Aerosmith Proves They Can Still Rock
Excalibur Online, Canada
September 26, 2007
Though he has toured since the ‘70s, Steven Tyler still has the ‘it’ factor
There is one question that has plagued mankind for decades. It has been asked to thousands at once. It has been asked by some of the greatest thinkers of our time: “Are you ready to rock?”
If you were at the Aerosmith concert on Sept. 18 at the Molson Amphitheatre, the answer was a resounding “Yes” and more importantly, “…still.”
After almost 40 years, Aerosmith clearly has what it takes to blow the doors off a stadium, and from the time they exploded onstage with ‘Love in an Elevator’ to their incredible finale, ‘Walk this Way,’ Steven Tyler and the boys had the packed venue on their feet like it was 1976 all over again.
Speaking of Tyler, the man can move. At the age of 59, he had stage presence and then some. There is a reason why the name Steven Tyler is synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll: when he addresses the audience, the audience listens. He is the quintessential front man and an incredible singer. Just listening to Aerosmith’s albums does not give an accurate portrayal of Tyler’s vocal ability. He was hitting notes that I had not dreamed possible, and after a 30-year career of well-publicized drug use and excessive living, that is quite a feat.
On the other hand, lead guitarist Joe Perry was pretty stagnant for the duration of the show. I don’t even think he took a step the whole time, but the movement of his fingers more than made up for it. Perry provided some of the most insane guitar playing I had seen in a long time, from bluesy riffs to jazzy solos and some crazy combinations of the two. Perennial Aerosmith favourite ‘Sweet Emotion’ was played with such passion that it was as if every member of the audience was being played to individually.
The rest of the band, filled out by Tom Hamilton (bass), Brad Whitford (guitar) and Joey Kramer (drums), helped Tyler and Perry play nearly three hours of high voltage, straight-up rock the likes of which, being so young, I never thought I would get to see.
With the recent surge of classic bands like Van Halen and The Police touring again, the question of whether they can still play like they used to arises. However, after last week’s show, I can safely say that as long as Aerosmith puts on a show that good, whenever Tyler asks that oh-so familiar question, “Are you ready to rock?,” my answer will be, “Of course.”
September 26, 2007
Though he has toured since the ‘70s, Steven Tyler still has the ‘it’ factor
There is one question that has plagued mankind for decades. It has been asked to thousands at once. It has been asked by some of the greatest thinkers of our time: “Are you ready to rock?”
If you were at the Aerosmith concert on Sept. 18 at the Molson Amphitheatre, the answer was a resounding “Yes” and more importantly, “…still.”
After almost 40 years, Aerosmith clearly has what it takes to blow the doors off a stadium, and from the time they exploded onstage with ‘Love in an Elevator’ to their incredible finale, ‘Walk this Way,’ Steven Tyler and the boys had the packed venue on their feet like it was 1976 all over again.
Speaking of Tyler, the man can move. At the age of 59, he had stage presence and then some. There is a reason why the name Steven Tyler is synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll: when he addresses the audience, the audience listens. He is the quintessential front man and an incredible singer. Just listening to Aerosmith’s albums does not give an accurate portrayal of Tyler’s vocal ability. He was hitting notes that I had not dreamed possible, and after a 30-year career of well-publicized drug use and excessive living, that is quite a feat.
On the other hand, lead guitarist Joe Perry was pretty stagnant for the duration of the show. I don’t even think he took a step the whole time, but the movement of his fingers more than made up for it. Perry provided some of the most insane guitar playing I had seen in a long time, from bluesy riffs to jazzy solos and some crazy combinations of the two. Perennial Aerosmith favourite ‘Sweet Emotion’ was played with such passion that it was as if every member of the audience was being played to individually.
The rest of the band, filled out by Tom Hamilton (bass), Brad Whitford (guitar) and Joey Kramer (drums), helped Tyler and Perry play nearly three hours of high voltage, straight-up rock the likes of which, being so young, I never thought I would get to see.
With the recent surge of classic bands like Van Halen and The Police touring again, the question of whether they can still play like they used to arises. However, after last week’s show, I can safely say that as long as Aerosmith puts on a show that good, whenever Tyler asks that oh-so familiar question, “Are you ready to rock?,” my answer will be, “Of course.”
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