With less than two months before their performances at the Classic East & West festivals, The Eagles have finally announced the two new members that will replace Glenn Frey. It was first announced that Deacon Frey, son of former Eagles singer Glenn Frey, would cover his father’s songs during the performances. But, it has also been announced that famous country singer Vince Gill will join the group to help bring life to Frey’s songs. The two new members will share the microphone, taking turns performing the songs that Glenn normally would sing.
“In my mind, I always thought I’d have made a good Eagle,” joked Gill. “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.”
After considering ending the group once and for all after Frey’s passing, Don Henley decided that The Eagles owed it to their fans to continue playing music. After Frey passed away unexpectedly, the fans were worried that the group would be done playing together forever. But, Henley had a change of heart and decided the right thing to do would be to keep playing music. Although they only have two shows scheduled, Henley hinted at the new lineup being together for more than just those two shows. “People want to hear these songs played live, by the band that recorded them and not by a tribute band,” Henley continued. “God knows, there are enough of those. And even though it’s not exactly the same band, they want to hear the songs.”
The Classic East & West Festivals take place in Los Angeles (July 15-16) and New York City (July 29-30) and will feature performances from Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, and Journey.
–Mark Goodwin, Music Correspondent
