Bad Company, Joe Walsh treat Phoenix to night of truly classic rock

It’s been 42 years since Bad Company dropped their iconic self-titled debut, a recording so loaded with hard-rocking classic-rock-radio staples, they managed to feature no fewer than six of the album’s eight songs in the course of their Sunday performance at Ak-Chin Pavilion.

And their singer’s reputation – "England's premier hard-rock vocalist," as Rolling Stone once called him – goes back even further than that album, to his work with Free.

Which is to say Paul Rodgers’ vocals have held up surprisingly well after 40-odd years in the business. He sounded amazing, from the time they announced their arrival with “Live for the Music” through the set-closing “Can’t Get Enough” and into the two-song encore, “Bad Company” followed by “Rock Steady.”

Bad Company: Swagger, a soulful rasp 

Rocking a top hat and vest, Rodgers twirled his microphone stand and shook his tambourines while leading the fans in rousing singalongs on such obvious highlights as “Ready for Love” and “Shooting Star.” And yet for all the showmanship he brought to the proceedings, working the stage with an enthusiasm best described as boyish, it’s that voice that ultimately mattered – a soulful rasp that even now remains the perfect vehicle for their hard-rocking swagger.

And speaking of swagger, Simon Kirke, the other founding member in the current lineup, remains ideally suited to his role behind the kit, driving the beat with authority while also swinging on occasion. And when he stepped out from behind the kit, playing acoustic guitar on “Seagull,” he proved himself a brilliant lead guitarist, squeezing out Townshend-esque sparks with his thumb.

Guitarist Mick Ralphs was advised by doctors not to do this tour, so they brought in the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson, who proved himself a more-than-capable replacement, turning in an especially memorable slide-guitar solo on “Movin’ On.” His lead-guitar duties were shared with Heart guitarist Howard Leese, who’s been in the fold since 2008 and tended to handle the more melodic leads, although the two joined forces on the classic twin-guitar lead of “Can’t Get Enough.”

Bad Company took an interesting approach to pacing that definitely paid off, holding back on the bulk of their heaviest hitters for a crowd-pleasing climax of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” “Shooting Star,” “Movin’ On” and “Can’t Get Enough” while saving two more of their biggest rock-radio staples for the encore.

Joe Walsh dedicates song to 'my brother' Glenn Frey

This tour is a co-headlining venture with the great Joe Walsh, who proved himself hilariously entertaining in a series of between-song monologues but delivered more than punchlines in a hit-filled performance that blended the best of his solo material with songs from the James Gang and the Eagles.

It was clear from the opening verse of the opening song, the James Gang’s “Walk Away,” that Walsh’s voice has also held up amazingly well. And the man has assembled a stellar assortment of backing musicians for this tour, including longtime drummers Joe Vitale and Chad Cromwell, legendary sideman Waddy Wachtel on second guitar, and four backup singers.

Perhaps the most endearingly goofy performer to rock an arena, Walsh greeted the crowd with “Good morning,” then said, “Well, I’ve got a new band, I’m so excited. I don’t know their names but they’re really good.” And with that, they worked their way around to “Walk Away” through an extended intro that found Walsh and Wachtel trading leads.

“Analog Man,” the title track to Walsh’s latest studio release, was set up by a lengthy diatribe that came across as playfully cantankerous as he detailed that which separates Analog Men such as himself from digital people, coyly noting, “This is an observation, not a judgement,” before gently mocking modern culture.

In introducing a gorgeous rendition of Michael Stanley’s “Rosewood Bitters,” Walsh explained, “It’s on one of my albums. If you’re not familiar with it, or if you’re young, just know that your parents really like it.”

“Mother Says,” a highlight of the “Barnstorm” album, was presented in all its sprawling glory, complete with an organ breakdown and a dual guitar lead from Walsh and Wachtel. That gave way to another epic, “The Bomber” from “James Gang Rides Again." It began with a headbanging hard-rock guitar riff, making its way through a haunting psychedelic breakdown with guitars that sounded more like seagulls into a snippet of Ravel’s “Bolero” and on into a lengthy instrumental passage. Walsh’s guitar work would’ve seemed amazing on “The Bomber” even if he hadn’t broken his high E string midway through and finished the extended suite on five strings.

A heartfelt version of the Eagles’ “Take it to the Limit” was dedicated to “my brother and fellow bandmate Glenn Frey,” whose picture was shown on the video screen as Walsh began to sing.

Another “Barnstorm” track, “Turn to Stone,” was followed by another Eagles classic, “In the City,” which featured Walsh’s backup singers on the chorus hook and another great reverb-drenched slide-guitar solo from Walsh.

The set built to a crowd-pleasing climax with the James Gang’s “Funk #49,” a loopy “Life’s Been Good” (before which Walsh announced, “If I’d have known I would have to play this song for the rest of my life, I would’ve written something else”) and “Life in the Fast Lane,” an Eagles song originally sung by Don Henley, whose phrasing wasn’t nearly as loose-limbed or playful as Walsh’s singing Sunday. It was great.

With that, he left the stage. And I’d be hard pressed to believe that anyone in that entire audience was shocked when he returned to lead them in a singalong of “Rocky Mountain Way,” which included an awesome talk-box solo (again, as expected).

Through it all, the man was just ridiculously entertaining in a way that didn't seem to interfere with him being a total guitar god or leading that stellar assortment of backing musicians in songs that often don't have anything to do with the ridiculously entertaining part of who he is.

Bad Company setlist

1. Live for the Music
2. Gone, Gone, Gone
3. Feel Like Makin’ Love
4. Burnin’ Sky
5. Electricland
6. Ready for Love
7. Crazy Circles
8. Seagull
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy
10. Shooting Star
11. Movin’ On
12. Can’t Get Enough

Encore

1. Bad Company
2. Rock Steady