancell, who served as staff adviser to Program Council — which put on campus concerts — in the ’70s.
“They used to let CU athletes in the back door in exchange for CU gear, and the Eagles often wore the shirts on and off the stage,” Ancell told Plati. “At the CU show (at Folsom Field on July 29, 1978, on their Hotel California tour), they made a deal for some backstage passes in return for a load of jerseys and other gear.
“Frey always seemed to like the CU-branded stuff.”
In 2001, the Eagles were selected to christen Denver’s just-completed Invesco Field at Mile High, performing the first-ever concert at the stadium now named Sports Authority Field.
Several more Pepsi Center dates followed in the 2000s, with the band most recently performing in Denver in 2013.
At a 2003 concert, according to the Daily Camera’s review, Frey seemingly acknowledged the Eagles’ latter-day reputation for exorbitant ticket prices.
“You’re paying, and we’re playing,” he quipped to fans, who’d shelled out up to $150 apiece to see the Pepsi Center show.
