Joe Walsh To Reunite James Gang For All-Ohio VetsAid Benefit, Joined By Dave Grohl, NIN, Black Keys, Breeders & More

Joe Walsh is reuniting his first band, the James Gang, along with special guest Dave Grohl, and bringing along a slew of other Ohio born-and-bred artists including Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys and the Breeders, to take part in his sixth annual VetsAid concert, taking place Nov. 13 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Dubbed “One Last Ride” for the James Gang – Walsh, Jimmy Fox and Dale Peters – VetsAid 2022 will be hosted by Cleveland’s own Drew Carey. The home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame can also claim the James Gang and Nine Inch Nails as native sons. Walsh hails from Columbus, Ohio, while The Black Keys call Akron home, The Breeders cite Dayton and Grohl is native to Warren, Ohio.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. EDT through Ticketmaster. Tickets start at $59.99 and net proceeds will benefit Ohio veterans and their families through VetsAid, a 501(c)3 organization.

“It all started in Ohio,” Walsh says. “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.”

VetsAid hosted its inaugural show on Sept. 20, 2017 with a concert at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, featuring performances by Walsh, Zac Brown Band, Keith Urban and Gary Clark Jr. In 2018, VetsAid traveled to Tacoma, Washington, with a sell-out event featuring Walsh, Don Henley, James Taylor, Chris Stapleton, Haim and special guest Ringo Starr. In 2019, Houston welcomed VetsAid for a blockbuster show with Walsh, ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley.

The pandemic moved the festival online in 2020 and 2021 with intimate performances from Eddie Vedder, James Hetfield, Gwen Stefani and nearly 40 other artists from across the United States as well as the debut of new music from Walsh in his studio available via livestream.

As every year, all net proceeds from the concert will go directly to the veterans’ services charities selected through a vetting process coordinated in tandem with the Combined Arms Institute. To date, VetsAid has disbursed $2 million in grants. In 2022, VetsAid plans to disburse grants exclusively to organizations based in Ohio or with operations on the ground in Ohio; grant applications are open now via the VetsAid website.

Veterans and their wellbeing have always been important to Walsh, a Gold Star son himself. His father was a flight instructor for the first US operational jet powered aircraft, the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, and died while stationed and on active duty on Okinawa when Walsh was 20 months old.

Walsh aims to use this platform to raise funds and awareness for the still urgent and significant needs of our returning soldiers and their families. Through the establishment of VetsAid and this annual benefit concert, he aims to give back to those who have given so much in sacrifice for this country.