Live Review: Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz in Toronto
Jam! Showbiz
November 19, 2005
Rock 'n' roll of all kinds -- blues-soaked, hard, classic, funky, psychedelic, and soulful -- took over the Air Canada Centre last night as Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz co-headlined a sold-out show in front of 17,000 fans.
The two-for-one nature of the event, both acts could likely fill the hockey arena on their own, wasn't lost on the excitable crowd who slowly trickled in during Kravitz's opening hour-and-five-minute set that kicked off with Where Are We Runnin'?.
It was the second time this year that Kravitz, backed last night by an eight-piece band including a two-man horn section, Cindy Blackman on drums (celebrating her birthday) and Toronto native Craig Ross on guitar, has played our city.
In fact, the singer-guitarist's frenzied solo stop at Massey Hall back in April was one of the concert highlights of the year. "Toronto's always a magical spot for us," said Kravitz, 41, who, despite severely spraining his ankle during just the second show of this fall tour with Aerosmith, was in good physical form. (He's got the cast off and now wears a leg brace underneath his skin-tight jeans.)
"It's so good to see you all this evening. I thank you for coming to check us out. You always give us a really positive, beautiful energy."
The undeniably sexy Kravitz, always a favourite of the ladies, earlier checked out two amorous female fans near the front, who would figure prominently in his set later: "Hello? How are you? Can I sing you a song?"
Still, his injury meant that Kravitz couldn't take full advantage, as he might have, of the two enormous catwalks that stretched out from the stage to encompass the crowd on the floor. However, Kravitz did make full use of one of two ramps that extended to each side of the stage, shaking his bum towards the audience so they could actually touch it, while those two aforementioned female fans were plucked from the audience to gyrate together, Brass Rail-style, on centre stage.
Kravitz would later join them for a Lenny sandwich.
But the real highlight was when Kravitz scrambled off stage during Let Love Rule to high-five, shake hands and hug fans both in the stands and on the floor. He actually climbed on top of a bunch of cases at the back of the floor, stripped off his leather jacket to reveal a T-shirt that said, "Let Love Rule," and whipped the crowd into an even bigger frenzy.
By the time he got back to the stage for the set-ending Are You Gonna Go My Way?, he'd ripped off his shirt to reveal tattoos and piercings aplenty, not to mention a well-defined upper body.
"This is exciting," he said earlier.
You said it Lenny.
Other Kravitz set highlights were the rockers Dig In, Always On The Run, Fly Away and his cover of The Guess Who's American Woman.
Needless to say after that impressive demonstration, Aerosmith -- seasoned performers who have been together for 35 years -- had a lot to live up to. Their stage presentation was much more elaborate than Kravitz's, with plenty of lights, lighting panels, video screens and the one-two punch of 57-year-old frontman Steven Tyler and 55-year-old lead guitarist Joe Perry.
The band, rounded out by drummer Joey Kramer, bassist Tom Hamilton, guitarist Brad Whitford, and a touring keyboardist, hit their stride early. To be more specific: The second, third, fourth and fifth songs were the Aerosmith classics Walk This Way, with both Tyler and Perry taking a stroll down opposing catwalks, Same Old Song And Dance, Cryin', and Living On The Edge.
"1975! Where were you? Maple Leaf Gardens?" asked Tyler playfully, after Living On The Edge.
Despite his advancing years, Tyler seldom stopped moving during Aerosmith's 95-minute set as he prowled the stage and all available catwalks, performing his trademark dance moves, while dragging his microphone stand draped in its trademark scarves. "Oh yeah, I feel real good tonight!" screamed Tyler, before whipping off his black leather jacket and sunglasses to reveal a black tank top and patchwork jeans.
The audience, meanwhile, reached out to him and his backside, in a sea of outstretched arms.
Tyler only left the stage once to let Perry, dressed inexplicably in a puffy shirt and pirate-like boots, take over on lead vocals for one song.
"Canada, you've been so good to us, or should I be more specific and say Toronto?" said Tyler, before the first set highlight Sweet Emotion, which included a crazy guitar solo from Perry.
Aerosmith upped the ante even further during the anthemic Dream On, which saw Tyler, Perry and Whitford leaning together back-to-back on one of the catwalks, as Tyler impressively hit that song's impossibly high notes.
Perry accurately introduced Tyler later as "the demon of screamin'!"
Kravitz, by the way, could be seen on the sidelines throughout the Aerosmith set, arm-in-arm with Blackman, leaving only after Dream On.
Later highlights proved to be the band's cover of the blues classic Baby, Please Don't Go and the incendiary encore song Back In The Saddle, the latter complete with Perry in a black cowboy hat and Tyler waving his microphone stand over his head.
November 19, 2005
Rock 'n' roll of all kinds -- blues-soaked, hard, classic, funky, psychedelic, and soulful -- took over the Air Canada Centre last night as Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz co-headlined a sold-out show in front of 17,000 fans.
The two-for-one nature of the event, both acts could likely fill the hockey arena on their own, wasn't lost on the excitable crowd who slowly trickled in during Kravitz's opening hour-and-five-minute set that kicked off with Where Are We Runnin'?.
It was the second time this year that Kravitz, backed last night by an eight-piece band including a two-man horn section, Cindy Blackman on drums (celebrating her birthday) and Toronto native Craig Ross on guitar, has played our city.
In fact, the singer-guitarist's frenzied solo stop at Massey Hall back in April was one of the concert highlights of the year. "Toronto's always a magical spot for us," said Kravitz, 41, who, despite severely spraining his ankle during just the second show of this fall tour with Aerosmith, was in good physical form. (He's got the cast off and now wears a leg brace underneath his skin-tight jeans.)
"It's so good to see you all this evening. I thank you for coming to check us out. You always give us a really positive, beautiful energy."
The undeniably sexy Kravitz, always a favourite of the ladies, earlier checked out two amorous female fans near the front, who would figure prominently in his set later: "Hello? How are you? Can I sing you a song?"
Still, his injury meant that Kravitz couldn't take full advantage, as he might have, of the two enormous catwalks that stretched out from the stage to encompass the crowd on the floor. However, Kravitz did make full use of one of two ramps that extended to each side of the stage, shaking his bum towards the audience so they could actually touch it, while those two aforementioned female fans were plucked from the audience to gyrate together, Brass Rail-style, on centre stage.
Kravitz would later join them for a Lenny sandwich.
But the real highlight was when Kravitz scrambled off stage during Let Love Rule to high-five, shake hands and hug fans both in the stands and on the floor. He actually climbed on top of a bunch of cases at the back of the floor, stripped off his leather jacket to reveal a T-shirt that said, "Let Love Rule," and whipped the crowd into an even bigger frenzy.
By the time he got back to the stage for the set-ending Are You Gonna Go My Way?, he'd ripped off his shirt to reveal tattoos and piercings aplenty, not to mention a well-defined upper body.
"This is exciting," he said earlier.
You said it Lenny.
Other Kravitz set highlights were the rockers Dig In, Always On The Run, Fly Away and his cover of The Guess Who's American Woman.
Needless to say after that impressive demonstration, Aerosmith -- seasoned performers who have been together for 35 years -- had a lot to live up to. Their stage presentation was much more elaborate than Kravitz's, with plenty of lights, lighting panels, video screens and the one-two punch of 57-year-old frontman Steven Tyler and 55-year-old lead guitarist Joe Perry.
The band, rounded out by drummer Joey Kramer, bassist Tom Hamilton, guitarist Brad Whitford, and a touring keyboardist, hit their stride early. To be more specific: The second, third, fourth and fifth songs were the Aerosmith classics Walk This Way, with both Tyler and Perry taking a stroll down opposing catwalks, Same Old Song And Dance, Cryin', and Living On The Edge.
"1975! Where were you? Maple Leaf Gardens?" asked Tyler playfully, after Living On The Edge.
Despite his advancing years, Tyler seldom stopped moving during Aerosmith's 95-minute set as he prowled the stage and all available catwalks, performing his trademark dance moves, while dragging his microphone stand draped in its trademark scarves. "Oh yeah, I feel real good tonight!" screamed Tyler, before whipping off his black leather jacket and sunglasses to reveal a black tank top and patchwork jeans.
The audience, meanwhile, reached out to him and his backside, in a sea of outstretched arms.
Tyler only left the stage once to let Perry, dressed inexplicably in a puffy shirt and pirate-like boots, take over on lead vocals for one song.
"Canada, you've been so good to us, or should I be more specific and say Toronto?" said Tyler, before the first set highlight Sweet Emotion, which included a crazy guitar solo from Perry.
Aerosmith upped the ante even further during the anthemic Dream On, which saw Tyler, Perry and Whitford leaning together back-to-back on one of the catwalks, as Tyler impressively hit that song's impossibly high notes.
Perry accurately introduced Tyler later as "the demon of screamin'!"
Kravitz, by the way, could be seen on the sidelines throughout the Aerosmith set, arm-in-arm with Blackman, leaving only after Dream On.
Later highlights proved to be the band's cover of the blues classic Baby, Please Don't Go and the incendiary encore song Back In The Saddle, the latter complete with Perry in a black cowboy hat and Tyler waving his microphone stand over his head.
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