Vince Gill Says He’d ‘Take His Own Car’ To Join The Eagles On Tour

Vince Gill is officially an Eagle—at least for a couple of shows—and he has his sights set on a future with the iconic rock group he considers to be “the most important American band in history.” In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Gill talked about rehearsing with longtime Eagles members Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmidt ahead of two July festival gigs, calling the whole experience “surreal.”

Next month, the Eagles will reunite onstage for their first full show since the death of founding member Glenn Frey. In addition to Gill and Eagles alum Joe Walsh, Frey’s son Deacon will join the band at East and West Coast concerts at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium and Citi Field in New York. But Gill is also pumped for the possibility of a full-on tour with his new bandmates.

“I’m beyond flattered that of all the people who play and sing music, that they’d think enough of me to do this,” Gill said of being selected to play with the surviving members of the group.

“I feel like I’m a great fit…A record of mine like When Love Finds You sounds like an Eagles record. They’ve been as big a part of my learning curve as the greats of the country and Western world.”

Indeed, Vince Gill posted to Instagram that he always felt like he would have been a good Eagle. Now, at age 60, he’ll get to soar with them.

Vince went on to tout the Eagles’ impact on country music and questioned why the genre never fully embraced the band.

As for which Eagles songs he will take the lead on, Vince Gill revealed he’ll sing lead vocals on the classics “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” “Take It to the Limit” and “Heartache Tonight.”

It’s not totally surprising that Vince Gill was tapped to fill an irreplaceable space in the Eagles lineup. Not only does Gill share the same management as the iconic band, but he’s a longtime friend of the legendary musicians. Last year, Gill even paid tribute to the Eagles at the 39th Kennedy Center Honors where he sang the classic, “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” Vince also sang the song at the Grand Ole Opry and has covered other Eagles songs, like “I Can’t Tell You Why.”

But the country legend also seems to know his place as a newcomer in the iconic band.

“I speak when spoken to,” Vince revealed to Rolling Stone. “I’m an old friend and all that, but I’m a newbie.”

Newbie or not, Vince Gill admits he would put his own career on hold for a chance to tour with the Eagles sometime after the one-off festival dates if the rest of the band deemed it appropriate.

“I’d be the first one on the bus,” Gill revealed. “They probably don’t take a bus, but I’ll drive myself. I’ll take my own car!”

Take a look at the video below to see Vince Gill paying tribute to the band he is now a temporary member of.

[Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]