Chicago, Il (Opening for Bob Seger)
Hey all, I haven't logged onto the forum in awhile, but I'm back and with a review of Joe's show in Chicago, while opening for another legend - BOB SEGER.
There was a number of things that caught me off guard with this show.
First is that the United Center blasted Bob Dylan's "Everybody Must Get Stoned" over the speakers to let the crowd know that Joe Walsh was about to come onstage. That was cool because I know Joe covered that song during the US Festival in 1983, and maybe during other shows of the '83 tour. Anyway, I know he gave up drinking and hard drugs, but I wonder if he still smokes a little pot here and again. Most musicians do...
After shouting, "Here we go!" he opened the show with "Walk Away", which got a lot of applause. I then expected him to play "Analog Man", as he we was talking about his album, but instead he played "Band Played On" because "a lot of people on the internet tell me, 'Joe, play something off your new album', so here it is!" I HOPE that makes it to youtube. I might have filmed this bit, but people were STILL looking for their seats, so it wouldn't have turned out very good. Before he started he said "Hey! Is anybody excited about the new pope?" and then he just shrugged. Classic.
He then "apologized" to all the "young people in the audience" for "Funk #49", and said because our parents played this song all the time when we were growing up, that's why we're "different from all the other kids." I've heard that joke from him a lot, but that still cracks me up.
Next was "In the City", which I filmed. And then I expected "The Bomber", but instead he did "Turn to Stone". Before he started playing, he said "This used to happen to me a lot! I'd be at a hotel, and I'd get a call at 7am, and they'd say 'Joe, it's 7am -- go to bed!' Does that ever happen to you?" That surprised me because that's a joke from his heavy drinking days -- I have an interview he did with Letterman from 1987 when he says the exact same joke. I like the joke, but honestly, Walsh (and Frey) could stand to get some new material -- that joke is AT LEAST 25 years old.
He finished his set with "Life's Been Good", which I filmed, and then - of course - "Rocky Mountain Way". Very strong set.
I just wish he was allowed more time to play! He basically played all hits, but still had to skip "All Night Long", "Life of Illusion", and "Life in the Fast Lane". Oh well.
Set List:
Walk Away
Band Played On
Funk #49
In the City
Turn to Stone
Life's Been Good
Rocky Mountain Way
VIDEO: Life's Been Good (HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di8N...93U9Rg&index=1
SHORT REVIEW of BOB SEGER
Good show for the most part, but I feel he relied a little too heavy on covers, and some more of his obscure tracks. I was disappointed to not hear "Still the Same", "Shakedown", "Manhattan", "Her Strut", or even his cover of "Nutbush City Limits"!
I made a point to go to the bathroom during "Like a Rock", because that's one of the worst songs I've ever heard. Although when he started playing it, he mentioned that everyone in the audience that was 26 or younger wasn't even alive the last time he had played it. The crowd, by and large, reacted surprised when he started the song, clearly not expecting it. Unfortunately a lot of them seemed happily surprised. When I was in the bathroom, I over heard two guys, quite drunkenly, talking about the song and one of them said "It's a great song".
NO IT'S NOT! I remember growing up and seeing Chevy commercials and just assuming that song was recorded SPECIFICALLY for that ad campaign. I remember a Drew Carey Show episode that makes fun of the song!
Sorry about the rant. Aside from the iffy setlist, and THAT SONG, the show was great -- especially Main Street, Turn the Page, and Night Moves. Seger's saxophonist, Alto Reed, is amazing.
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That song and Against the Wind are my two favorite Seger songs. Now, back to Joe, with that setlist, it sounds like he must have been on stage for about 45 minutes? If that's right, it's too bad, he doesn't get an hour. He could probably get in about 3 more songs. When he does solo shows, he usually has about 13 or 14 songs in the setlist.
