One night long ago, Randy Meisner joined my band onstage for one song. It was an event I'll never forget, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I learned that he had died recently.
Our band was performing at a restaurant in Glendale, California called the Rusty Scupper. The band was Jeff on drums, Mark on guitar, Joe on bass and yours truly on guitar. It was an upscale place where you could get a good meal and then hang by the bar in hopes of meeting someone. On this fateful night, most of the crowd's attention was focused on trying to meet someone, not on our music.
Randy had quit the Eagles and started a solo career. We had just finished the song Hearts on Fire from his first solo album and gotten what would generously called "polite applause."
From out of the crowd, two young women were pushing a skinny guy wearing a t-shirt that said "Nebraska" towards the stage. He smiled and said "Hey, guys! Thanks for playing my song!" Yep, it was Randy Meisner.
I asked him to sing a song with us and he agreed. After a short consultation, he decided to sing the same song we had just completed. As soon as he started to sing, it seemed that every eye in the place was on us. This was the unmistakable voice of the guy who sang Take It To the Limit for the biggest band of the decade. It cut through the air like a knife. People were dancing up and down to the upbeat shuffle song. When it ended, we received what could only be called "tumultuous applause." Same song, same band....different voice.
While the crowd called out for more, we huddled again. "Do you know any more of my songs?" asked Randy. No, we did not, to my everlasting chagrin. So he said "Thanks, guys" and bounded offstage. Now there were five or six women tugging at him as he ran for the door, like John Lennon in a Beatles movie.
We played one more song. Polite applause. We decided to wind up the set and regroup. I took a sip of my drink and asked my bandmates "Did that really just happen?"
We had just seen an example of an A/B test, and we'd witnessed the power of style. Now, when my buddy Doug Morgan sings Take It To the Limit with Phil Maneri and me backing him up, I think about that night.
Rest in peace, Randy. Your memory is indeed a blessing.