On the opening night of the Eagles‘ Long Goodbye Tour in New York City on Thursday (September 7), the band paid tribute to their longtime friend and collaborator, Jimmy Buffett. During the performance, the Eagles honored the late singer/songwriter by adding two of his songs to their set.
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“Jimmy Buffett is now sailing on that cosmic ocean, having that cheeseburger with Glenn [Frey] and Randy [Meisner],” said Don Henley. His reference was to Buffett’s 1978 hit “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” along with late Eagles bandmates Glenn Frey, who died in 2016 at the age of 67, and Randy Meisner, who died on July 26, 2023, at 77.
“We always liked to laugh and say we survived the ’70s together,” laughed Henley, before the band went into Buffett’s 1974 song “Come Monday.” He added, “Jimmy was one of the hardest working men I ever saw, but he made work look like play. He brought joy to everything he did — including the work. And one of his final wishes was that we keep the party going,”
Before they moved into a cover of Buffett’s 1979 song “Fins,” from his ninth album Volcano, Joe Walsh shared a more mischievous memory of his time with Buffett. “Jimmy and I got thrown out of some of the finest hotels in the world,” said Walsh, wearing a parrot head hat, a reference to Buffett’s fans and devotees, the Parrot Heads.
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Buffett and the Eagles’ friendship started in 1975 when the band invited the “Margaritaville” singer to open up for them. On August 3, 1975, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band opened for the Eagles at the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, South Carolina.
“Waiting to go on that night seemed like an eternity,” remembered Buffett, following Frey’s death in 2016. “Mixed emotions were flowing, fear, excitement, and a lot of ‘what ifs’ were running through my head when the door suddenly opened, and in walked Glenn Frey. That was the first time we met. He greeted me and the band warmly, thanked us for being there, and said to me how much he loved ‘A Pirate Looks at 40.’ He wished us luck and then went back out the door. That was the beginning of a long and lovely friendship.”
The band later invited Buffett, who had just hit it big with “Margaritaville,” on their Hotel California Tour in 1977. In 1979, Buffett shared backing vocals on “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks” off the Eagles’ sixth album The Long Run.
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Frey continued to collaborate with Buffett and co-wrote “Gypsies in the Palace,” featured on Buffett’s 1985 album Last Mango in Paris. In 1998, Buffett was also asked to induct the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“Only a few people really know how significant Glenn, Don, Irving [Irving Azoff, Eagles manager], and the Eagles were to my rise through the ranks of bands trying to achieve just of sliver of the success that they had achieved,” said Buffett. “When the Eagles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they asked me to give their induction speech. I was humbled. Glenn was a true friend, a true professional, an inspiration, and sometimes could be a handful.”
Buffett continued, “I cherish great memories of our time spent together and will never forget his kindness that first night and our friendship for all these years.”
The Eagles, which currently consists of Henley and Walsh, along with Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill, and Frey’s son, Deacon Frey, recently added several more dates to their final tour. The trek is scheduled to conclude on November 18 in St. Paul, Minnesota with more dates expected to be added in 2024 and 2025.
Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
