On the chilly first eve of December, music fans flocked to The Paramount in Huntington, NY to see Rock legend Joe Walsh for the first night of two sold out shows. Initially gracing the stage of Long Island’s premier music venue on April 15th 2013, his return was welcomed with open arms by career-long following fans. The atmosphere was warm in spite of the brisk weather outside, and the venue filled up with uncharacteristic rapidity. Anticipation was high to see this Rock luminary whose credits as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist run the gamut including acts like Barnstorm, The James Gang, The Party Boys, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and, of course, Rock legends The Eagles. This was one of two sold-out appearances Walsh made at the Paramount in December, having added a second show due to the obvious demand.
Walsh’s solo tour has been running in conjunction with the massive History of The Eagles Tour, which kicked off in Spring of 2013 after the release of the documentary of the same name. Walsh’s solo appearances in the midst of this larger tour echo the nature of his career, where from 1973 to 1992, he released a solo album every two to three years even when he was a full-fledged member of a wildly successful band. After some struggles with addiction and a consequent twenty year hiatus from solo recording, Walsh returned with the full-length studio release Analog Man in 2012. The album reached number twelve on the Billboard Top 200 and it features an all-star cast including Ringo Starr, David Crosby, Graham Nash, and was produced by Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra) and Tim Armstrong (Rancid). Walsh has been playing live shows in some capacity since its release.
The crowd at the Paramount knew they were in for a treat from the five time Grammy winner, and Walsh did not disappoint. The venue was standing room only and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (inducted in 1998 as a member of The Eagles) came out to massive applause. With a career spanning over forty years, Walsh’s setlist included a variety of songs from both his solo albums and the various projects in which he has taken part over the decades. He opened with “Look At Us Now,” and then stepped back ten years to play “Life of Illusion.” The third song, which was the title track of Analog Man, brought the crowd into the present day, but before they could get too comfortable there, Walsh launched into the 1971 James Gang hit “Walk Away.”
For the hour and a half performance, Walsh continued to seamlessly cycle through hits both new and old, in a testament to the timelessness of his music. The crowd was receptive, singing and dancing, and matching the impressive energy of the sixty-seven year old superstar on the stage. Not one to shy away from a crowd pleaser, for the encore Walsh treated the audience to the Eagles hit “Life in the Fast Lane.” Much to the crowd’s delight, he then returned for a second encore where he played “Rocky Mountain Way” and concluded with “All Night Long.”
The performance at The Paramount made it clear that Joe Walsh is a musician worthy of his many accolades. His instrumentation and singing are flawless, and his stage presence is warm and energetic. He is not above joking with the crowd, but he does not allow the banter to interrupt the flow of the songs, all of which seemed to be carefully curated to cover a broad range of Walsh’s career. Without an opening act, the show seemed to move rather rapidly, but it was definitely worthwhile to see this legend offer a sampling from his vast catalogue of hits just in time for the holiday season. Long Islanders should consider themselves extremely lucky to experience this rare stint of shows before The Eagles head over to Australia for more touring in 2015. In spite of his earlier struggles, Joe Walsh exudes joy, reminding his audience that “Life’s Been Good,” and it was a pleasure to see him play once again.
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