Aero Force One Forums
September 2, 2010

Set List

Eat The Rich
Train Kept a Rollin’
No More No More
Love in an Elevator
Falling in Love
Livin’ on the Edge
What it Takes
Pink
Last Child
Cryin’
–Drum Solo–
Rag Doll
–Guitar Hero Joe–
Stop Messin’ Round
I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing
Come Together
Sweet Emotion
Draw the Line

Encore
Dream On
Walk This Way

Schwegweb.com
August 31, 2010

Aerosmith performs live at the Palace Of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Credit: Chris Schwegler.

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Lots more photos:  (here).

GO & DO Michigan.com
September 1, 2010

By GARY GRAFF
of the Oakland Press

AUBURN HILLS — The rumors of Aerosmith’s demise have apparently been greatly exaggerated.

After a year of inner-band turmoil — injuries, in-patient rehab, infighting, “Idol” rumors — the veteran Boston quintet rolled into town Tuesday night (Aug. 31) at the Palace and showed that it still has its wings. And then some.

Over the course of 18 songs and an hour and 50 minutes, Aerosmith proved itself healthy and as hard-rocking as ever. Frontman Steven Tyler, most recently tipped as a judge for “American Idol’s” 2011 season, was fully present and seemingly recovered from the health concerns that burdened him in 2009, and his bandmates were similarly fit and fiery as they worked their way through a career-spanning set that, while short on any particularly deep cuts, reminded the non-sellout Palace crowd that, when in shape, Aerosmith stakes a potent claim at the top of the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon.

Declaring at one point that “Nothing has changed!,” Tyler seemed particularly anxious to make amends for the stage fall a year ago in South Dakota and the subsequent concerns that forced the cancellation of the rest of Aerosmith’s tour and, briefly, had guitarist Joe Perry and the rest of the band threatening to find a replacement singer. Sporting a glittery sliver coat, a floppy hat and shades, Tyler was swirling and dancing from the opening number, “Eat the Rich,” covering more ground than an NFL starting wide receiver. He was in good voice, too, even sliding into higher registers convincingly on “Cryin’ ” and “Dream On.”

Tyler also went out of his way to put rift rumors aside, jumping on Joey Kramer’s riser to add a couple of extra sticks during his drum solo and draping his arm over Perry — who referred to Detroit as Aerosmith’s “home away from home” — while they sang into the same microphone. The potential for the “Idol” gig to again harpoon Aerosmith’s progress certainly looms, but on Tuesday all was well during the time the group spent on stage.

And though the odd favorite might have been missing, fans would have a hard time finding a more pleasing batch of A-list material, whether it was early favorites such as Tiny Bradshaw’s “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” “Last Child” (which showcased guitarist Brad Whitford), “No More, No More” and the always reliable “Walk This Way” or 80s and 90s comeback hits like “Love in an Elevator,” “Livin’ on the Edge,” a particularly emotive “What It Takes” and the “Armageddon” soundtrack smash “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which was accompanied by video footage from the movie, which co-starred Tyler’s daughter Liv. Aerosmith also scored with its granite take on the Beatles’ “Come Together,” the musical highlight of the misbegotten 1978 film adaptation of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Sammy Hagar, meanwhile, got the party spirit going early on Tuesday with an opening set that also spanned the decades. Attired all in red, naturally, Hagar and his Wabos — though showing a bit of wear ‘n’ tear from what he said was a long night of partying on Monday — rocked through his own anthems (”There’s Only One Way to Rock,” “I Can’t Drive 55,” “Three Lock Box,” “Mas Tequila”) and material he wrote for Van Halen, including “Top of the World,” “Best of Both Worlds,” “Right Now” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.”

The emotional high point, however, was a three-song Montrose medley — “Space Station #5,” “Rock Candy,” “Bad Motor Scooter” — that Hagar introduced with the story of first meeting Aerosmith at a Cobo Arena gig. It was a highly personal and localized touch on a night that felt like a rock ‘n’ roll family reunion.

Aero Force One
September 1, 2010

Tune in to CNN Newsroom on Friday, September 3rd between 1pm and 3pm ET to catch an interview with the entire band. Steven, Joe, Tom, Joey & Brad will all be there to discuss the current ‘Cocked, Locked & Ready to Rock’ Tour. In addition to that, there will be an interview with longtime fan Jay Conroy, who recently attended his 100th Aerosmith concert!

If you miss the interview on CNN Newsroom, you can catch it again early next week on HLN’s Showbiz Tonight. Stay tuned!

Aero Force One Forums
August 31, 2010

Set List

Eat The Rich
Train Kept a Rollin’
No More No More
Love in an Elevator
Falling in Love
Livin’ on the Edge
What it Takes
Pink
Last Child
Cryin’
–Drum Solo–
Rag Doll
–Guitar Hero Joe–
Stop Messin’ Round
I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing
Come Together
Sweet Emotion
Draw the Line

Encore
Dream On
Walk This Way

Press Of Atlantic City, NJ
August 26, 2010

This year got off to an admittedly rough start for “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.” Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler seemed to be out, due to a 2009 rehab stint and planned surgery to his legs. Meanwhile, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and lead guitarist, Joe Perry, announced a search for a new vocalist.

Then, as so often happens in the tumultuous world of rock, the band managed to patch things up, and get back on the road, including a stop Saturday, Aug. 28, at Boardwalk Hall for the Cocked, Locked and Ready to Rock Tour.

Brad Whitford, who has been with the group almost since its 1970 inception, talks about the state of the band and why, despite four decades of ups and downs, Aerosmith still clicks.

Q: Did you think you’d get to this point, with Aerosmith making music again with Steven and Joe?

A: We went down to South America (earlier in the summer) to do the first shows on the tour. It was a nice surprise to get back on stage. And a reminder of what we were supposed to be doing and what we should be doing.

We just had such great times. It was a reaffirmation that happened for us all. The band is playing better than I’ve ever heard.

There’s some kind of glue that happens when you play with the same guys for so many years. It becomes very unique and very special.

Q: For anyone who has never been to an Aerosmith show, what’s the experience like?

A: I would say the energy of it – people get off on the passion. The passion we have for our music is pretty evident when you see us playing, and that energy swirls all over the room.

Q: How is it for you, as a trained musician who attended the Berklee College of Music, to collaborate with Joe Perry, who is self-taught?

A: It was always as very organic approach for us. Both us really shoot from the hip. There’s a lot of improvisation – we weren’t the type to sit down and work out a lot of stuff.

We just play and it just kind of happens. It’s always been that way. Sometimes there are parts that are worked out, but a lot of it is very natural.

Q: Does the same hold true for the rest of the band?

A: There’s definitely a chemistry – that’s something you really find out when you don’t have the whole band together.

We’ve had situations where we’ve had someone else sit in for (bassist) Tom (Hamilton) when he wasn’t able to play. It changes the whole sound and feel of the band.

Chemistry is really an interesting thing. It’s very amazing when it works – it’s just a God-given thing, something you can’t put your finger on it.

It’s like apple pie – these are the ingredients and these are the results – and you can’t just have any other ingredients.

Q: You left the band in the early ’80s and returned after you got sober. How were you able to get back in the groove with the band?

A: When we started working back in the early ’70s, we were too young to be looking out for ourselves, and I don’t think the people we were working with were really interested in the preservation of it. We were never looking at it – it was just work, work, work, work – (so) we never really stopped.

We still have that tendency to say, “Yeah, we’ll do it,” and we need to be a little more aware and be more reasonable of what we can and what we can’t do.

You have to have a life outside of this thing to bring energy back to it. You have to give yourself energy to have a life outside the band and inside the band.

Probably due to the fact that we’re all around 60 years old, it just gets forced upon you.

Q: Would you say the band is living a cleaner version of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle?

A: We couldn’t live the way we used to. It was pretty much a constant party going on. We all know what happens if we do that – you kill yourself.

So it’s a balance in everything, and sometimes that takes a lifetime to figure out.

Aero Force One
August 25, 2010

Suntimes.com

Last summer, the rock ’n’ roll soap opera that is Aerosmith finally hit the road after some false starts, but then had to cut it short when lead singer Steven Tyler plunged off a stage in Sturgis, S.D. Tyler was laid up, the tour was canceled, everyone went back to their own lives. For guitarist Joe Perry, that meant working on his own Joe Perry Project, which released a new album in October. For drummer Joey Kramer, that meant publicizing his new autobiography.

But drummers rarely get a break, especially in the media. For starters, Kramer’s memoir, Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, was published the same week Michael Jackson died. Then, after Tyler’s fall, the rumor mill started again around the “toxic twins” — Perry and Tyler feuding again through the press, Tyler saying he might quit the band, Perry saying who needs him? At one point, Aerosmith was allegedly auditioning new singers.

But once Tyler emerged from another stint in rehab, this time for addiction to painkillers as a result of his injury treatments, the two made up (for the umpteenth time) and a new Aerosmith world tour was announced. The title even has trademark Aerosmith attitude: the Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour. It has actually been proceeding according to schedule and is still expected to arrive in the Chicago area Sunday night.

“Really,” Kramer assured us in an interview from Boston during a brief break. “Everything’s copacetic, and the band is playing great.” He pauses, then seems to remember to add: “And getting along.”

Kramer’s memoir, which recently hit paperback, follows the “Behind the Music” template (humble beginnings, huge success, bottom drops out, recovery) and chronicles two different sides of suffering: the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father — which lead him to take up the drums as an outlet for striking back at something, hard — as well as the abuse he brought on himself as a hard-drinking, drug-addled member of a notorious party band. “With more money in the pipeline, Aerosmith became the single biggest market for drugs in New England,” Kramer writes. Later, there’s a chapter about 1976 (he thinks) called “Drug Addicts Dabbling in Music.”

Kramer describes wild parties, sure, but much of it is simply static addiction, sitting down Friday night to drink vodka and snort cocaine and staying there doing just that till Sunday morning. The band, at the height of their drug use, played some “God-awful shows,” he admits. At a few, Kramer was so “blotto” his drum tech would have to dress him, prop him behind the drums and tape the sticks to his hands. “Joey, this is all I can do,” he’d tell Kramer. “The rest is up to you.”

“Mine is a wish of service,” Kramer said, explaining why he aired all this dirty laundry in a book. “I know there are a lot of folks out there who suffer from the same stuff I did — addiction, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, all the pretty stuff in life. By writing about it, I’ve met a lot of them, people who let me know how reassuring it’s been to read about these issues. You don’t have to be a rock star to crash and burn. It can be anybody. But no matter who you are, there’s a way out.”

Kramer’s been in recovery from substance abuse for 23 years now. He suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of years after his father died in 1994, a delayed reaction to that event. “Ten days after I lost my dad, I was in Japan touring,” he said. “I stayed busy, was distracted, like we all like to do in these situations. But if you don’t grieve in the proper way, it comes around to bite you on your ass.”

When this tour wraps next month, Kramer also assures us a new Aerosmith album will be completed. The last proper studio album from the band was “Just Push Play” in 2001 (2004’s “Honkin’ on Bobo” was primarily covers). Work was scheduled to begin with revered producer Brendan O’Brien, but nothing was ever recorded, Kramer said.

“We’ll take some time off after the tour,” he said, “but then recording is supposed to commence. Who we work with is up in the air, but I hope to see an album finished by the end of 2010.”

But the rumor mill around Tyler continues to churn. This month, reports have surfaced that he will replace Simon Cowell as a judge on TV’s “American Idol.”

“He’s assured us that, if this happens, it won’t interfere with recording and touring,” Kramer said. “As long as it’s done within the realms of the schedule of the band, more power to him. It can only be great for us.”

Press of Atlantic City, NJ
Photos by: Ben Fogletto
August 28, 2010

Few bands possess the sheer rock presence that Aerosmith does. Of all the classic rock bands that remain, perhaps only the Rolling Stones can outduel Aerosmith hit for hit.

That was certainly the case Saturday night as Caesars Atlantic City presented the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to a near-capacity Boardwalk Hall crowd.

Anyone who has seen Aerosmith in the past 10 years knows that the band seems to have lost some of its passion. After 40 years, several breakups, drug issues and more drama than “All My Children,” it’s easy to understand why some of the fervor has diminished.

Astoundingly, Aerosmith’s long-lasting quintet remains, less than a year after frontman Steven Tyler quit the band, which in turn announced it was looking for a new singer, as ludicrous as that may have been.

But there they stood, the Boston bad boys in all their legendary glory, sounding tight, fist-pumpingly strong and downright entertaining. In fact, the band seemed more juiced than it has in a long time as its members actually looked at each other — and smiled, hugged and even kissed — and Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry interacted with each other throughout the night, suggesting that two of the most recognizable faces in rock can at least be civil to each other again.

Previous tours, including the band’s last and only other Atlantic City appearance in 2004, offered a setlist of songs that would make the casual fan pull his hair out, but their latest “Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock” tour certainly lives up to its name.

The 18-song, two-hour hitfest was a mix of the raunchy, in-your-face rock that propelled the band to stardom and the bubblegum pop-rock ballads that helped them stay there and find a younger audience.

Appropriately opening with the classic “Back in the Saddle,” Aerosmith’s set offered a nice tour of the band’s career.

While most of band’s later-era tunes, such as “Pink,” “What It Takes” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (complete with accompanying cheesy “Armageddon” video), don’t measure up to early smashes such as “Rag Doll,” “Sweet Emotion” and the encores “Dream On” and “Walk This Way,” ’80s and ’90s chart-toppers including “Love in an Elevator” and “Livin’ on the Edge” showed why the band has managed to do this for so long, so successfully.

The night was filled with songs that most people would know, but the veterans were wise enough to throw in some tracks for the diehards, including 1975’s “No More, No More” featuring some great guitar work by Perry, and 1976’s “Last Child,” which sounded as raw as ever and featured a Brad Whitford solo that proved Perry isn’t the only one in the band that lays down mean licks.

There were some nice treats, as well. Aside from its cover of Tiny Bradshaw’s rockabilly “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” a longtime Aerosmith staple, the band also offered memorable covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around,” which the band covered on its bomb of a blues album, “Honkin’ on Bobo,” and The Beatles’ “Come Together.”

The night could have done without the corny “Falling in Love (is Hard on the Knees”) and “Cryin’” in favor of classics such as “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Toys in the Attic” and “Mama Kin,” but no one seemed to mind.

Tyler, who announced earlier this month that he will be the next “American Idol” judge, sounds and looks amazingly good for his 62 years despite the abuse he doled out on his body.

With his trademark long, streaked locks, dark sunglasses and scarves dangling from his microphone stand, the always-moving, Tyler can still hit most of the high notes that he reached 40 years ago, and he remains one of the most charismatic frontmen in rock. When he sings the anthem “Dream On,” he can still bring chills.

The crowd stood throughout the entire show — even Joey’s Kramer’s drum solo — and the stage show was nothing less than fantastic, featuring moving light rigs and screens to give everyone a good look at the band.

Aerosmith may not possess the frenzy and hype that accompanied Lady Gaga when she performed in Atlantic in July, but a night of good ol’ fashioned rock ’n’ roll by Aerosmith may go down in the books as the show of the summer.

Meanwhile, fellow Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar proved that it pays to arrive early to hear the opener. Although a 45-minute set would have sufficed, his 60-minute routine wisely mixed solo, Montrose and Van Halen tunes for the appreciative crowd.

Highlights included the openers “There’s Only One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55,” both solo hits from earlier in his career. Equally crowd-pleasing was “Mas Tequila,” a party song that generously borrows from Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll (Part 2).”

Hagar, with his trademark yellow curls, said he was so drunk Friday night that he deserved a standing ovation “for just being here.” He added that he enjoyed three days in Atlantic City “drinking margaritas on the beach in my own joint. It don’t get better than that,” referring to Sammy’s Beach Bar at Bally’s Atlantic City, which is named after him.

While the Red Rocker’s back-to-back Montrose songs (“Rock Candy, “Bad Motor Scooter”) fell flat, he had the crowd in his hands when he unleashed five Van Halen songs, especially “Right Now,” “Finish Whatcha Started” and the encore, “Why Can’t This Be Love.”

Photo Gallery:  (here).

Aero Force One Forums
August 28, 2010

Set List

Back in the Saddle
Train Kept a Rollin’
No More No More
Love in an Elevator
Falling in Love
Livin’ on the Edge
What it Takes
Pink
Last Child
Cryin’
–Drum Solo–
Rag Doll
–Guitar Hero Joe–
Stop Messin’ Round
I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing
Come Together
Sweet Emotion
Draw the Line

Encore
Dream On
Walk This Way

Syracuse.com
August 27, 2010

The house lights dimmed. On cue, thousands of fans cast a blue glow at the state fair’s Mohegan Sun grandstand Thursday night, poised to capture with ther cellphones that million-dollar moment.

And then the huge black curtain cloaking the stage parted. Steven Tyler danced out upon a runway that ran 20 rows into the crowd, screeching the trademark line, “I’m back!” Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer thundered into the oh-so-recognizable lines of “Back in the Saddle.”

Aerosmith, the band from Boston that’s been together 40 years now, proved that it can rock hard, rock convincingly, rock ‘n’ roll with all the bells and whistles that turn a concert into an extravaganza.

The laser lights bounced, danced, swept the stage in beams.

Tyler turned his scarf-festooned mike stand into a baton. Round and round it went. Then a sword. Parry, thrust. A barbell, too. Press on.

Perry battled a cartoon guitar hero version of himself, then led the band into some good, old Boston blues. Cool Beantown, indeed.

Kramer played a rousing drum solo with his sticks, his hands and even his head.

The crowd of many ages, from the musicians’ peers on down to twentysomethings and even teens, stood the whole two hours worth, sang along, smiled and danced.

A good time was had by all because underneath Tyler’s swagger and Perry’s sizzle stood that sweet center: Aerosmith’s songs have withstood the test of the passing decades as well as Tyler’s voice.

Aerosmith proved it can still play ‘em, from the blues of “Train Kept a Rollin’ ‘’ to the wink-wink heat of “Love in an Elevator,” “Rag Doll” and “Pink” to the sweet power of ballads “Cryin’ ‘’ and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

Hamilton stood tall in his moment in the spotlight with a bulked-up and stretched out bass line intro to the sultry “Sweet Emotion.”

The Beatles’ “Come Together” – which Aerosmith first covered for the soundtrack of the 1978 “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” movie that starred Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees – pointedly illustrated how the chemistry between Tyler has withstood so many brushes of disillusionment to blossom once more. The lyrics were a tad off-kilter but the message came from the heart. Together they stand.

“Dream On” hammered home a point, too. Rock ‘n’ roll dreams not only can come true, but they can last a lifetime.

Appropriately, both opening bands featured lead singers that definitely owned the stage.

Ten Year Vamp, a six-piece band that boasts of all New York state musicians, rocked the crowd with vigor and style. Led by charismatic lead singer Debbie Gabrione, Ten Year Vamp delivered a solid, soaring string of songs from the album “Don’t Act Like You Don’t Know Me.”

Gabrione stalked the stage, at times hopping up and down and at other times pacing left and then right. All the while, she let the crowd know exactly how she felt with the smooth and rich vocals to “Pleasures (That I Call Mine),” “Rockstar,” “Faked It” and “One Night Ticket.”

She’s got star power aplenty.

Tyler Bryant is a singer from Texas who now calls Nashville home.

The young performer is not short of confidence, as evidenced by his work in “Big Time.”

A cool cover from the four-piece band, Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” demonstrated that the young can play the classics with grace.