Confirming earlier reports, Glenn Frey's son, 23-year-old Deacon Frey, will indeed join the Eagles for their two Classic East/West concerts in Los Angeles and New York City this July. Bestclassicbands.com reported that on Monday (May 15th), Don Henley appeared on Dallas sports radio station KTCK and when asked, spilled the beans regarding Deacon's involvement, saying, "I’m not supposed to say that. Yeah, he is. There’s going to be an official announcement in a few days but let’s just do it here. Glenn’s son Deacon is a very talented young man, and he seems to be up for the task. He’s enthusiastic about it and he’s been working real hard on it, and he’s gonna do it with us. I think that’s appropriate." Glenn Frey died on January 18th in New York City due to complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia. He was 67-years-old.
Last summer, Henley piqued fans' interest regarding Deacon's involvement with the group, when he pondered how the Eagles could possibly survive the devastating loss of Glenn Frey, telling The Montreal Gazette: "At some point in the future, we might work our way around to that. You know, Glenn has a son who can sing and play quite well. And one of the only things that would make sense to me is if it were his son. With Jackson (Browne), of course, we could do 'Take It Easy' and a couple other things, but the only way I would consider any kind of reunion, I think, would be with Glenn’s son, Deacon." Henley made it a point at the time to explain that none of this had even been officially broached with the Frey family.
Henley spoke frankly about being left as the leader of the Eagles -- a job that had always been Frey's: "I never planned on it coming out this way but it’s my responsibility to carry on this legacy and to keep these songs alive. Apparently people still want to hear them. I thought we were done when Glenn passed away and I said as much, but I was in a state of shock at the time. But we have gotten a lot of messages from people all over the world from people who would like to see things continue."
He went on to drop a hint about yet another special guest at the upcoming gigs: "There’s an old system both in Eastern and Western culture called the guild system where the father is the master and the son is the apprentice. The trade, the craft, the business is handed down from father to son. I think it’s the only appropriate way to carry on. I don’t think I’d do it otherwise. Since it’s Glenn’s blood, it’s his son, I think that’s appropriate. There’ll be one more musician along for the ride too, but I’m not gonna say who that is."
Final week for the One Thousand Dollar An Hour Workday Payday on KEZ. Then we're on to the NEXT BIG THING!