Fabled guitarist Joe Walsh joined some bloody lucky young Kiwi musicians for a gig at an NZ location he holds close to heart.
The Eagles band member played at Hawke’s Bay’s Ōtātara pā yesterday, a site he believes led him down the road of sobriety 35 years ago.
He first joined the Greenmeadows Primary School ukulele band (the Ukettes) for their rendition of ‘Hotel California’, later joining eight Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) students for three songs before playing a few of his own tunes with his friends.
“I love it here,” he told the wet-weather-braving crowd of around 300, as reported by the Herald. “I’m so grateful I could come back. I’m kind of home in a way.”
It’s his third visit to the site. The most important for him was the first one, in 1989, when he had an “epiphany” while sitting on a hill looking over Ōtātara that eventually led him to give up drugs and alcohol.
“I don't understand it, I don't need to, but I had a moment of clarity standing up on top and looking out at the valley," he said in 2015 on another visit there, according to Stuff.
“I remember that vividly and I don't know where that came from. I got goosebumps."
He’s been sober for over three decades now, which has been the toughest yet most rewarding experience of his life, and he credited the pā for changing his mindset.
“I'm here to say thank you,” he said at that visit nearly a decade ago. “I have a wonderful life now, and I have a family now. That's new to me, but it's wonderful. It's what healed me."
Walsh also visited Arrowtown over the weekend, celebrating Poppy Day by meeting some local firefighters and hinting at announcing the host city for his annual VetsAid charity concert that raises funds for US Army veterans.
He made sure to pop down to NZ in between Eagles concerts and good on him, it's obvious he loves the place.
