VetsAid 2022 will feature Joe Walsh reuniting with the James Gang — bassist Dale Peters and drummer Jimmy Fox — along with special guest Dave Grohl on November 13th at Columbus, Ohio's Nationwide Arena. Tickets for VetsAid 2022 go on sale to the public this Friday, August 5th.
Rolling Stone reported that for the 2022 benefit, Walsh enlisted an all-Ohio-based group of artists to play: Cleveland-based James Gang and Nine Inch Nails, the Breeders from Dayton, the Black Keys from Akron, and the Warren, Ohio-born Grohl. The show will mark both the James Gang's first gig in 15 years as well as its swan song.
Joe Walsh spoke about VetsAid 2022 in a statement:
It all started in Ohio. Picking up my first guitar as a kid in Columbus set me on a musical journey to Kent State, Cleveland, and then the world.
Now it is a great privilege and humbling opportunity for me to share the stage once again with my original James Gang buddies and with this absolutely incredible group of Ohio rock legends like Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, the Black Keys, the Breeders, and Dave Grohl.
I believe in Ohio and look forward to celebrating our musical legacy while honoring our veterans with VetsAid 2022.
Joe Walsh told us about the realities of being part of a Gold Star family: “I'm actually a Gold Star kid. My dad was actually killed in the Army Air Corps. I was born in '47, he was killed in '49, and so I kinda grew up without a dad. I eventually got a stepdad, who I love and who's always had my back. But, my first six years of being alive I was dad-less. I always wondered what he was like and I alw. . . Y'know, I didn't have anybody to play catch with or any kind of father figure until my stepfather came along.”
We asked Walsh, what is the quickest way to help veterans and their families on a local, grassroots level: “Well, you can find out more about this at VetsAid.org. There's also a network of places, but I would say, anybody listening to this, there are vet organizations all around us. They're small, and they're predominately vet run, but ask around and find something near you, because that's who needs help. Because you can save lives and even if it helps them prevent suicide, you can make a huge difference.”