Not ready for AARP
Asbury Park Press, NJ
September 14, 2006
The guys in Aerosmith aren't the stay-at-home types
Vacations are few and far between for Aerosmith. Formed 35 years ago in Boston, the veteran arena-rock band takes little downtime. Aerosmith just won't take a break — even though bass guitarist Tom Hamilton recently completed a seven-week course of radiation treatment for throat cancer.
"He's feeling better," guitarist Joe Perry said. "I just talked to him the other day. We can't wait for him to get back."
Hamilton is slated to rejoin Aerosmith in mid-October for the band's current Route of All Evil tour, which makes a stop tonight at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. David Hull, who played in the Joe Perry Project during the early '80s, is filling the void in the interim.
"I've known David since 1970," Perry said while calling from his Boston home. "He's a great guy. Tom picked him since he's the bass player. He'll do a great job."
By the time Hamilton returns, the band will be touring behind yet another greatest-hits disc, "Devil's Got a New Disguise," scheduled to drop in October. In addition to 16 hits, the CD will feature two new songs.
Originally, the band members wanted the record to be composed entirely of new songs.
"We wanted to do a new studio record," Perry said. "But it just didn't work out. We didn't have the time to do it. Steven (Tyler) had surgery on his (right) foot, which he injured in a motorcycle accident 15 years ago. He tore off his heel. After dancing on it all these years, it led to hip and knee problems. He had to take care of it. Then Tom had to take a break. But we'll get back in the studio soon and record an album in 2007."
In the meantime, Aerosmith will continue to tour, as it does each and every year.
"We love going out on the road," Perry said. "Otherwise, we could easily stay home. But we have too much fun when we perform. The fans are always very enthusiastic. There's never a dull moment for us. We find ways to keep it very interesting when we play live."
During the band's 2005 jaunt, Aerosmith surprised some fans by delivering some deep album cuts, such as "Rats in the Cellar," "S.O.S." and "Chip Away the Stone."
"We hadn't played some of those songs in a while," Perry said. "It was fun for us and the response from the fans was just tremendous. They were totally into it. The old songs are favorites We'll continue to play the old songs."
Few would have guessed that Aerosmith would still be around when the band wrote its Jimmy Carter-era classics. The group had survived years of debauchery as well as Perry's brief departure from the band during the early '80s.
"When we were growing up, few bands had members over 30 in the band," Perry said. "People died or the band broke up. People in bands much younger than us come up to us and tell us how cool it is that we're together. I don't know if it has anything to do with them liking our music or the fact that we have proved that bands can keep it together at this age. I'm still having a great time. You look at the Stones. They're about seven years older than us and they're still doing it. Then there are the guys in Zeppelin (Robert Plant and Jimmy Page) and they're still playing arenas. It's all right to be this old making music."
Perry, who turned 56 on Sunday, expects his band to be making music for many years to come.
"There's no reason to stop now," Perry said. "I think we're coming up with some great songs. We're really clicking as a band and we're having more fun now than I can remember. When you're around this long I think that you tend to appreciate it. I appreciate the songs, what we do together and the fans. This has been a great experience and none of us want it to stop anytime soon."
Eight new songs have been penned for the next Aerosmith disc.
"They're typical Aerosmith," Perry said. "None of the songs sound the same. Wait till you hear them."
Perry said he is looking forward to sharing the stage with tour headliners Motley Crue.
"They're a fun band that came up 15 years after we did and like us, they're still at it," Perry said. "It's cool when bands can keep it together as long as we and Motley Crue have."
Aerosmith With Motley Crue
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Where: PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel
Admission: $45, $75, $95 and $150
Info: (732) 203-2500
September 14, 2006
The guys in Aerosmith aren't the stay-at-home types
Vacations are few and far between for Aerosmith. Formed 35 years ago in Boston, the veteran arena-rock band takes little downtime. Aerosmith just won't take a break — even though bass guitarist Tom Hamilton recently completed a seven-week course of radiation treatment for throat cancer.
"He's feeling better," guitarist Joe Perry said. "I just talked to him the other day. We can't wait for him to get back."
Hamilton is slated to rejoin Aerosmith in mid-October for the band's current Route of All Evil tour, which makes a stop tonight at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. David Hull, who played in the Joe Perry Project during the early '80s, is filling the void in the interim.
"I've known David since 1970," Perry said while calling from his Boston home. "He's a great guy. Tom picked him since he's the bass player. He'll do a great job."
By the time Hamilton returns, the band will be touring behind yet another greatest-hits disc, "Devil's Got a New Disguise," scheduled to drop in October. In addition to 16 hits, the CD will feature two new songs.
Originally, the band members wanted the record to be composed entirely of new songs.
"We wanted to do a new studio record," Perry said. "But it just didn't work out. We didn't have the time to do it. Steven (Tyler) had surgery on his (right) foot, which he injured in a motorcycle accident 15 years ago. He tore off his heel. After dancing on it all these years, it led to hip and knee problems. He had to take care of it. Then Tom had to take a break. But we'll get back in the studio soon and record an album in 2007."
In the meantime, Aerosmith will continue to tour, as it does each and every year.
"We love going out on the road," Perry said. "Otherwise, we could easily stay home. But we have too much fun when we perform. The fans are always very enthusiastic. There's never a dull moment for us. We find ways to keep it very interesting when we play live."
During the band's 2005 jaunt, Aerosmith surprised some fans by delivering some deep album cuts, such as "Rats in the Cellar," "S.O.S." and "Chip Away the Stone."
"We hadn't played some of those songs in a while," Perry said. "It was fun for us and the response from the fans was just tremendous. They were totally into it. The old songs are favorites We'll continue to play the old songs."
Few would have guessed that Aerosmith would still be around when the band wrote its Jimmy Carter-era classics. The group had survived years of debauchery as well as Perry's brief departure from the band during the early '80s.
"When we were growing up, few bands had members over 30 in the band," Perry said. "People died or the band broke up. People in bands much younger than us come up to us and tell us how cool it is that we're together. I don't know if it has anything to do with them liking our music or the fact that we have proved that bands can keep it together at this age. I'm still having a great time. You look at the Stones. They're about seven years older than us and they're still doing it. Then there are the guys in Zeppelin (Robert Plant and Jimmy Page) and they're still playing arenas. It's all right to be this old making music."
Perry, who turned 56 on Sunday, expects his band to be making music for many years to come.
"There's no reason to stop now," Perry said. "I think we're coming up with some great songs. We're really clicking as a band and we're having more fun now than I can remember. When you're around this long I think that you tend to appreciate it. I appreciate the songs, what we do together and the fans. This has been a great experience and none of us want it to stop anytime soon."
Eight new songs have been penned for the next Aerosmith disc.
"They're typical Aerosmith," Perry said. "None of the songs sound the same. Wait till you hear them."
Perry said he is looking forward to sharing the stage with tour headliners Motley Crue.
"They're a fun band that came up 15 years after we did and like us, they're still at it," Perry said. "It's cool when bands can keep it together as long as we and Motley Crue have."
Aerosmith With Motley Crue
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Where: PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel
Admission: $45, $75, $95 and $150
Info: (732) 203-2500
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