Video: Joe Walsh returns to his spiritual home at Ōtātara Pā
Although the rain came in strong this Sunday, spirits were high when legendary guitarist Joe Walsh was welcomed onto Ōtātara Pā, the place of his epiphany in 1989 to stop using drugs and alcohol.
Frankie Stevens started the festivities singing classics like only Frankie can, whilst also welcoming people onto the pā.
Then the man who everyone was there to see arrived, Joe Walsh was welcomed onto the Pā with a beautiful pōwhiri which brought the crowd of about 300 to a silent standstill.
Once the formal welcomes had ended, Joe took his seat under a marquee to watch the opening acts.
Frankie and his good mate Brannigan Kaa ran through some great songs from over the years and boosted the crowds mood as the rain continued to come down.
Greenmeadows School's ukulele troupe The Ukettes were next on the stage and strummed a moving rendition of The Eagles Hotel California, which caused Walsh to run down to the stage at the end of the song and demand that someone take a picture with him and the kids.
Students from EIT's Music School were up on the stage after The Ukettes and proved that there is a lot of great young musical talent in the Hawke's Bay.
The stand out act of the afternoon was Pereri King who performed a moving karakia to start off and followed with a beautiful oriori, before cracking into some amazing kiwi covers with the best voice the Hawke's Bay has to offer.
Then it was time for Walsh to take the stage. At 76 years young and in wet conditions under foot and the rain pouring down Walsh took his time to get up onto the stage, but once he had his guitar in his hand and was overlooking his adoring fans, Walsh became the man that everyone had come along to see.
"The Eagles played here one time and my Māori friends brought me here to this site," Walsh told the audience.
"When I was here what happened to me was kind of a spiritual awakening, the spirit of this place talked to me and told me who I had become was not me and the spirit that was here gave me power over all that, that I took back to the United States and I stopped drinking and doing drugs and I tried to help people who were doing that and I paid a lot less attention to being famous and having fun spending money."
"So I lost my perspective, I came here, I got it back. I've been 30 years sober now and that's because I came here and we're we are right now has so much good energy and spirit and I'm so grateful that I got to be here and I'm so grateful that I can come back and pay back to you folks."
"So I'm kind of home in a way."
Walsh backed by EIT music student then ripped through covers of Herbs, The Doors and a traditional Māori song, before Walsh got onto the keyboard and tapped out a quick but moving version of the Eagles Desperado.
With that, Walsh said thank you to the crowd, another beautiful karakia was said by Kingi and Walsh was whisked away with autograph and selfie hunters in hot pursuit.
An incredible concert at a very special place. Here's hoping that more concerts in the future are held at the pā.
