THE Eagles said they wouldn’t reunite until hell froze over after their acrimonious split in 1980. But in 1994 they did.

After founding member Glenn Frey’s sudden death two years ago, Don Henley said he couldn’t see how the band could continue to play without the man who started it.

Now, the Eagles are back on the road with Frey’s son Deacon and American country superstar Vince Gill joining their ranks and will head to Australia in March next year.

Deacon Frey, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his father, planted the seed for his inclusion in the revered rock band when he performed at his father’s memorial.

He made his official debut in the Eagles in front of 50,000 fans at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in July, apparently with his eyes closed for most of the show.

“The only way it felt justified to me was to have family blood in the band. And I have to hand it to Deacon. We rehearsed for a couple of months. And his first gig with us was at Dodger Stadium,” Henley told Rolling Stone.

“He had done some gigs with his father — private parties, clubs, in front of maybe 200 people. To go from that to 55,000 people is extraordinary. I don’t know many people who could have done that without freaking out.”

The Eagles’ longtime promoter Michael Gudinski, who saw them perform in the US last month, said Henley would probably not have continued touring without Frey blood in the band.

“Deacon stands in the same spot as his Glenn used to on stage, he looks remarkably like him,” Gudinski said.

“I think in part they are doing the tour to pay tribute to Glenn.

“It’s not about the money, there’s not a new album. I think it’s about the songs and the true artistry of what the band represents.”

The Eagles’ record Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 recently overtook Michael Jackson’s Thriller to be certified the biggest selling album in history in America with more than 38 million sales.

The original members remaining the line-up for the Australian tour include Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit and their ranks are swelled by a string and horn section.

The Australian leg of the world tour begins on March 5 at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and then heads to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on March 9 and Qudos Bank Arena on March 13.

A Frontier Touring pre-sale opens on October 9 with general public tickets available from October 15. For all ticketing details, frontiertouring.com