The song was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977, as part of the tour in support of the album The Pretender.

Eventually "The Load-Out" segues into an interpretation of Maurice Williams' 1960 hit "Stay", sung by Browne, Rosemary Butler, and Lindley.

[1][2][3][4] When performing Load Out/Stay at the Universal Amphitheater, during Stay, Jackson had the roadies carting off all the equipment until he was left with only the Grand Piano, to finish the song.

'The Load-Out' is Jackson Browne's tribute to and summation of every aspect of live performance: the cheering audience out front, the band playing hard-nosed rock & roll, the backstage crew loading up the trucks—and, always, the road to the next town.

Packed to capacity with the data of first-rate reporting and with music so warm and soaring it belies the album's title, this song flows triumphantly into 'Stay,' where Browne tells us he doesn't ever want it to end.