Joe Walsh – 7th Level Music

Live: The Eagles – June 20, 2018 – New Orleans, LA

Seeing the Eagles for the first time was a night of many firsts. It was my first time not only seeing the classic rock band, but also my first time seeing a live music show in New Orleans (a city known for live music), my first time seeing Vince Gill (who is playing with the Eagles on this tour as a supporting guitarist and vocalist), and my first time seeing a show in a stadium suite.

This was a long-awaited dream come true for my wife, who is a big fan of the Eagles. Unfortunately, she never got to see them with Glenn Frey, but his son, Deacon Frey, is playing his father’s guitar parts and singing his father’s lyrics quite well.

The suite had the nice view of the stage as seen above, but we quickly learned that ordering from the “suite menu” isn’t sweet for your wallet, as shown in the example below.

That bowl of chips and dip costs $32.00 at the Smoothie King Center suites.

Luckily, there were a large number of us in the suite and people with better paying jobs than I who could afford such things (not to mention booze), and the Eagles soon made us forget about overpriced snacks.

Opening with “Seven Bridges Road” (which made my wife nearly leap out of her chair in joy), they played a night of greatest hits that tore through (among many others) “Take It Easy” (with Deacon Frey on lead vocal), “One of These Nights,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Witchy Woman” before Joe Walsh took front and center with “In the City.”

I was happy to hear bassist Timothy Schmit sing “I Can’t Tell You Why” (one of the Eagles’ most underrated hits, if you ask me) and Vince Gill did a great lead vocal on “New Kid in Town.” I didn’t know until the crowd went nuts for him and Don Henley reminded all of us non-locals that Gill is a New Orleans native. As a result, his vocals on their cover of Fats Domino‘s “Walkin’ to New Orleans” were a big hit. Another surprise cover was of Tom Waits‘ “Ol’ ’55.”

My favorite Eagles songs are the rockers with blues influences, and “Those Shoes” is at the top of the list. I was happy to hear an almost sludgy version of it with Don Henley having fun with the vocals.

They did two encores. The first, of course, was “Hotel California,” which had a neat trumpet intro. The second included Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Desperado.” In case you didn’t know, Walsh still shreds. He hadn’t lost a thing since we’d seen him open for Tom Petty in St. Louis.

It was a fun night. They didn’t disappoint. My wife said it was the best concert she’d ever attended. That alone made it worth the trip.

Keep your mind open.

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Top live shows of 2017: #’s 30 – 26

I’ve arrived at the end of my live music year for 2017. I saw over 60 performances this year, and the majority of them were a fun time. There were some that might’ve had lame crowds or that just didn’t thrill me, of course, but 2017 was good for live music. To save time (and my sanity and your patience), I’m counting the top 30 live shows I saw this year. Here are the first five.

#30 – A Place to Bury Strangers – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL May 11th.

I’ll see APTBS at any opportunity, and seeing this set where they opened for the Black Angels was a no-brainer for me. It was also the first time they played Thalia Hall, and they sounded great in there. I was lucky enough to chat with front man Oliver Ackermann before and after (along with the rest of the band – Dion Lunadon and Lia Braswell) the set, so that made the show extra special.

#29 – Joe Walsh – Scottrade Center – St. Louis, MO May 12th.

Joe Walsh had a fun time opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He joked with the sold-out crowd, played every hit you’d want to hear at one of his gigs, and had a huge, excellent backing band. He also showed that he could still shred on guitar, and his performance of “Take It to the Limit” brought my wife to tears.

#28 – Bebel Gilberto – City Winery – Chicago, IL December 20th.

The last show I saw this year turned out to be a delightful night with bossa nova legend Bebel Gilberto. It was a lovely set in an intimate venue. Everyone needs to see Ms. Gilberto at least once, and hear her often.

#27 – Bleached – House of Blues – Chicago, IL April 23rd.

If you’re in a band, I wish you could’ve seen Bleached with me twice within six months because you’d have seen a perfect example of how to step up your game. This show, which had them opening for the Damned, was the second time I’d seen them in that time period. The first was at a gig in Cleveland in October 2016. I thought they were good then, but this performance left me gobsmacked. They’d become tighter and stronger in just half a year. It had been at least a couple years since I saw so much improvement in one band.

#26 – Partner – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL January 22nd.

This was Partner‘s first gig in Chicago, and one of their first in the United States. Shame on you if you missed it, because they are now indie rock darlings and their debut album, In Search of Lost Time, is one of the best of 2017. This show was an absolute home run and wowed everyone there.

Stay tuned for #’s 25 – 21!

Keep your mind open.

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Live – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Joe Walsh – St. Louis, MO – May 12, 2017

My wife and I honeymooned in St. Louis twenty years ago, and we ended up back there for our twentieth anniversary. It was great timing because not only were we going to see the Cubs play the Cardinals (Cardinals win 5-3), but we also had tickets to see rock legends Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Joe Walsh. Tom Petty has been high on my wife’s bucket list for years. She’s also a big fan of the Eagles, so the addition of Joe Walsh was a win-win.

Mr. Walsh came out with nine people in his band behind him, including four back-up singers and two drummers. He quickly got to work with “Meadows” and then dialed up “Ordinary Average Guy.” You could tell he was having fun by then. He threw down “The Bomber” by the James Gang (“Was part of that from Bolero?” My wife asked. Answer: “Yes.”) and made my wife cry when he played “Take It to the Limit” and dedicated it to Glenn Frey. “In the City” hits harder live than you expect it will, and people went nuts for “Life’s Been Good.”

I was yelling “Golden throat!” by this point, and sure enough he ended with “Rocky Mountain Way.” It’s easy to forget how good a guitarist Walsh is. He can still shred and the golden throat effects on this track are still fun after all these years.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers started their set with the first song off their first album – “Rockin’ Around (with You).” They unleashed “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” next and played it so well and with such fervor that it could’ve been the encore. “I could go home right now,” my wife said as we sat there with our mouths hanging open in stunned appreciation.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”

They tore through many of their biggest hits, including “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” “I Won’t Back Down,” and “Freefallin'” (a big crowd favorite). Two surprises were “It’s Good to Be King” and the lovely, acoustic “Wildflowers.”

“Wildflowers” – a lovely part of the set.

“Refugee” slayed the place, and the band was firing on all cylinders by this point. “Runnin’ Down a Dream” was almost a full-on psychedelic mind trip with its accompanying visuals.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers getting trippy.

There was a nice salute to hometown hero Chuck Berry when they played “Carol,” and they ended, no surprise, with “American Girl,” which had everyone jumping. It was a great end to a wonderful set. It’s hard to believe Petty and his band are on a 40th anniversary tour, because many of his songs still sound so fresh.

Keep your mind open.

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