VetsAid 2022 will feature sets from a newly reunited James Gang (Joe Walsh, Jimmy Fox and Dale Peters) for a final performance, or “One Last Ride,” with special guests Dave Grohl, Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys and The Breeders.
“I decided I could make a difference helping, and there’s so many ways that vets need help,” Walsh recently told Consequence. “I think they should just put a billion dollars aside when they decide to do a war for when they come back because the transition back to civilian life is almost too much of a mountain to climb.”
“Picking up my first guitar as a kid in Columbus set me on a musical journey to Kent State, Cleveland and then the world. It is a great privilege for me to share the stage once again with my original James Gang buddies and this incredible group of Ohio rock legends like Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys, The Breeders, and Dave Grohl. I believe in Ohio and look forward to celebrating our musical legacy while honoring our veterans with VetsAid 2022.
Walsh has had the honour of playing with the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. His wondrous journey began in Ohio in the late 1960s as he formed his first band, The Measles – a name he “doesn’t like to brag about”. Shortly thereafter, Cleveland band James Gang parted with their guitarist leaving a vacancy open. “I had some big shoes to fill and also had to learn how to sing lead and play lead at the same time”.
Fortunately, the young guitarist received some help from British rock legend Pete Townshend. “Luckily, we played some shows with The Who, and that turned into a longtime friendship,” Walsh added. “In a three-piece band, it’s kind of hard to navigate. [Pete Townsend] showed me how to play. We call it lead rhythm, where you play rhythm guitar and lead at the same time and just kind of wander back and forth. And that’s the secret of a three-piece band.”
