Aerosmith review

Wednesday was the best Groundhog Day i've ever experienced. I took a roadie four hours south to see Aerosmith perform at the Glendale Arena with opener Lenny Kravitz. This was the fifth time i've seen Aerosmith covering three states (Phoenix, Milwaukee, Madison, Raleigh and Glendale) and each time is better than the time before. I don't consider myself a fan of Lenny Kravitz but he put on a very good performance. I was surprised by how many songs I recognized but that's probably only because he pimps out most of his catalog to be used in commercials and movie soundtracks. If I were him, I would do the same. I don't drink the Haterade. I hope to be able to do the same thing one day.

I bought my ticket four days prior to the show which sold out and it was in the rafters behind the stage. Some of the radio stations outside spoke of people who had only come to see Lenny and leave. I definitely wanted to know where THEY were sitting. That's like going to a new restaurant just to have the water. Of course, I never would have been exposed to the genius of my goddess, Tori Amos, if she had gone on last when she toured with Alanis Morissette on the 9 1/2 Weeks tour in 1999 as I was in full Alanis worship at the time. After that show, Alanis had been supplanted. At least that had been a co-headlining tour and they both played for the same amount of time. Lenny played about ten songs and there probably could have been a couple more if it weren't for a ten-minute plus version of 'Let Love Rule.'

As I walked through the doors I noticed the lower level was curtained off but there were no attendants in the aisles checking tickets. I never looked at my ticket as I made my way into a choice section and filled in a vacant seat at the top of the row. After Lenny's set I made my way farther down and after chatting up a couple hotties was granted an empty seat inbetween them. (Got the digits too, baby! High five!) I ended up seeing Aerosmith six rows from the floor at the end of one of the stage extensions they use to get farther out into the crowd. At one point I was only ten feet away from Steven Tyler. Aerosmith came on with the best cover of 'Helter Skelter' I ever heard. (Eat your heart out U2). They powered through the classics like 'Walk this way', 'Cryin', 'Dream On', 'Sweet Emotion' and 'Train Kept A Rollin' like it was their first time playing them live. There were selections from the entire catalog and not once did the intensity or energy dwindle. The audience was in a lather all night in a singing, dancing frenzy. Joe Perry took the mic for a couple songs and did 'Stop Messin Round' from Honkin on Bobo and a new one called 'Shakin the Cage'. Very cool. The show was pretty bare essentials. No elaborate stage setup, no overdone light show, just the boys from Boston bringing the house down on every track. If you've never seen Aerosmith live, put it on your 'Things to do before you die' list because it is definitely something that belongs there.

The ovation between the end of the set and the encore was deafening and only got louder when the took the stage again. They finished with 'Back In The Saddle' and 'Draw The Line'. Steven was Steven, doing that funky chicken dance he's famous for, Joe Pery strutted around like he owned the arena (and he did) while the more low key players Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford were the rocks, randomly wandering out onto the catwalks but mainly holding it down from either side of the stage. Joey mashed the beat that kept you dancing and the energy that coursed from the band through the audience is something i've seen few bands able to replicate. That's why i'm going to see them again in Las Vegas on the 18th. (And drop back in with another review). They may be old but they're better than 98% of the bands half their age. I'll go on record and call them the best band in the world and that's where i'll Draw The Line.