Brian May has paid tribute to Joe Walsh, describing a recent onstage moment together as one he'll long treasure. The Queen guitarist has never considered himself among rock's flashiest players, deferring to Freddie Mercury's showmanship and regarding himself more as a composer than a guitar hero, but he has singled out Walsh as an artist who embodies that title in its purest form.

May made the comments after performing Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" alongside him at the James Burton guitar night in Nashville, calling Walsh "one of the great cast-iron original heroes of Rock Guitar" and saying he expects to be "flashing back" to the night repeatedly. He drew a contrast with players like Jimmy Page, whom he sees as universally recognised guitar gods, noting that Walsh's blues-rooted, instinctive style—treating the guitar as an extension of his voice—represents the raw, uninhibited playing many young guitarists first aspire to.