Aerosmith Rocks On
Port Folio Weekly, VA
October 17, 2006
As most bands from the classic rock era of the 1970s have become shadows of their former glory days and tour as an oldies nostalgia act with few original members, Aerosmith continues to overcome adversities to remain one of the best live rock-n-roll acts.
Much has been said of their excesses in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The band members have all combated the personal demons of alcohol and drug abuse and are said to have been clean and sober for the last 20 years. But other health issues have dogged the group.
Singer Steven Tyler recently acknowledged he was diagnosed three years ago with hepatitis C and underwent 11 grueling months of chemotherapy that "almost killed me." Bassist Tom Hamilton was diagnosed with throat cancer this year and has not rejoined the band on the road, and likely will not play locally when the bad boys from Boston return to the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater on October 21. Still they persevere.
Aerosmith made its debut in 1973 with a self-titled album that included "Dream On." The next three years would see Aerosmith establish itself in rock music history by releasing the best works of its career: Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, and Rocks. The quintet has had several hits since, such as "Ragdoll" (1987), "Love in an Elevator" (‘89) and "Cryin’ (‘93), but the songs of the last decade pale in comparison to the brilliance of their earlier works.
"It’s interesting to look at those because those songs were written when we were still trying to make it," said guitarist Joe Perry. "I mean, (by)’Walk This Way,’ obviously we had reached success beyond anything we had expected. But when Steven wrote "Dream On" — I don’t think that we had even been signed at that point — it came from that place, right from his heart. He’s singing about what he knows: "Dream until your dreams come true." So that is a very important lesson because as an artist gets older and has some success, you’ve got to figure out what it is that put you in that desperate strait that made you want to write and touch that spot. That’s why you see less and less inspirited music over the course of people’s careers and it’s more of the rarity than the norm for somebody to go the opposite way and be more creative, more inspired throughout their career. A lot of those things have been satisfied and needs have been met.
"I’ve got to say, a lot of people want to be rock stars because they wanted to have videos on MTV and they wanted to be getting out of the limos with the chicks and all that. And once they got that, it’s like: this is going to be it forever. I can put out any kind of crappy music I want. And all of a sudden they find themselves without a career. That’s the kind of thing that happens. Mass media can take one song and you can have a career about it. But unless you’re really clear about what you’re in it for, it’s really fickle. It comes and goes. You have to weigh the ups and downs, because that’s what it’s going to be. It’s not like it was in 1966, ‘67, when no matter what record you put out you had fans that would buy it. Every time the Beatles put out a new record you’d go out and buy it. But then we were used to getting a great record every time. Every time we heard a new Beatles record, it had ten singles on it for cryin’ out loud. And the same with the Stones.
"I remember buying records. If I was a fan of the band I always bought their record sight unseen and played it over and over again until I liked it. Slowly I started to realize that some of the stuff is just filler. Then you stop liking the band. It’s like when people take for granted they’re selling out the arenas every night and they put on shitty shows. I know. I was in one of those bands (Aerosmith in the late ‘70s). You suffer the consequences of it. If you loose your fans…when they put down their hard-earned money for a ticket or a record they deserve to get the best you can give them. That’s the first and foremost bylaw in the Aerosmith rulebook."
Aerosmith is currently touring with an extraordinary stage production that’ll feature a 70-foot long ramp which will extend straight out into the audience. Mötley Crüe is the opening act.
Aerosmith’s recent scheduled appearances in Virginia Beach have been called off due to national catastrophes (9/11), a hurricane, and illness. The one gig that did happen was as a double bill with Kiss, and they waxed the masked men of mediocrity.
Expect all the hits, including "Sweet Emotion," "Janie’s Got a Gun," and "Walk this Way." They’re touring in support of another greatest hits collection, Devil’s Got a New Disguise, which comes out this week.
October 17, 2006
As most bands from the classic rock era of the 1970s have become shadows of their former glory days and tour as an oldies nostalgia act with few original members, Aerosmith continues to overcome adversities to remain one of the best live rock-n-roll acts.
Much has been said of their excesses in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The band members have all combated the personal demons of alcohol and drug abuse and are said to have been clean and sober for the last 20 years. But other health issues have dogged the group.
Singer Steven Tyler recently acknowledged he was diagnosed three years ago with hepatitis C and underwent 11 grueling months of chemotherapy that "almost killed me." Bassist Tom Hamilton was diagnosed with throat cancer this year and has not rejoined the band on the road, and likely will not play locally when the bad boys from Boston return to the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater on October 21. Still they persevere.
Aerosmith made its debut in 1973 with a self-titled album that included "Dream On." The next three years would see Aerosmith establish itself in rock music history by releasing the best works of its career: Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, and Rocks. The quintet has had several hits since, such as "Ragdoll" (1987), "Love in an Elevator" (‘89) and "Cryin’ (‘93), but the songs of the last decade pale in comparison to the brilliance of their earlier works.
"It’s interesting to look at those because those songs were written when we were still trying to make it," said guitarist Joe Perry. "I mean, (by)’Walk This Way,’ obviously we had reached success beyond anything we had expected. But when Steven wrote "Dream On" — I don’t think that we had even been signed at that point — it came from that place, right from his heart. He’s singing about what he knows: "Dream until your dreams come true." So that is a very important lesson because as an artist gets older and has some success, you’ve got to figure out what it is that put you in that desperate strait that made you want to write and touch that spot. That’s why you see less and less inspirited music over the course of people’s careers and it’s more of the rarity than the norm for somebody to go the opposite way and be more creative, more inspired throughout their career. A lot of those things have been satisfied and needs have been met.
"I’ve got to say, a lot of people want to be rock stars because they wanted to have videos on MTV and they wanted to be getting out of the limos with the chicks and all that. And once they got that, it’s like: this is going to be it forever. I can put out any kind of crappy music I want. And all of a sudden they find themselves without a career. That’s the kind of thing that happens. Mass media can take one song and you can have a career about it. But unless you’re really clear about what you’re in it for, it’s really fickle. It comes and goes. You have to weigh the ups and downs, because that’s what it’s going to be. It’s not like it was in 1966, ‘67, when no matter what record you put out you had fans that would buy it. Every time the Beatles put out a new record you’d go out and buy it. But then we were used to getting a great record every time. Every time we heard a new Beatles record, it had ten singles on it for cryin’ out loud. And the same with the Stones.
"I remember buying records. If I was a fan of the band I always bought their record sight unseen and played it over and over again until I liked it. Slowly I started to realize that some of the stuff is just filler. Then you stop liking the band. It’s like when people take for granted they’re selling out the arenas every night and they put on shitty shows. I know. I was in one of those bands (Aerosmith in the late ‘70s). You suffer the consequences of it. If you loose your fans…when they put down their hard-earned money for a ticket or a record they deserve to get the best you can give them. That’s the first and foremost bylaw in the Aerosmith rulebook."
Aerosmith is currently touring with an extraordinary stage production that’ll feature a 70-foot long ramp which will extend straight out into the audience. Mötley Crüe is the opening act.
Aerosmith’s recent scheduled appearances in Virginia Beach have been called off due to national catastrophes (9/11), a hurricane, and illness. The one gig that did happen was as a double bill with Kiss, and they waxed the masked men of mediocrity.
Expect all the hits, including "Sweet Emotion," "Janie’s Got a Gun," and "Walk this Way." They’re touring in support of another greatest hits collection, Devil’s Got a New Disguise, which comes out this week.
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