On Dec. 18, Joe Walsh will head into his basement and jam with with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russ Kunkel along with his brother-in-law Ringo Starr for the streaming concert “VetsAid 2021: The Basement Show,” the latest installment of the guitarist’s annual benefit for veterans’ causes. Tickets for the live event are available at vetsaid.veeps.com, and the show will be available to watch through Dec. 26.
“With variable COVID rates throughout the summer and fall, I wasn’t comfortable putting together the kind of live festival that our fans and performers have come to expect and deserve,” Walsh said in a statement. “I was so pleased with last year’s streaming festival that I thought we could try something even cooler this time around. Join me and my buddies for an old-fashioned basement jam live from my house to yours where I will debut some brand new songs, play some favorites, share some never-before-seen footage and performances from past VetsAid shows and … who knows who will show up and what might happen?!”
VetsAid started in 2017 when Walsh held a special show in Fairfax, Virginia, at the EagleBank Arena featuring the Zac Brown Band, Keith Urban, and Gary Clark Jr. In the following years, everyone from James Taylor and the Doobie Brothers to ZZ Top, Sheryl Crow, Chris Stapleton, and Don Henley joined the effort, though last year Walsh was forced to stage VetsAid virtually due to the pandemic.
Walsh’s father was a U.S. Army flight instructor who died in plane crash in 1949 while serving in Okinawa, Japan. Walsh was just 20 months old at the time. “I grew up with a part of me missing, which was my father,” the guitarist told Rolling Stone in 2019. “I never really knew him. I always wondered, ‘What if?’ I wondered if he would approve of what I was doing. I’m sure he would’ve told me to get a haircut a couple of times.”
He started VetsAid to help other families in similar situations. “I see a forgotten war that’s ongoing, and more suicides than combat deaths,” he told Rolling Stone. “Guys are coming home shattered, and the transition back to civilian life is too high of a mountain to climb for a lot of them.”
His efforts have raised $1.8 million, and this year’s event is going to add to that number. In addition to the basement jam, Walsh will take viewers on a tour of his private guitar collection and answer questions that fans submitted online.
Fans can catch Walsh live again when the Eagles resume their Hotel California tour Feb. 19 at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.
NEWS
NBA YoungBoy has faced several hardships in recent years. Along with serving time behind bars, the rapper has also dealt with mental health challenges linked to the painful experiences in his life.
His music has often given listeners insight into that pain. During a recent appearance with Funny Marco on Open Thoughts, YoungBoy opened up even further about what he has been going through.
During the conversation, YoungBoy revealed that he no longer plans to live in the United States. He confirmed that he currently resides in South Korea. Although he did not share why he chose that country, his comments suggest he is ready to leave his life in America behind.
Funny Marco asked YoungBoy whether he might ever move back to the United States. The rapper responded with “never in life,” though he admitted that he could return for a visit someday.
Before relocating, YoungBoy lived on a ranch in Utah, where local residents had gradually started becoming more comfortable with him. His new home in South Korea now places him in a completely different cultural environment.
Adjusting to such a major change may not be easy, but YoungBoy has shown his strength and appears confident about where he wants to live. After experiencing so much pain in the United States, he seemingly feels more comfortable keeping his distance.
The move also comes as he deals with serious health concerns involving his heart. The condition remains an ongoing concern, and we hope the artist receives the support he needs as he continues facing this difficult medical situation.
