REVIEW
Who: Joe Walsh
with Kim Mitchell
When: Tuesday night
Where: Bullen Park, Esquimalt
Rating: Four stars (out of five)
The difference between good and great is often quite minimal, musically speaking.
If you can play, you can play. Bottom line.
When it comes to deciding between the good and the great guitar players, the tale of the tape is in the small things.
The minutiae. The space between the notes and chords.
To wit: Joe Walsh. While not technically a superstar, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and celebrated Eagles guitarist brings something special to the table on every song.
Something very special, indeed.
Walsh who made his Victoria debut on Tuesday during an outdoor concert at Esquimalt's Bullen Park came out of the gate slow and steady, dropping his beach-friendly hit, A Life of Illusion, one song into his set.
There was more where that came from, ranging from a cover of I Shall Be Released, which he dedicated to his late friend Levon Helm, to a soulful and rip-roaringly good version of Turn to Stone.
The sun had almost disappeared by the time Walsh took the stage at
8 p.m., which was fitting. He makes music that is made for the shade a party-friendly mixture of fist-pumping rockers and gut-busting novelty songs, some of which are tops in their respective genres.
He isn't all what he's made out to be, either. While he was funny ("I spent a week up here one night," Walsh quipped, one of many subtle one-liners tossed from the stage), he didn't rely on jokes for effect.
It wasn't necessary. Walsh's innate ability at coaxing magic from his stable of Fender and Gibson guitars is well told at this point see Rocky Mountain Way and Funk #49 and he hasn't lost a step over the years.
Ontario's Kim Mitchell opened the show with an hour-long set of CanCon staples, from Rockland (a solid power ballad) to I Am a Wild Party (a beer-soaked sing-along).
He was a superb choice for an opening act, and though he had a few misses (Lager and Ale
didn't hit the high notes, but the effort was there), it was a treat to hear songs like All We Are, which was carried by his sweet-singing bassist Peter Fredette.
The longtime sideman also elevated Go for a Soda with his upper register, similar to the way Michael Anthony did for Van Halen back in the day.
It was a treat, albeit a subtle one.
Walsh got better as the night went along. During a version of Life in the Fast Lane, which he co-wrote, Walsh sounded like a fierce player, a guitarist not to be messed with. He was great not just good with an instinctive feel so rarely evident in modern-day guitarists.
When he brought the night to a close with his signature song, Rocky Mountain Way talkbox and all it was a fitting cap to a solid, low-key concert attended by 2,400 fans.
Some attendees may have been left wanting more, but they weren't paying close enough attention. Walsh knows how to play, flat-out.
In fact, he makes magic with his guitar. The evidence is right there in the space between the notes and chords.
