In Paso, Aerosmith delivers a concert to ‘Dream On’
San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA
July 27, 2007
Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry works a riff for the Mid-State Fair crowd
With their loftiest entertainment budget to date, California Mid-State Fair organizers needed to start things out with a bang this year. So they called upon Aerosmith.
The Boston-based rockers, with 27 Top 40 hits and four Grammys, packed the main grandstand — helping to pay for that large entertainment budget. They also left the audience with fond memories, which will help a venue that has seen seen just one other big-name act (Tom Petty) sell out this decade.
Landing Aerosmith was clearly a coup for the fair. In the last month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have performed in stadiums and arenas in Russia, Finland, Latvia and Germany. And after 30 years in the business, the band’s popularity hasn’t waned, even in a fragmented, iTunes world.
Wednesday was Aerosmith’s first local performance.
Nearly an hour after opening act Rhodes left the stage, a video montage projected highlights of Aerosmith videos and live performances on three screens. With more than 14,000 fans (including porn/reality star Ron Jeremy) watching, the band opened with “Love in an Elevator” from its 1989 album “Pump.”
Sound mixing was rough at the start, the loud music sounding like a wall of mush with nothing standing out. The parts eventually leveled a bit, though Joey Kramer’s drums were clearly too loud during the mellow, mood-setting guitar build-up on “Dream On.”
The heart of Aerosmith has always been singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, whose rock star coolness fueled the show in Paso Robles. Tyler screeched, strutted and hammed for the cameras while Perry unleashed a series of solos, hitting a crescendo on “Sweet Emotion” and “Draw the Line.”
Perry performed part of one solo between his legs and finished “Draw the Line” by repeatedly pounding a guitar with his removed shirt.
In typical fashion, both Tyler and Perry exposed their lean torsos, Tyler’s stomach revealing the words “Lick me” to an approving crowd.
The set list included a mix of songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The older songs — including “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Draw the Line” and the encore “Walk This Way” — clearly reflect a more rocking era of Aerosmith.
But songs from the ’80s on aptly reflected the band’s more ballad-friendly rebirth. Performances of “Jaded,” “What It Takes” and “Living on the Edge” were faithful to studio versions (though they can’t recreate the swirling harmonies live). Yet they were cranked up with Tyler’s and Perry’s ageless energy.
If only we all could be as lively as Tyler is at 59.
“Cryin’ ” was backed by scenes from the band’s award-winning 1993 video, one of three that helped catapult the career of actress Alicia Silverstone.
Tyler, whose mic was adorned with his trademark scarf, occasionally mentioned Paso Robles by name (as in, “Give it up, Paso Robles!”). And there were a few F-bombs—though not in-your-face enough to ruffle feathers like Ted Nugent did here in 2001.
Otherwise, there was relatively little banter, save for Tyler playfully razzing a fan who flashed a finger at him. (“Is that how you treat me after all these years?”)
Although the band’s version of “Dream On” was somewhat subdued, their anthem hit was one of the high points of the night, with Perry’s build-up providing the segue for Tyler to unleash his piercing vocals near the song’s conclusion.
A guest appearance by guitarist Brad Whitford’s son didn’t really add much to the show. And less effective songs, like the bluesy “Stop Messing Around” and a cover of the tired old Billy Joe Williams song “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” don’t match up to better Aerosmith songs like “Janie’s Got a Gun” and “Rag Doll.”
Still, you can’t expect a band like Aerosmith to include every hit in an hour and 45 minutes.
The fair’s big budget no doubt owes some of its girth to Aerosmith’s fees. (A fair spokesman said he didn’t know how much the band was paid, and the executive director has refused to release the number.) But the payoff in terms of the fair’s reputation will be undoubtedly be bigger than the final gate numbers.
July 27, 2007
Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry works a riff for the Mid-State Fair crowd
With their loftiest entertainment budget to date, California Mid-State Fair organizers needed to start things out with a bang this year. So they called upon Aerosmith.
The Boston-based rockers, with 27 Top 40 hits and four Grammys, packed the main grandstand — helping to pay for that large entertainment budget. They also left the audience with fond memories, which will help a venue that has seen seen just one other big-name act (Tom Petty) sell out this decade.
Landing Aerosmith was clearly a coup for the fair. In the last month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have performed in stadiums and arenas in Russia, Finland, Latvia and Germany. And after 30 years in the business, the band’s popularity hasn’t waned, even in a fragmented, iTunes world.
Wednesday was Aerosmith’s first local performance.
Nearly an hour after opening act Rhodes left the stage, a video montage projected highlights of Aerosmith videos and live performances on three screens. With more than 14,000 fans (including porn/reality star Ron Jeremy) watching, the band opened with “Love in an Elevator” from its 1989 album “Pump.”
Sound mixing was rough at the start, the loud music sounding like a wall of mush with nothing standing out. The parts eventually leveled a bit, though Joey Kramer’s drums were clearly too loud during the mellow, mood-setting guitar build-up on “Dream On.”
The heart of Aerosmith has always been singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, whose rock star coolness fueled the show in Paso Robles. Tyler screeched, strutted and hammed for the cameras while Perry unleashed a series of solos, hitting a crescendo on “Sweet Emotion” and “Draw the Line.”
Perry performed part of one solo between his legs and finished “Draw the Line” by repeatedly pounding a guitar with his removed shirt.
In typical fashion, both Tyler and Perry exposed their lean torsos, Tyler’s stomach revealing the words “Lick me” to an approving crowd.
The set list included a mix of songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The older songs — including “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Draw the Line” and the encore “Walk This Way” — clearly reflect a more rocking era of Aerosmith.
But songs from the ’80s on aptly reflected the band’s more ballad-friendly rebirth. Performances of “Jaded,” “What It Takes” and “Living on the Edge” were faithful to studio versions (though they can’t recreate the swirling harmonies live). Yet they were cranked up with Tyler’s and Perry’s ageless energy.
If only we all could be as lively as Tyler is at 59.
“Cryin’ ” was backed by scenes from the band’s award-winning 1993 video, one of three that helped catapult the career of actress Alicia Silverstone.
Tyler, whose mic was adorned with his trademark scarf, occasionally mentioned Paso Robles by name (as in, “Give it up, Paso Robles!”). And there were a few F-bombs—though not in-your-face enough to ruffle feathers like Ted Nugent did here in 2001.
Otherwise, there was relatively little banter, save for Tyler playfully razzing a fan who flashed a finger at him. (“Is that how you treat me after all these years?”)
Although the band’s version of “Dream On” was somewhat subdued, their anthem hit was one of the high points of the night, with Perry’s build-up providing the segue for Tyler to unleash his piercing vocals near the song’s conclusion.
A guest appearance by guitarist Brad Whitford’s son didn’t really add much to the show. And less effective songs, like the bluesy “Stop Messing Around” and a cover of the tired old Billy Joe Williams song “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” don’t match up to better Aerosmith songs like “Janie’s Got a Gun” and “Rag Doll.”
Still, you can’t expect a band like Aerosmith to include every hit in an hour and 45 minutes.
The fair’s big budget no doubt owes some of its girth to Aerosmith’s fees. (A fair spokesman said he didn’t know how much the band was paid, and the executive director has refused to release the number.) But the payoff in terms of the fair’s reputation will be undoubtedly be bigger than the final gate numbers.
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