Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom 8/10

[VAisForEagleLovers]

A twitter pic of Joe tonight...

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Another pic from the show.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Wow - he's lookin' sooooo good!

[Windeagle]

Sorry for the delay on the review. It's been a busy week.

Joe was in good form on Friday night in Hampton Beach, NH. I'll say first that the Casino Ballroom is not the best place to see a show, soundwise. I've seen several acts there and it's always the same. It's not a theater but literally an old ballroom, so it's boxy and not built for concert sound. The music was good, but I missed a lot of Joe's comments because the sound was a little mushy if you weren't right in front of the stage. On the upside, the venue only holds probably 2000 people, so it's a pretty intimate setting. Even at the edges of the audience, you can still see very well.

Except for some theater-type seating at center stage, most of the audience sits at long tables with bar service. Pat (my husband) and I were on opposide sides of a table, with a VERY drunk couple next to us. They were a little distracting, but that of course, wasn't Joe's fault. I lost track of how many beers the wife consumed, but near the end she started spilling them and almost soaked my setlist notes more than once!

So, the setlist. It was pretty similar to other shows. There were a couple of songs I didn't know, but I'm guessing based on other setlists. Here goes:

Welcome to the Club (guessing)
Life of Illusion
Walk Away
The Confessor
Analog Man
I Shall Be Released (dedicated to Levon Helm)
The Bomber (guessing), but segueing into Bolero
Turn To Stone
In The City
Personal Manager
Funk 49
Life's Been Good
Life in the Fast Lane

Encore:
ILBTs
Rocky Mtn Way

Some notes:

- I was very surprised, as others have been, that he didn't play more from Analog Man. I was hoping for Lucky That Way or Wrecking Ball, but no. For a promo tour, it seemed odd that there was very little promo.

- LOVED The Confessor. I've never seen it live and it rocked. Very atmospheric guitar effects that just drew you in and blew you to dust. Incredible.

- There were some problems with feedback on Joe's mic during Analog Man. He played on, of course, but the look he shot at the sound guy was venomous. It was fixed in short order.

- I Shall Be Released with its dedication to Levon Helm was very moving, especially since Levon played with Joe when we saw him in Red Bank, NJ last fall.

- Turn To Stone was incredible, as always. I have never failed to be completely awed by that song.

- Joe was in great form on Personal Manager. Very expressive and just plain funny. I don't know the song well enough to know if he changed any lyrics, but his delivery, timing and expression on the ones he sang were worthy of a stand-up comic.

- Funk 49 brought down the house. Period. Everyone was on their feet.

- Joe tried to play with the lyrics a little on LBG, but the audience was singing so loudly that he gave up. I don't think he was annoyed though. He just kind of shrugged and grinned.

- LITFL was a little disappointing. It kicked butt when we saw it in Red Bank, but here it was just adequate. I can't point to anything in particular wrong with it, except it just felt like he was going through the motions. Maybe he peaked with Funk 49.

- ILBTs really fit the crowd here. Pat and I were noticing before the show how many middle-aged beer-bellied white guys were in the crowd. As much as I would have loved to hear something more sensitive, I gotta say Joe knows his audience.

- RMW, like Funk 49, was a huge crowd pleaser. You could feel the groove from your head to your toes. It was an awesome end to the evening.

One thing that surprised me was Pat's reaction to the show. He didn't say much on our way home and I was a little concerned that he hadn't liked it. I've taken him to way too many concerts this year and I figured he was just sick of the whole scene. But the next day, I overheard him telling one of our girls about the show.

"You know, there are people who can play an instrument and play it well," he said, "and then there are other people who pick up an instrument and without even looking like they're trying, they just make magic with it. Joe Walsh is one of those people."

I couldn't have said it better.

[Brooke]

Great review We! I'm glad you had a good time despite the drunks! Thanks!

[sodascouts]

Thanks for the detailed review! I also am glad you and your husband had a good time despite some less-than-perfect aspects!

[Glennsallnighter]

Great review WE! Glad you had a good time at Joe's gig!

[Tiffanny Twisted]

glad you liked it. he iis wonderful in concert

tt

[Prettymaid]

Now THAT'S the kind of review I like - fun and fact-filled! I loved the end part about Pat talking to one of your girls about Joe playing guitar. Thanks for that WE!

[Tiffanny Twisted]

windeagle-

Love the quote from your hubby. He summed it up perfectly.
that's joe walsh to a tee.

and i think while he knows there are some of us who already love the new material, people mostly pay to see "classic Joe Walsh" and hear all their favs.

For me it's kinda like thinking of life's journey as a desert road ...long... a flat journey...no twists and turns or hills and valleys...
joe is giving us his road map to
lifes journey.....all his music...twists..turns...hills and valleys..

enjoy his ride...enjoy his show

tt