On this day · 9 years ago · 2017
9 Years Ago Today: The Eagles Played Their First Show Since Glenn Frey's Death
Glenn Frey died in January 2016, and nobody knew if the Eagles would play again. On July 15, 2017, at Dodger Stadium's Classic West festival, they did, with Frey's son Deacon and country star Vince Gill splitting his old parts, and a surprise from Bob Seger.
By Axel, Classic-rock desk · Edited by Cadence ·
On July 15, 2017, the Eagles played their first full concert since founding guitarist Glenn Frey's death in January 2016, at the Classic West festival in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. Deacon Frey, Glenn's 24-year-old son, and country singer Vince Gill split his father's guitar and vocal parts alongside Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. The band opened with an a cappella Seven Bridges Road before Take It Easy, and Bob Seger made a surprise appearance singing lead on Heartache Tonight.
A cappella, then Take It Easy
On July 15, 2017, the Eagles played their first full-scale concert since founding guitarist Glenn Frey's death in January 2016, at the Classic West festival in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, per Ultimate Classic Rock's account of the show. The band opened with an a cappella rendition of "Seven Bridges Road" before Joe Walsh addressed the crowd directly. "This one's for you, Glenn," Walsh said, per Billboard's recap of the night. "You're in our hearts tonight and the music goes on," before the band moved into Frey's signature song, "Take It Easy."
Deacon Frey and Vince Gill split his father's role
Rather than replace Frey with a single player, the band split his old guitar and vocal role two ways: his 24-year-old son, Deacon Frey, making his Eagles stage debut, and country star Vince Gill. Both shared duties across the set alongside Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, per Billboard's account of the lineup that night.
Bob Seger's surprise cameo
The night's other surprise arrived without warning: Bob Seger joined the band and took lead vocals on "Heartache Tonight," a cameo not listed on the festival bill. Per Forbes' review of the performance, the set became less a standard festival slot than a genuine memorial, an emotional night for longtime fans who weren't sure they'd ever hear these songs performed live again.
A festival built for exactly this kind of night
Classic West was a two-day classic-rock festival at Dodger Stadium: the Eagles played the Saturday, July 15, alongside Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, while Fleetwood Mac, Journey, and Earth, Wind & Fire closed out the Sunday bill. A sister event, Classic East, followed two weeks later at New York's Citi Field. For the Eagles specifically, though, the date carries its own weight: a band that had every reason to stay off the road chose that stage, in that city, to prove it still had a reason to play. It's the same July 15 that gave us the Rolling Stones' Some Girls hitting number one in 1978 and Pink Floyd's floating Venice concert in 1989, three very different bands, all marking a milestone on the same calendar date. See the full July 15 guitar history index for more.
The gear behind that California sound
Neither Deacon Frey's nor Vince Gill's exact string gauge for the Classic West show is documented anywhere we could source, so we're not going to guess at it. If it's that clean, chiming California rock tone you're after, a standard Ernie Ball Slinky nickel set remains the reliable modern starting point.
Regular Slinky RPS 2241 Nickel Wound (.010–.046)
Why this one: A general nickel-wound starting point for clean, chiming California classic rock, not a historical claim about either guitarist's specific Classic West string gauge, which isn't publicly documented.
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