With five years since the last Eagles concert in Chicago, along with the band’s first since the passing of co-founder Glenn Frey, anticipation was at an extreme high for its latest United Center appearance promising a thorough career retrospective. After the initial show sold out within a snap, a second was added for October 15, and though both are billed as “An Evening With The Eagles,” those who caught the spring fling were also treated to additional tunes from JD & The Straight Shot.

As for the Eagles, some of the faces may have changed, but the sound was essentially the same as Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill, Deacon Frey and a mound of backing musicians seamlessly opened with “Seven Bridges Road,” “Take It Easy” and “One Of These Nights.”

Having recently released “Good Luck And Good Night,” the group who previously toured with Don Henley, Joe Walsh, The Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Keith Urban, Jewel and the Dixie Chicks (amongst others) had lots to share with the Windy City. Though the arena was still filling up, that didn’t stop vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan, guitarist Marc Copely (B.B. King, Rosanne Cash), bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Dolly Parton), violinist/fiddler Erin Slaver (Rod Stewart, Martina McBride), drummer Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Levon Helm) and guitarist Carolyn Dawn Johnson (Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney) from whirling through several originals and a few surprises filled with foot-tapping, hand-clapping Americana and roots rock.

From strictly a musical perspective, the troupe sounded like a rowdier Alison Krauss & Union Station throughout “Never Alone,” “Redemption Train” and “Run For Me,” while also turning topical for “Under That Hood,” which posed some serious questions surrounding racism and judging others. The players also gave a modern day retelling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Story” throughout “Ballad Of Jacob Marley,” rallied against getting old during the hoedown stomper “Glide” and reprised their performance of Three Dog Night’s “Shambala” from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” with an acapella ending that specifically set the tone for the harmony-heavy headliners.

As for the Eagles, some of the faces may have changed, but the sound was essentially the same as Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill, Deacon Frey and a mound of backing musicians seamlessly opened with “Seven Bridges Road,” “Take It Easy” and “One Of These Nights.” Even after 45-plus years, this outing may very well be the band’s biggest to date with Henley soon rattling off several statistics, such as having an 82-person crew, 14 semi-trucks, eight buses, and perhaps most importantly, one accountant.

The audience’s laughter soon turned to signing as the group strung together “Take It To The Limit,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Witchy Woman” and “In The City” to name just a few from what turned out to be a total hit parade. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until the Eagles got to “The Best Of My Love” that they could cite a chart-topping single, but regardless of prior placement, practically every track made a monumental impact at the crossroads of country, pop and rock.

Landing closer to smooth ballad territory, “Love Will Keep Us Alive” found Schmit hitting the highest of highs (in spite of a gardening accident that confined him to a chair), Glenn’s son Deacon commanded attention come “Already Gone” and the easygoing Gill putting some hearty twang into “Heartache Tonight.” Of course, Henley and Walsh scored a lion’s share of the leads, alternating between the mammoth likes of “Funk #49” and “Rocky Mountain Way” with “Life In The Fast Lane” and “Hotel California” before the string-enhanced “Desperado” soared in honor of the man who helped put them on the map.

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For additional information on the Eagles and JD & The Straight Shot, visit Eagles.com and JDAndTheStraightShot.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation shows, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the United Center include Kid Rock (Mar. 16); Justin Timberlake (Mar. 27-28); Bon Jovi (Apr. 26); Kygo (May 5); Daryl Hall & John Oates and Train (May 18); Shania Twain (May 19); U2 (May 22-23); Depeche Mode (Jun. 1); Paul Simon (Jun. 6); Harry Styles (Jun. 30); Radiohead (Jul. 6-7); Shakira (Aug. 3); Smashing Pumpkins (Aug. 13-14); Sam Smith (Aug. 15); Childish Gambino (Sept. 8); Maroon 5 (Sept. 14); Justin Timberlake (Oct. 5); Eagles (Oct. 15); Elton John (Oct. 26-27) and Josh Groban with Idina Menzel (Nov. 6). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.