Joe Walsh delivered on his promise to help Montclair High School at a benefit concert in the school’s auditorium Saturday night, receiving standing ovations for hits such as “Life’s Been Good” and “Rocky Mountain Way.”
His 90-minute set included songs from his solo albums as well as his stints with the James Gang, Barnstorm and the Eagles. The crowd was made up of folks who looked to be in their fifties or older—as well as high school aged fans up in the balcony.
The concert was a homecoming for Walsh, who graduated from MHS in 1965 and came back to play this concert to both celebrate the school’s 100th Anniversary and help raise money to renovate the school’s library. Walsh’s loyalty runs deep. On Friday he gave a 45-minute speech to students about his struggle with addiction (he’s been sober since 1994) and offered advice on controlling your emotions.
His wife, Marjorie Bach (sister to Barbara Bach, who’s married to Ringo Starr) introduced Walsh at the concert and said attending MHS was a “transformative” experience for her husband. During his speech to the students on Friday, Walsh credited MHS music teacher William McClellan for being a mentor.
“I never planned on living this long, but here I am,” quipped Walsh to start off Saturday’s show. He took off his leather coat to show he was wearing a black MHS concert t-shirt emblazoned with his yearbook photo on the back.
Despite his 67 years of hard living, the five-time Grammy winner looked spry on stage, backed up by a nine-piece band for this tour. Walsh gave a shout out to his father, brother and high school buddy who were at the show. He opened with the James Gang classic “Walk Away” then “Life of Illusion” from his 1981 solo album There Goes the Neighborhood. During “Illusion” the screen behind the band was filled with images from the song’s video of Walsh riding in a tank.
Walsh and his band wore souvenir T-shirts (for sale at the concert) with his MHS yearbook photo on the back. A roadie attached a MHS banner to his microphone stand during the show. During the show, he asked the crowd “Who remembers Bonds?”, referring to the beloved ice cream parlor.
The screen behind the band showed various footage—from mushroom clouds to cartoons–consistent with Walsh’s wry sense of humor. Later in the show images in laser light circled around the auditorium. Other songs in his set included the Eagles hits “In the City,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Pretty Maids All in a Row.” Walsh also performed “Mother Says,” “Turn to Stone” and “Analog Man.”
Walsh introduced “Life’s Been Good” by saying that if he knew he would have had to perform it at every show for the rest of his life, he would have written something else.
During “Rocky Mountain Way” the band jammed with MHS student Matt Arons playing guitar (video below).
Throughout the show Walsh’s guitar playing was sharp. Twenty-one years of clean living has rewarded him with a vitality that betrays his age and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. Walsh played a concert to help fight addiction in Washington, DC on Sunday and will be back in this area at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY on Oct. 7 and 8.
The fantastic evening for Montclair and its high school was the result of the hard work and efforts of many volunteers, including these committee members:
Sue Weintraub – Co-chair
Jessica Freeman – Co-chair
Selma Avdicevic
Meg Siesfeld
Laura Gelman
Jen Grisafi
Robin Schlager
Lois Whipple
Lauren Rosen
Deb Garrison
Betsy Harris
Diane Walpole
Carol Aprendi
Stephanie Connors
Jeanie Givens
Giovanna Provenzano
Alison Bauer
Paula Doyle
Deb Dillingham
He can play that rock and roll. Ironically, he didn’t play “I Can Play That Rock and Roll,” from his 1983 LP ‘You Bought It – You Made It’ LP, at the concert. Too bad, I was hoping he would.
Here’s a YouTube clip of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlQwMKnfJEs