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Capsule biographies of five local Olympians

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Kids enjoy ‘Jammin’ in a Jugband’ in Tunkhannock

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Joe Walsh&#8217;s enduring career as both songwriter and guitar slinger has produced decades worth of fans who have hits from different eras of his career committed to memory.</p><p>On Thursday night, Walsh gave them exactly what they wanted.</p><p>Walsh and company took the stage in front of a packed house at the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/features/556949/blues-pioneer-buddy-guy-comes-to-f-m-kirby-center-in-wilkes-barre" target="_blank">F.M. Kirby Center</a>, supported by opening act JD &amp; the Straight Shot, and performed a &#8217;70s-heavy set featuring songs from his time with the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles as well as tunes from his early solo career.</p><p>Opener JD &amp; The Straight Shot, fronted by media mogul and New York Knicks owner James Dolan, took the stage with a seven-piece ensemble but delivered the stripped-down sound of an old timey jug band.</p><p>Dolan&#8217;s collection of skillful players escorted his soulful, raspy voice through the swampy bluegrass tune &#8220;Perdition,&#8221; with its ominous chorus, &#8220;I can tell by the look in your eyes you&#8217;re headed to Perdition,&#8221; and its elegant violin punctuation.</p><p>Another set highlight was the vaudevillian sounding &#8220;I Know You Know I Know,&#8221; a song about forbidden love, and the band closed the set with an improvised version of Little Feet&#8217;s &#8220;Let It Roll,&#8221; prompting the crowd to get loud for the first time.</p><p>When Walsh walked out with his band of seven musicians and four background vocalists, he wasted little time getting to crowd favorites.</p><p>He and session giant Waddy Wachtel traded guitar licks in an intro into the James Gang&#8217;s &#8220;Walk Away.&#8221; Jimmy Wallace&#8217;s keyboard work added a fresh element to a tune that was originally done by a trio, and the Kirby Crowd erupted.</p><p>The band followed up with the sole hit from the modern era, &#8220;Analog Man,&#8221; Walsh&#8217;s lamentation of growing digital dependency. &#8220;It&#8217;s no coincidence you&#8217;re going to film this with your phone and miss the whole song,&#8221; he joked.</p><p>A cover of Sly &amp; The Family Stone&#8217;s &#8220;Everyday People&#8221; featured the powerful vocals of Rickey Washington before Walsh launched into a medley featuring Barnstorm&#8217;s &#8220;Mother Says&#8221; and the James Gang&#8217;s &#8220;The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate To The Wind.&#8221;</p><p>The medley had a jammy feel with Walsh laying down a bout of epic psychedelia as well as slide play that reminded the audience of why he&#8217;s one of the best in the business.</p><p>A touching moment came next when Walsh dedicated &#8220;Take It To The Limit&#8221; to his friend and Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey who died in January. The song brought on goosebumps and a standing ovation.</p><p>Walsh started the next song with inspired fret work full of bends, swells and wah-wah, which led into &#8220;Turn To Stone.&#8221; Wachtel&#8217;s sorrowful blues work transitioned into Walsh bending notes to the heavens like only he can, taking the song from peak to sonic peak.</p><p>&#8220;In The City&#8221; showcased <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/features/567838/joe-walsh-brings-all-star-band-to-f-m-kirby-center-in-wilkes-barre" target="_blank">Walsh&#8217;s jam chops</a> as he built and resolved musical tension effortlessly, and &#8220;Funk #49&#8221; was delivered with an unexpected techno breakdown that turned the Kirby Center into a dance party from decades gone by.</p><p>The set was rounded out with anthems &#8220;Life&#8217;s Been Good&#8221; and &#8220;Life In The Fast Lane,&#8221; bringing the crowd to its feat and leaving it chanting &#8220;Joe-Joe-Joe.&#8221;</p><p>Walsh and crew returned for an encore of &#8220;Rocky Mountain Way,&#8221; which featured an improvised and exaggerated version of his signature talk-box work, bringing the house to a roar.</p><p>Ed D&#8217;Amico of Back Mountain said Walsh sounded fantastic.</p><p>&#8220;He sounded as good as he always did,&#8221; D&#8217;Amico said. &#8220;He&#8217;s like a fine wine. He gets better with age.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">JD &amp; The Straight Shot opened for Joe Walsh, giving the Kirby Center crowd a show full of old timey, theatrical music. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_jdwalsh-4-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>JD &amp; The Straight Shot opened for Joe Walsh, giving the Kirby Center crowd a show full of old timey, theatrical music. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_jwalsh-5-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joe Walsh&#8217;s ensemble cast included session legend Waddy Wachtel on guitar, past collaborators Joe Vitale and Chad Cromwell on drums and bass master Larry Young. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_jwalsh-5-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Joe Walsh&#8217;s ensemble cast included session legend Waddy Wachtel on guitar, past collaborators Joe Vitale and Chad Cromwell on drums and bass master Larry Young. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Joe-Walsh-1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">From left: Waddy Wachtel and Joe Walsh traded guitar riffs often during a set full of guitar-heavy rock and roll. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Joe-Walsh-1-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>From left: Waddy Wachtel and Joe Walsh traded guitar riffs often during a set full of guitar-heavy rock and roll. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Joe-Walsh-new.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joe Walsh performed with a quartet of powerful background singers at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre Thursday night. The vocalists allowed him to embellish a few of his classic tunes and deliver a soulful cover of Sly &amp; The Family Stone&#8217;s &#8220;Everyday People.&#8221; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Joe-Walsh-new.jpg</photo3><caption3>Joe Walsh performed with a quartet of powerful background singers at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre Thursday night. The vocalists allowed him to embellish a few of his classic tunes and deliver a soulful cover of Sly &amp; The Family Stone&#8217;s &#8220;Everyday People.&#8221; </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Rock legend delivers hits from classic era</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>mmattei@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Joe Walsh fills Kirby Center with blazing guitar work, hits from the ’70s