1976 July 4th Bicentennial Concert Featured Two Rock Giants-Both Still on the Charts 50 Years Later
In 1976, Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles were two of the biggest acts in rock music, so it's no wonder they were part of one of the biggest Bicentennial celebrations that year.
On the heels of their respective hit albums (Fleetwood Mac's "white" album and the Eagles Greatest Hits) and ahead of even bigger ones, the superstar musicians performed an epic concert in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, July 4, 1976, in honor of America's 200th anniversary.
Titled the "4th of July Jubilation," the outdoor show featured the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and Loggins and Messina at the Tampa Stadium, celebrating the landmark holiday with close to 40,000 fans.
At the time, an article in the Tampa Bay Times, titled "Concert Fans in Pursuit of Rock," noted the show's "high" ticket prices of up to $12.50 at the gate.
The setlist posted by Concert Archives noted that the Eagles performed all of the hit songs of their pre-Hotel California era, including "Take It Easy, "Take It to the Limit," and "One of These Nights."
Fleetwood Mac's set list included "Monday Morning," "Rhiannon," and "Landslide."
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According to a post on Randy Meisner Retrospective, the main act, the Eagles, took the stage at 9:30 p.m. with Meisner wearing a red, white, and blue outfit and bandmate Glenn Frey sporting a Chief Red Cloud t-shirt.
The band soon dedicated their song "Lyin' Eyes" to then- presidential candidate Ronald Reagan and Elizabeth Ray, a secretary known for a 1976 Capitol Hill sex scandal.
The event was also described as Fleetwood Mac's "Bay Area debut."
Less than a year after their Bicentennial bash, both Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles would release among the biggest albums of their careers. Fleetwood Mac's Rumours was released in February 1977, making the revamped band superstars with the Top 10 songs "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "You Make Loving Fun."
And in December 1978, the Eagles released Hotel California. Known for its title track and hits such as "New Kid in Town" and "Life in the Fast Lane," Hotel California became one of the defining albums of the late 1970s.
Fast forward 50 years, and both artists are still on the Billboard Charts. On the Billboard 200 chart dated July 4, 2026, Rumours is at No. 19, marking its 691st overall week on the top album list. The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits is at No. 93 on the 2026list.
In addition, the songs "Dreams" and "Hotel California" are on Billboard's Rock Streaming Songs chart 50 years later, making them charting hits again just in time for America's 250th.
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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 2:02 AM.