21-05-2025
When Tim Pierce Opened For The Eagles And Later Got Banned From Concert
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Tim Pierce shared how a friend helped him stay at a venue where he opened the night for The Eagles and was later asked to leave.
Renowned session guitarist Tim Pierce has recently shared a bizarre incident when he got banned backstage sometime after he opened for The Eagles concert. Pierce worked with several heavyweights in the music industry, including pop sensations like Michael Jackson, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato to name a few. Recently, he posted a video on his YouTube channel where he opened up about the turn of events that got him open and banned backstage during The Eagles' concert on the same day.
Sharing the story with his more than 5.67 lakh subscribers, Pierce called it the 'biggest night for musicians" in history during that time. The incident took place during the New Year's Eve at the turn of the millennium, while Pierce remained a member of Linda Ronstadt's band, Guitar World magazine reported.
The Eagles as well as Jackson Browne were set to perform at the event that took place at Los Angeles-based Staples Center (now known as Arena). The tickets for the concert started at $50 and went up to $1,000 apiece.
Talking about the events that took place after Ronstadt's set, Pierce said that this is the 'reality of big-time show business". This was the time when musicians and artists were performing mega gigs 'for great fees," he added.
Amid tight security, the group went to perform warm-up shows in the run up to the big event. Pierce said that the security at the event was beefed up and even Don Henley faced 'trouble" with the guards. 'There was some sort of kerfuffle. Some angry words were exchanged," he mentioned.
As the venue started filling with 'New Year's Eve revelers," Pierce decided to watch the event after his gig from the side of the stage. For the same, he was even provided with an Access All Areas pass.
However, things soon turned ugly for him as halfway through Jackson Browne's performance, Pierce and his wife were told 'all of a sudden" that their backstage access was being revoked. They were informed that after Browne's set, they were 'no longer welcome in the building."
After hearing this, Pierce's mind 'went into overdrive". Soon after, he started investigating the matter and realised that the crew members of The Eagles had a yellow sticker attached to their photo IDs — something that remained missing from their credentials.
While Pierce started thinking what could be done to stay in the concert and was 'about to give up," he realised that his friend, audio engineer Dave Covelli, served as the Staples Center manager. Both of them earlier worked together for four years. Pierce did not waste any time and got in touch with Covelli and things worked out in his favour. He was later allowed to sit with his 'unimpeachable" Staples Center-issued pass. The side of the stage turned into a 'ghost town" for them as the staff members of The Eagles walked around with 'daggers in their eyes".
Sharing another 'moment of awkwardness," Pierce shared that his family decided to leave the venue early to beat the traffic. But when he went backstage to get his guitar, he was stopped by a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) official. '…it was a forbidden zone to go back into the dressing rooms," said Pierce, adding that the 'nice officer" then allowed him to walk down the 'hallowed halls of Eagledom."
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