When Glenn Frey died in 2016, it was hard to imagine the Eagles without him.

He was so much more than just a founding member, so much more than just the guy who sang lead vocals on so many of the hits that will continue to define their legacy.

To many fans, he'd come to represent the Eagles' very soul.

But here they are, two years later, not long after overtaking Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to reclaim their spot at No. 1 on the list of biggest-selling albums in U.S. history with "Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)," touring sold-out arenas with two new guys drafted to replace him.

Or if not replace him, to help fill the void.

And you know what? These Eagles sounded great at Talking Stick Resort Arena, from the time they hit the stage and stood there, six musicians in a line, to start Saturday's show with a flawless display of close harmonies on "Seven Bridges Road," the Steve Young cover that became an Eagles song when they released it as the single for their 1980 album, "Eagles Live."

We got our first taste of new member Vince Gill's guitar work on the solo of that first song when he traded acoustic guitar licks with longtime sideman Steuart Smith, who adds so much to an Eagles performance, it's almost weird that he's not thought of as a proper Eagle.

Then the other new guy stepped into the spotlight, singing lead on "Take it Easy," a song his father wrote with Jackson Browne that would become the Eagles' breakthrough hit.

To say that Deacon Frey, now in his early 20s, bears an uncanny resemblance to the way his father looked in his '70s prime, with his shoulder-length hair and mustache, would be something of an understatement. And he sang it really well.

From there, the spotlight shifted to the drum kit, where Don Henley, now the only member of the Eagles who's actually featured on that biggest-selling album in U.S. history, led his bandmates in "One of These Nights."

At the song's conclusion, Henley stepped out from behind the drums to address the crowd.

"We are going to play over two hours of music for you this evening," he said. "Forget about the news. It'll all be there in the morning."

Then, he welcomed the new kids in town.

"We are very proud and delighted," he said, "to have Glenn's son Deacon up here with us. Deacon has had big shoes to fill. He's done an admirable job of stepping up."

When Henley noted that his first show with the Eagles was at Dodgers stadium, it was met with a chorus of boos.

"It's not about baseball," Henley replied with a smile. "Try doing your first gig in front of 56,000 people and see how you feel."

Then he introduced Gill, a well-respected country superstar who briefly fronted Pure Prairie League ("Let Me Love You Tonight" was his handiwork) before launching a solo career.

He's also, in Henley's assessment, "one of this nation's most beloved singer-songwriters and guitarists."

Before Gill took the spotlight, singing lead on "Take It to the Limit," Henley dedicated Saturday's performance "to Glenn and to Glenn's road manager Tommy Nixon, who lived right here in Phoenix."

Gill gave "Take It to the Limit" a soulful read, his voice a little twangier and at the same time more subdued than Randy Meisner's was on the original And he nailed that endless high note at the end.

Gill stayed on vocals for "Tequila Sunrise." Then the Eagles' five-man horn squad took the stage for "Witchy Woman," fleshing out the sound while Smith and the Eagle most likely to light up a room, Joe Walsh, played up the grit to that guitar riff, sounding more like something off John Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band" than it does on the record.

The fans, most of whom had remained in their seats through most of the preceding songs, rose to their feet to greet Walsh's first turn in the vocal spotlight, "In the City."

By that point, we'd already heard from four lead vocalists, each bringing something distinct to the mix. Then Timothy B. Schmit stepped to the mic and added one more flavor with his deeply soulful "I Can't Tell You Why."

Gill was back on lead vocals for a bittersweet reading of "New Kid in Town." Before the night was through, he'd also do the honors on "Ol' '55," "Lyin' Eyes," "Heartache Tonight" and a well-received version of his own chart-topping country hit, "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away."

At one point, Gill said, "I just want to say one sweet thing, on behalf of myself and Deacon. We are beyond honored to trying to keep up the legacy of the great Glenn Frey, singing these songs. And thank you for being so gracious to the both of us."

It should come as no surprise that a man who's made a living as a singer would manage to rise to occasion the way Gill did on his first tour as an Eagle.

As Schmit said after "Lyin' Eyes," "So how 'bout that Vince Gill? Can he sing or what?"

Oh, he can definitely sing.

As for the other new kid, Frey is obviously less experienced than Gill. In fact, I'm pretty sure he wasn't even born when Gill recorded "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away."

And the fact that Glenn Frey was his father means his father's legacy is bound to cast a greater shadow over him than any other singer they could bring into the fold.

But Deacon did the old man proud on "Peaceful Easy Feeling." It was prefaced by him saying, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so welcoming to me" and ended with his father's face projected on the screen behind him in a touching tribute.

The young Frey took one final lead, sharing vocals with Henley on "Already Gone" before the spotlight shifted back to Walsh for a classic from his James Gang days, a horn-fueled "Walk Away," which he followed with a wildly entertaining "Life's Been Good."

Before he got to “Life’s Been Good,” Walsh led the fans in a truly hilarious call-and-response on a series of goofy noises before coaching them on the shouting of the word “Baloney!”

“I need that in the next song,” Walsh explained. “You’ve gotta help me. I’ll tell you right where it is and when we get there, give me your best ‘baloney.’ I guarantee, going home tonight, you’re gonna say to yourself, 'I made a huge difference today.'”

He's such a total goof, and one of rock's most enduring enigmas, with the skills to back it up on lead guitar and vocals, and a dedication to the talk box solo fit to rival Peter Frampton (including a great dual-talk-box solo with Smith on "Those Shoes").

By the time he got the crowd to shout "baloney!" during "Life's Been Good," it was clear that there could be no turning back, no dipping into songs no casual fan would know or care to hear such as Schmit's really pretty rendition of that post-reunion track, "Love Will Keep Us Alive."

It was Gill on lead vocals for "Heartache Tonight," the Eagles' last chart-topping hit, and back to Walsh for one more James Gang gem (with horns), "Funk #49," before Henley closed the set with a suitably spirited "Life in the Fast Lane," also with horns and a brilliant lead from Walsh.

A trumpet player set the tone for "Hotel California," the first of two encores, which built to an epic guitar jam, like it does. And they returned to launch the second encore with another Walsh song, "Rocky Mountain Way," which featured talk box, horns and slide guitar, before ending the night on a bittersweet note with a gorgeous take on "Desperado."

By that point, any doubts that lingered going into Saturday's performance as to whether this new lineup should even exist had long since been erased. As a tribute to the Eagles' legacy, to Glenn Frey's memory and to all their music ever meant to all those fans who paid to see the Eagles of 2018?

It was as close to flawless as a fan had any right to dream it would be.

Setlist

"Seven Bridges Road"

"Take It Easy"

"One of These Nights"

"Take It to the Limit"

"Tequila Sunrise"

"Witchy Woman"

"In the City"

"I Can't Tell You Why"

"New Kid in Town"

"Peaceful Easy Feeling"

"Ol' '55"

"Lyin' Eyes"

"Love Will Keep Us Alive"

"Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away"

"Those Shoes"

"Already Gone"

"Walk Away"

"Life's Been Good"

"Heartache Tonight"

"Funk #49"

"Life In the Fast Lane"

Encore 1

"Hotel California"

Encore 2

"Rocky Mountain Way"

"Desperado"

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