Vince Gill and Deacon Frey stepped into one of rock history’s most daunting vacancies on July 15, 2017, when the Eagles took the stage for the first time since Glenn Frey’s death — and the band has never looked back.
The concert, held at Classic West at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, marked the group’s first-ever performance without its founding member. Alongside classic-era Eagles Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, and Joe Walsh, Gill and Deacon Frey delivered a set built around the band’s most enduring material, including “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” “Hotel California,” “Witchy Woman,” “New Kid in Town,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It to the Limit,” and “Heartache Tonight.”
How the New Lineup Came Together
Glenn Frey died on January 18, 2016, at age 67, from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. In the immediate aftermath, Henley was openly skeptical that the Eagles could carry on. His thinking shifted once Deacon Frey entered the picture. Gill’s path to the group ran through the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors, where he joined Ringo Starr, Bob Seger, Steve Vai, and Kings of Leon in a tribute to the Eagles that included a performance of “Life in the Fast Lane.” That appearance led directly to Henley’s invitation.
For country fans, the pairing raised eyebrows, but Gill’s ties to the Eagles’ world run deep. He first broke through in 1980 as lead singer of Pure Prairie League — a band that occupied similar sonic territory — and later covered “I Can’t Tell You Why” for the 1993 compilation Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. He also appeared on Henley’s 2015 country album Cass County.
Gratitude Mixed With Grief
“In my mind, I always thought I’d have made a good Eagle,” Gill said. “But in a million years, I never would have seen this coming. It’s pretty surreal. I turned 60 recently, and to get to be a part of this amazing legacy of songs, that’s the greatest part of all this for me.”
Yet Gill has been candid about the complicated feelings that come with the role. In a 2017 interview with Taste of Country, he described his participation as bittersweet. “Just gratitude that I was the guy they decided would work,” he said. “Because Glenn was a great friend, and in my heart of hearts I wish I wasn’t doing it. That would mean Glenn would still be around, but life is what it is and you just go do what you can do because of what happens. Those songs deserve to live on as long as they can.”
What began as a single concert has proven far more lasting. Gill and Deacon Frey have toured with the Eagles on and off ever since, and both are part of The Long Goodbye — the band’s farewell tour announced in July 2023 — including the group’s ongoing residency at Sphere in Las Vegas.
