Joe Walsh is a rock god.  It’s as simple as that.  I mean, after I left his concert, last night, at House of Blues - Las Vegas, inside Mandalay Bay Resort, I pulled out of valet, and realized that the radio was playing The Eagles.  “What a coincidence,” I thought.  Then I realized it wasn’t a coincidence, at all; seeing as (a) I was listening to a local Classic Rock station, and (b) as a member of the Eagles from Hotel California on, Walsh has been a member of the highest-selling American band in history, for forty years.

For any of you who is unfamiliar with Walsh, he’s among the most beloved and respected guitarists in the pantheon of rock and roll.  To wit, the readers of Guitarist voted the guitar solos in "Hotel California" (performed by Walsh and former-Eagle Don Felder) to be the Best Guitar Solos of All-Time.

Having lived the rock n’ roll lifestyle to its extreme, I guess Walsh might best be described (in high school parlance) as the class clown who you find-out happens to be in Mensa, and is an auto-shop savant.  To put it another way, when thinking of the Eagles, I always looked at Glenn [Frey] as the heart, Don Henley as the conscious, and Walsh as the soul.

I’d been invited to the show, and, in turn, invited Dawn Hume (my perma-plus-one) to join me.  I arrived early, and was taken backstage to meet Walsh in his dressing room.  What a guy!  “This is what it’s all about!” he told me emphatically, with regards to the intimate nature of House of Blues, where Walsh is halfway through a 6-night residency that runs through Saturday night.  “Not selling-out giant stadiums!”

“Selling out?” I proclaimed.  “Of all the things anyone could ever say about you, Joe Walsh, I assure you – selling out is not one of them!”  This went over in a pretty big way, and got laughs from everyone present.  After a bit more chit-chat, I left, but not before shouting over my shoulder, “Keep on rocking in the free world!” which made no sense to anyone (myself included), since that was a Neil Young lyric; but who cares? 

Running back upstairs, I found Dawn, then we made our way down to the floor.  Feeling very middle-aged, I decided to sit at a cocktail table that was reserved, but not for us.  Dawn was laughing with the stunning woman at the next table, who turned-out to be Marjorie Bach (aka Mrs. Joe Walsh), who I’d last seen at the 10th Anniversary of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil (which totally makes sense, as her sister, one-time Bond Girl, Barbara Bach, is Mrs. Ringo Starr).  The server told us we would have to move if the guests showed-up; when lo’ and behold, the guests turned-out to be Ginger and Kurt Melien (aka Mr. Live Nation Las Vegas), who graciously invited us to stay and watch the concert with them.  This was turning into one heckuva night, and Walsh hadn’t even yet taken the stage!

And then he did, and it was wonderful.  There was a somber note, being that last night was the one year anniversary of the passing of Glenn Frey; but in typical Walsh fashion, any sadness was transformed by Walsh’s insistence that we celebrate Frey instead of mourning him; and did so by performing the Eagles’ hit “Take It to the Limit,” in memory of his friend and bandmate.

Other Eagles hits performed by Walsh include “In the City” and “Life in the Fast Lane” (both co-written by Walsh); but this wasn’t an Eagles concert.  It was, however, a Joe Walsh concert, so there was a lot more ground to cover.  It was a night of hits, including “Funk #49” (from Walsh’s first band, The James Gang); and “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Turn to Stone” (from Walsh’s second band, Barnstorm); as well as such Walsh classics as “Ordinary Average Guy,” “The Confessor,” and “Life’s Been Good” which sounds just as good today as it ever did, only now takes-on a whole new intertext, given the benefits of hindsight and sobriety.

Now, I’m just bummed that I’ve got plans this weekend, otherwise I’d be back at House of Blues for the final two nights of this six-night residency.  But nothing’s stopping you.  So, if you love rock music, and want to check-out some of the of the best fingering you’re likely to see in Las Vegas (outside of the AVN convention), then I highly recommend that you make plans to check-out Joe Walsh, this Friday and Saturday, at House of Blues Las Vegas.  You’ll be glad you did!

Joe Walsh | 6-night Limited Engagement Residency
House of Blues - Las Vegas
Click HERE for info and tickets

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