Aerosmith, Kravitz Relive The Past
Houston Chronicle, TX
January 24, 2006
Successful rock 'n' roll bands catch fire with a hit single or album early on and then spend the rest of their time chasing that success. Career rock 'n' roll bands are clever enough to realize that longevity lies in a fine balance between commitment to evolution and loyalty to past glories.
This was the Rock 101 lesson on display during the Lenny Kravitz-Aerosmith co-headlining set that took over a sold out Toyota Center Monday night. In 90 minutes it became evident why Aerosmith was able to emerge from the Rolling Stones' shadow and become one of America's greatest blues-rock outfits.
On the flip side, Houston saw the talented Kravitz battle himself and continue to be little more than a Jimi Hendrix knock-off.
These days a rock superstar's ego is measured by the size of its stage. Aerosmith was not about to be outdone by the the mini-skyscraper and jet-ready runways that the Rolling Stones and U2 packed onto the Toyota Center floor. The band's stage was a mix of both with a main deck that extended the width of the building, a two-story wall of LED-screens and strutting platforms for singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry that extended more than halfway into the floor seating.
Tyler and Co. spent the bulk of their 17-song set banging out the 12-bar based blues-rooted rock 'n' roll that was its trademark for the first half of its career before a mid-80s pop-rock makeover. The set highlight, however, was a pure Brit-rock masterpiece they stole from fellow legends, the Beatles.
In a pair of black-n-white striped pants that seemed borrowed from Quiet Riot's Kevin Dubrow, Tyler sang the Fab Four's Helter Skelter in a tortured howl that McCartney, Bono or any other past comers couldn't rival.
Aerosmith could have gotten away with a set of nothing but songs from its '70s beginnings and nearly did. Walk This Way, Same Old Song and Dance, Sweet Emotion and Dream On were played with a renewed adoration from the originators who took them for granted in the past. The nostalgic stream was only briefly interrupted for a leap forward in time to pop ballads Cryin' and What It Takes.
Tyler ventured into the middle of the floor during What It Takes and was pawed at by the masses. The sneaky frontman took the weakest link in the set list and made it one of the most memorable.
Kravitz is in dire need of some of Tyler's mojo. His voice was constricted from a bout with the flu, and his 11 songs seemed to be a drowsy dollop of NyQuil for everyone else. He gave piecemeal support to his latest album, 2004's Baptism, with competent renditions of the forgettable neo-soul of California and Lady.
By the time he got to the hits he'd already lost the crowd to the beer lines. His ace-in-the-hole, debut single Let Love Rule, was extended to a monotonous 20 minute jam and a cover of American Woman begged the question, "Why bother?" Kravitz entire career plays like a cover of American Woman.
January 24, 2006
Successful rock 'n' roll bands catch fire with a hit single or album early on and then spend the rest of their time chasing that success. Career rock 'n' roll bands are clever enough to realize that longevity lies in a fine balance between commitment to evolution and loyalty to past glories.
This was the Rock 101 lesson on display during the Lenny Kravitz-Aerosmith co-headlining set that took over a sold out Toyota Center Monday night. In 90 minutes it became evident why Aerosmith was able to emerge from the Rolling Stones' shadow and become one of America's greatest blues-rock outfits.
On the flip side, Houston saw the talented Kravitz battle himself and continue to be little more than a Jimi Hendrix knock-off.
These days a rock superstar's ego is measured by the size of its stage. Aerosmith was not about to be outdone by the the mini-skyscraper and jet-ready runways that the Rolling Stones and U2 packed onto the Toyota Center floor. The band's stage was a mix of both with a main deck that extended the width of the building, a two-story wall of LED-screens and strutting platforms for singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry that extended more than halfway into the floor seating.
Tyler and Co. spent the bulk of their 17-song set banging out the 12-bar based blues-rooted rock 'n' roll that was its trademark for the first half of its career before a mid-80s pop-rock makeover. The set highlight, however, was a pure Brit-rock masterpiece they stole from fellow legends, the Beatles.
In a pair of black-n-white striped pants that seemed borrowed from Quiet Riot's Kevin Dubrow, Tyler sang the Fab Four's Helter Skelter in a tortured howl that McCartney, Bono or any other past comers couldn't rival.
Aerosmith could have gotten away with a set of nothing but songs from its '70s beginnings and nearly did. Walk This Way, Same Old Song and Dance, Sweet Emotion and Dream On were played with a renewed adoration from the originators who took them for granted in the past. The nostalgic stream was only briefly interrupted for a leap forward in time to pop ballads Cryin' and What It Takes.
Tyler ventured into the middle of the floor during What It Takes and was pawed at by the masses. The sneaky frontman took the weakest link in the set list and made it one of the most memorable.
Kravitz is in dire need of some of Tyler's mojo. His voice was constricted from a bout with the flu, and his 11 songs seemed to be a drowsy dollop of NyQuil for everyone else. He gave piecemeal support to his latest album, 2004's Baptism, with competent renditions of the forgettable neo-soul of California and Lady.
By the time he got to the hits he'd already lost the crowd to the beer lines. His ace-in-the-hole, debut single Let Love Rule, was extended to a monotonous 20 minute jam and a cover of American Woman begged the question, "Why bother?" Kravitz entire career plays like a cover of American Woman.
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