Joe Walsh held his second annual VetsAid charity concert Sunday at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. With a little help from Walsh’s musical friends, including Ringo Starr , the Veterans Day event raised more than $1.2 million for various organizations that support vets and their families.
The concert’s finale saw all of the performers — including Walsh, fellow Eagle Don Henley , James Taylor , country star Chris Stapleton and pop-rock act Haim — join Ringo for a rendition of the Beatles classic “With a Little Help from My Friends.”
Joe also hit the stage with Henley and Taylor, respectively, for versions of The Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” and James’ “Steamroller. In addition, Walsh delivered a headlining set that included his solo hits “Walk Away,” “Life’s Been Good” and “Rocky Mountain Way.”
Comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey was the evening’s emcee, while U.S. senator and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth sent a video message addressing to the troops and vets at the show.
“I can’t believe everybody showed up!” Walsh quipped during the concert, then added, more seriously, “This issue, Veterans and their families, is resonant to me because I am a Gold star family member, I lost my dad in active duty when I was 20 months old. I also want to bring attention to a forgotten war, we are at war, and our soldiers are coming back shattered and need our support.”
Joe finished by saying, “We have to help our vets with the transition back to civilian life. We shouldn’t see vets standing by the side of a road holding up a cardboard sign for food and shelter. Tonight, we raised money to help change that.”
Sunday’s VetsAid concert raised about three times as much as last year’s inaugural show.