Vince Gill Joining the Eagles for Upcoming Festivals
Vince Gill will join the Eagles for two upcoming concert appearances, helping fill the void left by the death of Glenn Frey.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the 60-year-old country superstar was tapped to join the lineup after he helped pay tribute to the band at the Kennedy Center Honors in December of 2016, where he performed "Life in the Fast Lane" with Ringo Starr, Bob Seger, Steve Vai and Kings of Leon. He will perform with the Eagles at the Classic East and Classic West festivals later this year.
"In my mind, I always thought I’d have made a good Eagle," Gill says. "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."
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Gill scored his first hit with "Let Me Love You Tonight" in 1980 as the lead singer in Pure Prairie League, a group which was in the same vein as the Eagles. He also covered “I Can’t Tell You Why” for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles in 1993, and appeared on a track on Don Henley‘s most recent album, Cass County.
Glenn Frey's son, Deacon, will also join the band onstage for the upcoming dates. Though Henley initially said that Frey's death in 2016 spelled the end of the Eagles, he later said the only way they could carry on would be with his son in the fold.
"The primary thing is, I think Glenn would be good with it — with both of these guys," he states. "I think he’d go, 'That’s the perfect way to do this.'"
Classic East will take place in New York City, and Classic West is set for Los Angeles this summer. It's unclear if the Eagles will announce more live dates for 2017. Visit Eagles.com for more information.
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