ZZ Top Tour 2009

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Setlist:

Back In The Saddle
Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
Rag Doll

*note: show cut short when Steven Tyler fell and was taken to hospital during "Love in an Elevator".

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Review: In the News UK
by Lewis Bazley

Aerosmith singer hospitalised after falling off stage

Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, has been taken to hospital after falling from the stage during a concert in South Dakota.

The 61-year-old was performing at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when he lost his footing during a performance of the band's hit song Love in an Elevator.

According to the Rapid City Journal newspaper, the concert's sound system had failed during the song and Tyler was dancing to entertain the crowd when he fell backwards from the stage catwalk.

The Crazy singer was helped backstage at the outdoor concert before Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry informed the crowd his band mate had been taken to a local hospital, meaning the show had been cut short.

A message on microblogging site Twitter confirmed Tyler's fall may have been caused by a wet stage.

"The sound completely gave out during Love in an Elevator and Steven fell when trying to dance for the crowd to keep everyone entertained," wrote Matt Becker of North Dakota.

"Hoping that Steven is okay, the fall looked very rough. Stage was slick from rain."

According to the Associated Press news agency, Tyler was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital to receive treatment after the fall.

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Setlist:

1 Eat The Rich
2 Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
3 Rag Doll
4 Dream On
5 Walkin' The Dog
6 Last Child
7 Combination
8 Stop Messin' Around
9 Love In An Elevator
10 Cryin'
11 Livin' On The Edge
12 Rattlesnake Shake With Billy Gibbons
13 Lord Of The Thighs
14 Sweet Emotion
15 Walk This

Encore:

16 Joe Perry Guitar Battle
17 Train Kept A Rollin'




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Review: Genver Post
by John Hendrickson


Aerosmith show classic, but dated

When you reach a certain age, rocking out stops looking so cool.

Aerosmith - hailed by many as the great American rock band of the last 30 years - certainly showed signs of its age at Fiddler's Green Ampitheatre last night. It was an evening of greatest hits, rock star clichés and ubiquitous, out-of-touch stage antics from lead singer Stephen Tyler.

The tour, presented by Aerosmith's own brand of the Guitar Hero video game franchise was a double-shot of classic rock with an opening set from veteran rockers ZZ Top.

Aerosmith represents the best and worst of American rock 'n roll. Their success over multiple decades is a bastion of the rebellious American dream. Through Tyler's hyperbolic use of sex, drugs (and a hint of the third element of that cliché) over the years, Aerosmith has offered accessible, updated blues riffs and catchy choruses. For some, that wasn't quite enough last night.

"It's great to come and see them, but where's the new music, man?" said Joe Sterzenbach, 36, of Denver, who saw the band for the first time when he was 18 years old and believes they have "a good 10 years ahead of them."

Aerosmith has not released new material since 2004's back to blues basics album, "Honkin' On Bobo."

The show opener "Eat the Rich" from 1993's "Get A Grip" felt oddly relevant and topical, despite the fact it followed a dramatic curtain fall more suitable for a 1970s arena tour. Lead guitarist Joe Perry, probably the most musically-savvy member of the group, was repeatedly approached by Tyler and invited (forced) to echo vocals on his scarf-tied microphone.

Back at the peak of their popularity during the mid-1970s, Tyler's loyalty to the microphone stand limited his stage prowling abilities to several feet. In 2009, when every instrument on stage is picked up through wireless transmitters, each member had freedom to wander as they played.

"Yes I'm Movin'" Tyler sang during the bridge of "Rag Doll" while scaling one of the stage's two side ramps. Soon after he would venture into the crowd on a center platform to belt the band's most celebrated power ballad, "Dream On." The high notes (and more than likely, high altitude) proved to be a challenge for the wincing and writhing singer, who was struggling to breathe following some late-song screeches.

But that's hard to know for sure, seeing as everything about Tyler was hyperbolic - from his oversized hat to his silvery, buttocks-embracing trousers to his glittery trenchcoat with an even more glittery crucifix on the back. Tyler is, in effect, a poorly Americanized Mick Jagger and his band's live show - extravagant and sprawling - is sort of like watching the Rolling Stones playing at WalMart.

Then again, something about Aerosmith's performance last night brought unparalleled elements of nostalgia to the table.

From scantily clad groupies watching from the wings as Perry and Tyler struck power stances on "Love In An Elevator", to sleeveless, tattooed audience members raising a $9.50 plastic cup of Miller Lite in triumph, the rock was there. Yeah, it's been done, yeah, it's painfully corny, and yeah, the vast majority of this crowd probably went home and paid babysitters with the change from their purchase at the merch booth. But even if "World Tour 2009" doesn't look as cool on the back of a t-shirt as "World Tour 1979," it's the memory that matters most.

Southern Rockers ZZ Top opened the show with an hour-long set of classic rock hits. Lead singer Billy Gibbons, looking trim and dapper in a black jacket, black pants and sunglasses, played the best guitar of the entire evening. Gibbons' riffs are some of the most memorable and identifiable of classic rock - from "Cheap Sunglasses" to "Gimme All Your Lovin'" to "Sharp Dressed Man," all of which delighted the beer-slugging audience.




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Setlist:

1 Eat The Rich
2 Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
3 Rag Doll
4 Dream On
5 Walkin' The Dog
6 Last Child
7 Combination
8 Love In An Elevator
9 Cryin'
10 Livin' On The Edge
11 Rattlesnake Shake (With Billy Gibbons)
12 Sweet Emotion
13 Walk This Way

Encore:

14 Joe Perry Guitar Battle
15 Train Kept A Rollin'



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Review: Phoenix New Times
by Jonathan McNamara


Aerosmith and ZZ Top Prove They're Real Guitar Heroes at Cricket Wireless Pavilion

A funny thing has happened to the recording industry lately. Video games have begun to influence to music sales. Don't believe me? Consider that the re-release of the entire Beatle Catalogue is scheduled for the exact same day as the release of The Beatles Rock Band, a music simulation game featuring The Beatles music and instrument-shaped controllers. Consider also the latest tour from the fab fivesome, Aerosmith, is presented by Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, a similar music simulation video game featuring classic rock.

No doubt the thought of video games driving music sales seems as unsavory on the surface to you as it did to me. Rest assured that any unease I felt about watching a concert presented by a video game was squelched during Aerosmith's encore performance in which Joe Perry squared off against a virtual representation of himself from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith in a guitar solo duel. Virtual Perry struck first sending a blistering stream of notes into the air at Cricket Wireless Pavilion. Real Perry sent a down-and-dirty riff back. The two traded riffs of brilliant technicality back and forth until the genuine article ended the sortie by blowing his virtual counterpart to bits.

"Every once in a while, someone comes up and tells me they beat me [in the game] and we have a good laugh," Perry crooned through a mic. "Well what's better? The live thing or that thing?" A roaring applause was all the answer he needed.

But don't knock the games just yet. At the very least they've sparked a renewed interest in classic rock. You remember classic rock, don't you? It harkens back to a distant time when men worked on cars, set things on fire and could score chicks just by being sharply-dressed.

Nothing exemplifies the classic rock spirit more than living legends ZZ Top. As Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard belted out "Legs," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Tush," and "Sharp-Dressed Man," screens behind them bombarded the audience with images of hot chicks and hot rods. Hell, the trio even layed down a cover of "Foxy Lady."

For a band that got its start in 1969, you'd expect ZZ Top to show more of their age. Sure, their dance moves boiled down to toe-tappin', but other than that they proved they have remained consummate performers with each muddy guitar solo and each instance of southern-accented vocals. Maybe it's the beards, but their age just makes them seem wiser. They're like a couple of uncles who'll teach you how to get high and give you advice on getting laid pulled from 40 years of experience and sweaty, blues licks. Now listen here, boy.

But if you're going to take love advice, it might as well be from an aging rock star who will still straddle a sound monitor like he's laying down with a fine woman. It was one of the only stunts Steven Tyler pulled that approached anything resembling physical exertion. I guess age isn't such a burden if you can still do the moves that matter.

To show that they weren't playing around. Aerosmith left their Toys in the Attic and played an extended set pulling from their entire library. Aerosmith opened up with "Eat The Rich," from 1993's Get A Grip before slide-guitaring their way through "Fallin' In Love," "Rag Doll," "Dream On," "Home Sweet Home," "Love In An Elevator," "Cryin'," "Livin' On The Edge," "Sweet Emotion," and "Walk This Way" with Tyler altering the lyrics to "just give me some head" instead of "just give me a kiss" on one verse.

Sex-charged and backed by a light show complete with four moving video screens, the performance was flawless with the exception of Tyler's vocals on "Eat The Rich." Maybe he needed a warm up or maybe he was just holding back for the rest of the show, but he played it safe on the first song of the night instead of taking on some of those ear-piercing screeches he is known for.

It's a small nit pick but I draw on it to make a point: there's not much else to criticize. Aerosmith and ZZ Top have achieved rock legend status in a way that no game player with a plastic guitar can ever hope to match regardless of how many times they've taken down a perfect score on Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and Flames." These bands are living legends who can not only still bring down a house after decades of rock stardom, but do it far better than most of the bands who have come after them.

The truth is that Aerosmith doesn't need a video game (or any excuse for that matter) to go on tour. They're Aerosmith. As long as Steven Tyler is willing to put on zebra print pants and send a mouth harp solo echoing into the night, you can bet there'll be a concert pavilion full of fans waiting to hear it.

Of course, I'm sure the money could be worse.


Critic's Notebook:

Better Than: playing Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

Personal Bias: In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that this reporter has a beard. Believe me when I say that my positive comments about ZZ Top's performance had to do with more than their facial hair.

Random Detail: Aerosmith actually had another game called Revolution X which was initially released in arcades but ported to the SNES and Playstation One. In it you could shoot CDs to destroy just about everything on the screen. Just another advantage of going all digital, I guess.

Further Listening: Aerosmith's Get A Grip. Ah! Adolescent memories.

By the way: Billy Gibbons joined Aerosmith on stage for a song during their set. I'm sure it's happened and will happen every night of the tour, but it's still pretty epic.

One More Thing: Talk is cheap. Shut up and dance.


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Setlist:

1.Eat The Rich
2.Falling in Love (is Hard on the Knees)
3.Rag Doll
4.I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
5.Mama Kin (with Slash)
6.Janie's Got A Gun
7.Last Child
8.Combination
9.Love In An Elevator
10.Cryin'
11.Livin' on the Edge
12.Bass and Drum Solo
13.Sweet Emotion
14.Walk This Way

Encore:

15.Guitar Hero Joe Solo
16.Train Kept A Rollin'



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Review: Las Vegas Sun
by John Katsilometes


Aerosmith slaps together a set list, rocks out for 90 minutes, takes off

Let's talk about the art of the set list for a moment. Paramount to any rock band's staging, as important as the stage plots, strobes, spandex, smoke and rotating video screens, is determining just what the band will play.

The "what" is nearly as important as the "how long," and even the "how."

So Aerosmith fired up the old V8 last night at MGM Grand Garden Arena and put on a frequently inspired but maddeningly gutted 90-minute show. You give the band allowances for its age -- Steven Tyler is 61, and Joe Perry is 59 -- but still, such icons as Springsteen and the E Street Band and Paul McCartney (and The Rolling Stones and several other major acts in their late 50s and 60s) manage to put on 2 1/2-hour shows without leaving out their signature songs. (Rush, an Aerosmith contemporary, plays for nearly three hours with an intermission and no opening act.)

But Aerosmith, boosted by special guest ZZ Top (more on these guys in a bit) and asking a top ticket price of $194, mostly cruised through the performance and left a lot off the table. Granted, it's not easy figuring out what to play when you have so much to choose from -- you can't sample from the entire buffet, as it were. A band with the catalog (which is rock speak for "songs") and duration of Aerosmith obviously has scads of material from which to choose. This is a band that has been recording music on a somewhat regular basis since the Nixon administration. It spans the eras of LPs to Rock Band, 45s to iTunes. But you wonder what happens in these meetings as the songs the band will play on a given night:

"Alright, we've got 'Cryin',' 'Walk This Way,' 'Last Child,' 'Love in an Elevator,' 'Livin' on the Edge,' 'Sweet Emotion,' Joe's solo on 'Combination,' 'Eat the Rich,' 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing,' 'Draw the Line,' Joe's contest against himself on Guitar Hero and a long solo by the backup bassist. Any questions?" read full review


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Setlist:

1 Eat The Rich
2 Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
3 Rag Doll
4 Dream On
5 Walkin' The Dog
6 Janie's Got A Gun
7 Last Child
8 Combination
9 Stop Messin' Around
10 Love In An Elevator
11 Cryin'
12 Livin' On The Edge
13 Rattlesnake Shake With Billy Gibbons
14 Walk This Way

Encore:

15.Guitar Hero Joe Solo
16.Train Kept A Rollin'



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Review: Dallas Morning News
by Mario Tarradell


We were there: Aerosmith, ZZ Top at Superpages.com Center

A couple of memorable visuals come to mind when thinking about Aerosmith's headlining performance Sunday night before a massive crowd at Superpages.com Center. First there's Steven Tyler blazing his way through "Dream On" while he stands on the stage's catwalk as a fan blows his hair and a wall of steam rises up from the floor.

He looked like some kind of rock 'n' roll aura. Then, during "Love In An Elevator," the lighting rigs and four rectangular video screens hanging over the band went up and down like, well, an elevator. Way cool. Aerosmith, after an hour-long set from that rock 'n' blues Texas trio ZZ Top, proved age is for seasoning, not withering.

The group from Boston rocked hard for nearly 90 minutes delivering many career classics, from the signature "Walk This Way" to the brooding "Janie's Got a Gun." What a kicking rhythm section comprised of drummer Joey Kramer, bassist David Hull (subbing for Tom Hamilton who is recovering from surgery) and guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. A major highlight of the evening: A sizzling blues-rock jam that brought ZZ's Billy Gibbons back to the platform.




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Setlist:

1.Eat The Rich
2.Love Is Hard on the Knees
3.Rag Doll
4.Dream On
5.Back In The Saddle
6.Walkin' The Dog (Rufus Thomas cover)
7.Janie's Got A Gun
8.Last Child
9.Combination/Stop Messin Around
10.Love In An Elevator
11.Cryin
12.Livin' On The Edge
13.Sweet Emotion
14.Walk This Way

Encore:

15.Guitar Hero Joe Solo
16.Train Kept A Rollin'



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Review: Houston Chronicle
by Joey Guerra


Aerosmith rocks, ZZ Top rolls with it

ZZ Top had the hometown advantage during Friday night's down-n-dirty double bill at the Woodlands Pavilion.

The trio earned its usual hero's welcome and showcased a bluesy, blustery set -- similar to what fans saw during March's Rodeo Houston performance (and in previous years).

But the grimy, glammy rock of Aerosmith quickly took center stage, and -- no disrespect -- made the ZZ three seem like a simply serviceable opening act. All it took was a few minutes of Steven Tyler onstage -- rock resplendent in silver sequins, floppy hat and trademark scarves.

The action unfurled on an intricately designed, immense stage that was all lasers and multiple tiers and staircases. Neon outlined everything, and a four-part screen served as a backdrop. Large pieces lifted into the air and came gently down throughout the almost two-hour set.

A lit runway jutted out into the crowd, taking a strutting Tyler midway into the seats. He would often stand at the end, surrounded by a sea of hands and cameras. Tyler's voice was sometimes screechy but in good shape on tunes Walkin' the Dog, Dream On, Rag Doll and Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees). And Janie's Got a Gun was still a piercing rock-potboiler.

Guitarist Joe Perry got in some serious shredding during Love In An Elevator, Sweet Emotion and Livin' on the Edge -- hearty tunes that whipped the massive Woodlands crowd into a frenzy. (He was less successful behind the microphone on a pair of songs that found fans heading to the beer stands and bathrooms.)

Signature, searing songs Cryin' and Walk This Way came late in the set and seemed perfect setups for what seemed the inevitable set closers. But, alas, Diane Warren power ballad I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and -- gasp! -- Dude (Looks Like a Lady) never materialized. Guess they still like to keep us guessing.

ZZ Top -- Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard -- stuck to the script that's anchored most of its RodeoHouston shows, albeit with a bit more flair (and room). Red curtains and a large screen backdrop accented the stage, though some of the effect was lost in pre-sunset hours.

The guys tore through Cheap Sunglasses and extended instrumentals before kicking into its MTV triple crown: Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man and Legs. The middle-aged folk danced along, played air guitars and swayed their hips (they know how to use them).




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After several postponed shows the tour resumed in Atlanta, but apparently the show was truncated by Steven, still hurtin I guess. The setlist below is one of two I've seen ... I hope it's correct.

Setlist:

1.Eat The Rich
2.Falling In Love
3.Rag Doll
4.Back In The Saddle
5.Walkin' The Dog (Rufus Thomas cover)
6.Janie's Got A Gun
7.Last Child
8.Combination
9.Love In An Elevator
10.Mama Kin
11.Livin' On The Edge
12.Walk This Way

Encore:

13.Guitar Hero Joe
14.Draw the Line



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Setlist:
Toys In The Attic
Cryin'
Love In An Elevator
Walkin' The Dog
Dream On
Combination
Uncle Salty
Adam's Apple
Walk This Way
Big Ten Inch Record
Sweet Emotion
No More No More
Round And Round
Livin' On The Edge
Draw The Line

Encore:

JP Guitar Duel
Train Kept A Rollin'
Come Together

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Review: The Sun Chronicle
by Stephen Peterson
Review: Aerosmith looks in 'the Attic' on new tour

They may come from different parts of the country and offer somewhat different types of rock music, but Aerosmith and ZZ Top are thrown together on this tour.

The Texas pop rockers ZZ Top and Boston's own Aerosmith performed Sunday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Their joint show isn't so strange as both had their big start in the 1970s, became even more popular in the 1980s through music videos on TV, and are now considered among the classic rock genre. And both were influenced by the blues.

A twist for this tour, Aerosmith is playing its 1975 breakout third album, the blues heavy "Toys in the Attic" that spent about two years near the top of the charts, for the first time live: "Toys in the Attic," "Uncle Salty," "Adam's Apple," "Walk This Way," "Big Ten Inch," "Sweet Emotion," "No More No More," "Round And Round," but minus "You See Me Crying." A few are never played live.

Aerosmith, the top American hard rock band during the 1970s, opened with the title track of "Toys in the Attic," one of Rolling Stone's top albums of all time, but held off on the album's other songs for a bit.

After the 1993 power ballad "Cryin'" and "Love in an Elevator," a No. 5 tune from 1989, frontman Steven Tyler, 61, and sizzling guitarist Joe Perry, 58, together sang the old blues number from Rufus Thomas, "Walkin' the Dog."

Perry and Tyler often made use of a walkway that extended from the stage into the crowd.
"Dream On," a No. 6 smash off the 1973 debut "Aerosmith" album, has always been a splendid song.

Perry took over lead vocals on the rarely played "Combination," off of 1976's "Rocks."

After a couple of mediocre songs off "Toys in the Attic," the energy heightened with "Walk This Way" and bass opening "Sweet Emotion."

Perry, who switched guitars quite frequently, played a double-neck guitar on 1993's "Livin' on the Edge." "Draw the Line" wrapped up the entertaining set.

For the encore, it was their cover of the 1950's gem, "Train Kept a Rollin" the Yardbirds made famous in the 60s, and the band's well-done cover of The Beatles "Come Together" that was featured in the movie, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Aerosmith usually includes the former in their encore.

While bassist Tom Hamilton, 57, is back after a bout with cancer, guitarist Brad Whitford was not in the band, recovering from a medical problem.

Known for its live shows, ZZ Top opened. With their beards and cars, ZZ Top is known for its image, but unfortunately that does take away from what exceptional musicians they are, especially guitarist Billy Gibbons, who Jimi Hendrix once gave high praise.

Kicking off the show with "Got Me Under Pressure" and "Waitin' For the Bus," the trio let into a string of their '80s hits, "Cheap Sunglasses," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs," a No. 8 song. ZZ Top wrapped up with two of their '70s classics, "La Grange," their first hit, and "Tush."
Some of the songs were drowned out a bit by too much bass.

The J. Giels Band, The Cars, and Boston also come from the Hub, but Aerosmith remains the most popular rock band to come from the city. Resembling the Rolling Stones to some degree, the band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, four Grammy Awards and 10 MTV Video Music Awards.

ZZ Top, which epitomizes the popularity during the 70s and 80s of three-member bands such as Rush, Genesis, The Police and Supertramp and has been compared to Lynyrd Skynyrd, has sold over 30 million records worldwide. They broke Beatles attendance records at mid-'70s concerts.

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Setlist:

Train Kept A Rollin'
Cryin'
Love In An Elevator
Walkin' The Dog
Dream On
Combination
Toys In The Attic
Uncle Salty
Adam's Apple
Walk This Way
Big Ten Inch Record
Sweet Emotion
No More No More
Round And Round
You See Me Crying
Draw The Line

Encore:

JP Guitar Duel
Come Together



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Setlist:

Train Kept A Rollin'
Cryin'
Love In An Elevator
Jaded
Dream On
Combination
Toys In The Attic
Uncle Salty
Adams Apple
Walk This Way
Big 10 Inch Record
Sweet Emotion
No More No More
Round and Round
Don't Wanna Miss a Thing
Livin' On The Edge
Draw The Line

Encore:

Guitar Hero Joe
Rag Doll
Come Together



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Setlist:

1.Train Kept A Rollin'
2.Cryin'
3.Love In An Elevator
4.Jaded
5.Dream On
6.CombinationSteve Perry singing
7.Toys In The Attic
8.Uncle Salty
9.Adam's Apple
10.Walk This Way
11.Big Ten Inch Record
12.Sweet Emotion
13.No More No More
14.Round And Round
15.Living on the Edge
16.Draw the Line

Encore:

17.Dirty Water (with Dropkick Murphies)
18.Come Together


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Review: Boston Herald
by Jed Gottlieb


Aerosmith unearths treasures from 'Attic'

It wasn't if but what at last night's Aerosmith/Dropkick Murphys show at the Comcast Center. They knew they had to do a song together, but what? The obvious: At the close of Aerosmith's set the Dropkicks jumped in for, yes, "Dirty Water."

OK, Dropkicks growler Al Barrs' mic didn't work for the first verse. But Steven Tyler told him to use his mic - all the better. To see Barr grunt into Tyler's scarf-decked mic was hilarious. As Joe Perry told the Herald last week: "Sometimes a train wreck isn't such a bad thing." We hear you, Joe.

Even in 2009, it's hard to argue with Aerosmith's stadium band skills. The Bad Boys of Boston are consummate showmen. Yeah, too much heart is plucked from the dirty rock with their glittery, Vegas-glam production. But sometimes seeing a dolled-up, million dollar spectacle works. And that's what the packed Comcast got last night.

Opening with the warhorse "Train Kept A-Rollin' " and jumping into newer tracks "Cryin'," "Love In An Elevator" and "Jaded," it was fun to watch the lights roll and spin against massive video screens under the band, which performed without the ailing Brad Whitford. But we came to rock the old stuff.

After the still magnificent "Dream On," Steven Tyler announced: "We are going to do 'Toys in the Attic' from top to bottom."

It was a lie. They left out "You See Me Crying," which Tyler's voice apparently isn't up to. But the rest of the album was brilliant. "Walk This Way" had Perry running his Strat through its paces with riff-tacular power. "Sweet Emotion" glided and stomped like it always has. And "No More No More" was sloppy and poppy, a real rarity these days.

But to stick a big ad into "Livin' On The Edge" at the end, with Perry dueling with a digitized, "Guitar Hero" avatar version of himself was sad, lame, wrong. As Perry said after the duel, "There ain't nothing like the real thing." That's right. So why shamelessly shill?

Rock 'n' roll is about two things: sex and rebellion. Aerosmith brought enough sex for two bands, and the Dropkicks provided double the rebellion. It's all still rock 'n' roll, but hardcore punk "Citizen C.I.A." and the raw, thundering "The Warrior's Code" don't reside in the same ZIP code as Joe and Steve.

It was Aerosmith's crowd, but there were some Dropkicks die-hards. And they came out for "The State of Massachusetts," "(F)lannigan's Ball" and "Fields of Athenry" - which they dedicated to the Barroom Heroes, a kid punk band from Weymouth.

The quintessential Boston band made the gig special with 15 young Irish step dancers from Quincy bedecked in day-glow, beadazzled jumpers for "Captain Kelly's Kitchen," the Boston College marching band horns (and a couple of cheerleaders) for "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," and they tossed in a stentorian "Baba O'Reilly."




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Setlist:

1.Train Kept A Rollin'
2.Cryin'
3.Love In An Elevator
4.Jaded
5.Dream On
6.Combination
7.Toys In The Attic
8.Uncle Salty
9.Adam's Apple
10.Walk This Way
11.Big Ten Inch Record
12.Sweet Emotion
13.No More No More
14.Round And Round
15.Livin' On The Edge
16.Draw The Line

Encore:

17.Come Together


Review: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
by Jon M. Gilbertson

Aerosmith still has chops, moves to keep teen girls squealing

It was a bit unsettling to hear teenage girls squealing for Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler when the band played the Alpine Valley Music Theatre on Saturday night.

It was unsettling because Tyler is a grandfather - and what's more, a grandfather who traipsed onstage wearing a purple spangly housecoat and tight silvery pants that bore a crazy-quilt resemblance to the pants Iggy Pop wore on the cover of the Stooges' "Raw Power."

Fortunately, when Tyler wasn't running a hand or two over a certain part of his anatomy, he was howling, croaking and hissing in the nearly inimitable manner that has helped make Aerosmith a rock staple for over 35 years.

Of course, the music also helped. Unlike most arena-filling bands associated with the 1970s, Aerosmith had, and has kept, the roll in its rock.

"Walk This Way" still swung with confused teenage lust and a guitar hook that was as crunchy and tasty as a bowl of Cheerios.

"Sweet Emotion" still piggybacked grunting riffs and rhythms onto a slinky bass line.

And "Dream On," perhaps the first and best power ballad, still contained adult regret lent a little more heft by the band's advanced age.

Aerosmith also did a decent job with its later material. "Love in an Elevator" was practically a thesaurus of up-down double entendres, but it was also a whooping Westinghouse ride, while "Jaded" neatly folded a reference to Badfinger's "Baby Blue" into a snappy pop-rock melody.

The band's performance was neither rote nor spectacular. But the songs themselves had enough inspiration, and the musicians enough muscle, to carry the show past the usual bland professionalism of most crowd-pleasing arena gigs.

Plus, Aerosmith did provide a few odd and even surprising moments, such as the pause during "Livin' on the Edge" when guitarist Joe Perry dueled against a big-screen projection of his video-game alter ego from "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith." (The real Perry won.)

Other surprises: the sudden appearance of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen for a spirited run at the blues novelty, "Big Ten Inch Record," and the simple revelation that some teenage girls prefer a genuinely eccentric, energetic geezer to the insipidly peppy model citizens shoveled at them today.

Teenage girls once preferred Elvis to Fabian, after all, so why not Grandpa Tyler rather than a Jonas brother?

Setlist:

1.Monkey on My Back
2.Cryin'
3.Love in an Elevator
4.Dream On
5.Combination
6.Toys in the Attic
7.Uncle Salty
8.Adam's Apple
9.Walk This Way
10.Big Ten Inch Record
11.Sweet Emotion
12.No More No More
13.Round and Round
14.Livin' on the Edge
15.Draw the Line

Encore:

16.Train Kept A Rollin'


Review:St Louis Post Dispatch
by Kevin C. Johnson



It will apparently take more than a heavy downpour with lightning to derail the first stop on Aerosmith's world tour Wednesday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

But the storm sure did slow things down.

After 3 Doors Down's opening set and the arrival of increasingly ominous storm clouds, a disclaimer during intermission stated that fans could wait in their cars until the storm passed, then re-enter the show.

The concert resumed roughly an hour after its scheduled time and felt noticeably abbreviated once it finally did unfold.

But Boston's bad boys definitely delivered during the high-energy 90-minute show that had Verizon filled to near capacity, at least before the storm hit.

On a large bi-level set with many movable parts that at times resembled something out of "Transformers," singer Steven Tyler, guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, keyboardist Russ Irwin, and fill-in Bobby Schneck (a local resident), taking the place of ailing guitarist Brad Whitford, showed there's lots of life left in them.

"What do you get when you mix St. Louis, Aerosmith and lightning and thunder?" the sinewy, lippy Tyler asked. The answer was, inexplicably, "Love in an Elevator," one of a few gems the band performed, including "Cryin'" and "Dream On."

But the hits weren't this concert's core. As has been touted, the band performed its 1975 classic album "Toys in the Attic" from front to back, minus "You See Me Crying" (probably lopped off for time).

That's the album with "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion," and the songs sounded great. They were probably as much a treat for fans to hear as they were for the band to perform.

One almost expected Johnnie Johnson's ghost, or at least Chuck Berry, to stroll out during the boogie-woogied "Big Ten Inch Record" (wasn't that Berry's son and grandson standing on the sidelines of the stage all night?). Perry gave Berry a shout-out, calling him the most important man in St. Louis.

The band also offered "Combination" from the 1976 album "Rocks," a song Tyler said they've never played live. Perry assumed vocals, and the song felt like a bit of filler.

If the concert lacked a stream of big hits and popular fluff, it compensated with a rip-roaring presentation. And of course there was the never-ending spectacle of Tyler, pouting, strutting and tossing clothing into the audience.

In a nod to, and discreet slam of, tour sponsor Guitar Hero, Perry played guitar against an animated version of himself, then said "but ain't nothing like the real thing."

3 Doors Down, opening the early Aerosmith support slots until ZZ Top joins the tour, performed songs such as "Kryptonite," "Behind Those Eyes," and "Train." It was all perfectly polished and a bit bland.