The New Kid in Town: With Eagles’ Glenn Frey already gone, his son Deacon steps in and soars

An unspoken mystery lingered beneath the parting clouds as Eagles took the stage on Saturday evening at Citi Field in Queens: How would the legendary band address the absence of its co-founder and co-leader Glenn Frey, who yielded to multiple illnesses in January 2016 at age 67?

After the band opened with a crisp and lovely rendition of “Seven Bridges Road,” Joe Walsh answered that question as beautifully as possible: “Please give a warm Eagles-family welcome to Deacon Frey.”

As his name in bright, red letters suddenly zoomed onto a giant screen above the stage, the spotlight hit Frey’s 24-year-old son. With his shoulder-length brown hair and a handsome, freshly shorn face, Deacon Frey virtually mirrors his father at about the age when he and Don Henley hatched Eagles in Los Angeles in 1971. (By the way, the elder Frey insisted that the band’s name is not “The Eagles.” It’s simply “Eagles.”) Beneath a cool sky at dusk, the crowd erupted into a very loud, warm, and long ovation.

Frey the Younger then broke into the band’s anthem, “Take It Easy.” On lead vocals, Deacon Frey sounded remarkably like his departed dad. The result was a tear-jerker: a reminder of the country-rock pioneer who exited far too soon, and a reassurance that Eagles’ stellar melodies and beautiful harmonies will continue, thanks to yet another gift that Glenn Frey offered the world — his flesh and blood.

“Hi!” Deacon greeted the stadium full of rock fans later in the set. “It really means a lot coming back here and feeling all this love. Some of you may know New York is where my dad passed away. So, it’s a little tender here for me and my family. But with all you guys, and these guys behind me supporting me, it should be pretty good.”

Deacon Frey then sang “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” with an appealing and touching voice that was, at once, new and familiar. He also excelled at both acoustic and electric guitar. In the sense that the apple does not fall far from the tree, it’s highly comforting that this eaglet does not fly far from the nest.

“I won’t say it wasn’t strange without Glenn,” Henley observed via Facebook. “It is. And it’s going to be. But seeing his son. . . . I’m right behind him on stage, and I swear to God . . . it’s like looking at Glenn at that age. It’s heartwarming and freaky at the same time.”

Overall, Eagles were powerful, confident, and endlessly entertaining. They kept the audience on its feet, despite the largely graying crowd’s impulse to sit down whenever possible.

They headlined the Classic East show, which began with hard-rocking crowd pleasers the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan. In the latter, guitar powerhouse Larry Carlton substituted for absent co-founder Walter Becker, who, his musical partner Donald Fagen said, is recovering from an illness. As if “China Grove,” “My Old School,” and other ’70s-rock gems were not enough, Eagles kept the audience on its feet, despite the largely graying crowd’s impulse to sit down whenever possible. A crystal-clear audio system delivered “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and virtually every hit that has made Eagles a beloved cornerstone of rock ’n’ roll. Don’t forget, Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is the biggest selling U.S. album of the 20th century. Some 29 million copies of it populate record collections across America.

They also played “The Last Resort,” which closes the Hotel California album, and “Those Shoes,” another rarely performed song. In a departure from the 1970s mega-singles that dominated their performance, the band offered “Love Will Keep Us Alive” from their 1994 post-breakup reunion album, Hell Freezes Over.

Country-music star Vince Gill also was with the band. He contributed his voice and instrumental guitar artistry throughout this engagement and another last week in Los Angeles, which was Eagles’ first appearance without Glenn Frey. Henley praised Gill, appropriately, as “one of the best singer-songwriters and guitarists this country has ever produced.” With joy and skill, he helped fill some of the vacuum that Glenn Frey left behind.

Joe Walsh, who became an Eagle in 1975, brought his high-voltage electric-guitar mastery to song after song, especially his solo numbers and pre-Eagles work with the James Gang: “Life’s Been Good,” “Funk #49,” and “Rocky Mountain Way.” One especially striking visual effect depicted Walsh on large screens singing and strumming as if he were composed of flames. He seemed to serenade the audience from his own luxurious corner of Hell.

These rock stars were accompanied on several songs by a brass quintet and even a string quintet on a selection or two. While it hardly echoed a big band in the traditional sense of that term, Eagles filled the stage and the speakers with as many as a baker’s dozen musicians, who gave it their all.

After closing with a moving and eerie visit to “Hotel California” (for a cheap scare, spin that track alone at night, in the dark), Eagles encored with three songs, the last of which, Henley explained, was the very first that he ever wrote with Glenn Frey. And, so, Don Henley ended a dazzling evening on the amazingly high note on which he and the late, great Glenn Frey began their momentous journey: “Desperado.”

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