Joe Walsh Honors Derek Trucks’ Allman Brothers Legacy at VetsAid 2025 Homecoming in Wichita

On November 15, 2025, Joe Walsh, the iconic guitarist and founding member of the Eagles, brought his VetsAid 2025 benefit concert home — to the very streets of Wichita, Kansas, where he was born, raised, and where his parents are buried. The ninth annual VetsAid show, held at Intrust Bank Arena, wasn’t just another concert. It was a homecoming. A reunion. A revival. And for Walsh, it was the culmination of a decade-long dream to give back to the place that shaped him — and to honor the musical lineage that still echoes through his fingers.

A Guitarist’s Legacy, Passed Down

Walsh, a Kennedy Center Honors recipient and multi-GRAMMY winner with over 150 million records sold, didn’t just perform that night — he bowed to the next generation. During a blistering rendition of his 1978 classic "Life’s Been Good," he shared the stage with Derek Trucks, whose uncle, Butch Trucks, co-founded the Allman Brothers Band. "Derek is a better guitarist than me," Walsh admitted, his voice tinged with awe. "He’s fifth level black belt. He’s Allman Brothers lineage. I met him when he was 9 and he came backstage and I didn’t know what to say — and he didn’t know what to say. But I could tell right then he had all the tools he needed and would be special. I gave him tips about what not to do." That moment — a 9-year-old prodigy trembling in the wings of a rock legend — is now etched into music history. Trucks, now 44, didn’t just carry the torch; he rekindled it. His slide guitar work on "Life’s Been Good" wasn’t imitation — it was evolution. And Walsh, the man who once played the solo that defined a generation, didn’t just watch — he smiled like a proud uncle.

Wichita: More Than a Venue, A Vow

This wasn’t just a concert. It was a promise kept. "It’s been a long-term goal of mine since we began VetsAid nearly ten years ago to bring it all home," Walsh told the crowd. "It’s where my parents were both born and are buried, where I was born and where I will always feel a deep connection and sense of heritage and responsibility." To mark the occasion, the city renamed a stretch of 13th Street near the arena as Joe Walsh Way — a quiet, permanent tribute to a man who never forgot where he came from. The street sign wasn’t unveiled with fanfare. It was revealed quietly, just before the show, by a local veteran’s group. No cameras. Just respect.

A Night of American Music Icons

The stage that night felt less like a concert hall and more like a living room where legends gathered. Vince Gill, Walsh’s fellow Eagle and longtime friend, delivered a soul-stirring set. Ryan Bingham brought the grit of the Texas plains, backed by the gritty, soulful Texas Gentlemen. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks — the married power couple who’ve redefined modern blues-rock — held the room in silence with their harmony. And then there was Nathaniel Rateliff, whose voice cracked like a Sunday morning sermon, closing the super-set with a rendition of "S.O.B." that left the arena breathless.

Walsh called it a "traveling circus of love and community." And in truth, that’s exactly what it was — a rare convergence of artists who don’t just play music, but carry its soul.

VetsAid: More Than Money, A Mission

Since launching VetsAid in 2016, Walsh’s nonprofit has disbursed over $4.3 million in grants to veterans’ organizations nationwide. But in 2025, the focus narrowed. Every dollar raised that night — from ticket sales, merchandise, and silent auctions — was earmarked for Kansas-based groups. The VetsAid website opened applications earlier that year, and 17 local nonprofits received funding ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 — money that paid for mental health counseling, housing assistance, and job training for veterans and their families.

"This isn’t charity," said Kathy Reynolds, director of the Wichita Veterans Resource Center, one of the beneficiaries. "It’s dignity. Joe didn’t just write a check. He showed up. He played. He listened. And that means more than any grant ever could."

What’s Next? A Legacy in Motion

Walsh, now 76, isn’t slowing down. He’s currently a Mega Mentor on Season 28 of NBC’s 'The Voice', guiding artists through the Knockouts starting October 27, 2025. Meanwhile, the Eagles are wrapping up their "The Long Goodbye Final Tour" at the Sphere in Las Vegas — a fitting end for a band that sold more records than any American group in history.

But for Walsh, the real legacy isn’t in the sales figures or the awards. It’s in the quiet moments — the 9-year-old kid who came backstage, the veteran who hugged him after the show, the street sign that now bears his name in a city that never stopped believing in him.