Vie’s Verses – Is This Aerosmith’s Swan Song?
By now, we all know about the past year Aerosmith has had. They were all set to do a huge tour and supposedly finish recording an album of brand new material. Then they went on hiatus. Then Steven Tyler got messed up with the drugs again. He went to rehab after that and Joe Perry claimed that Aerosmith was looking for a new lead singer (like there could even be an Aerosmith without Tyler). There were even rumors that Billy Idol was going to be Tyler’s replacement. Things looked very bleak for the bad boys from Boston and fans feared that the worst was here, Aerosmith was done.
Then, magically, the band kissed and made up. Steven showed up at a Joe Perry concert to announce that he wasn’t leaving the band and a couple of weeks later, the band had sketched out a full “comeback” tour. What I want to know is how real is this comeback?
Currently out on their “Cocked, Locked, and Ready To Rock” Tour, how much is Aerosmith doing this for the fans versus doing it for the money? The reviews of the first handful of concerts have been positive, and that’s a testament to Aerosmith’s professionalism and years of road experience. I’m sure that if you see them on stage this summer/fall, they are going to put on one hell of a show. But is their heart really in it anymore?
With Steven Tyler recently announcing how he wants to be a judge on American Idol and with an unfinished album left rotting in a studio somewhere, could this be the swan song for Aerosmith? How well are the band members really getting along? It appears that they may just be going through the motions in order to fulfill contractual obligations.
Back in the day, Aerosmith changed their setlist every single night so that each concert was a unique experience. On this tour, the band is playing almost identical sets every night. It’s like they stole a page out of the Kiss playbook! What happened to the Aerosmith that could change it up on a dime? With their vast catalog, this band should be playing a whole slew of different tunes nightly.
Setlists aside, how well is the band really getting along. The reviews that I’ve read for their current tour haven’t mentioned anything about how the band interacts on stage. Are Steven and Joe still palling around, or is every member of the band staying in their own space? Friendship, while not required to make an exceptional band, builds a tighter unit. If each member is their own island, then how much is the band really going to give?
The big question here is – could this be the end of Aerosmith? There are currently no plans to go back in the studio to release a new album. Their current tour ends on September 16th in Canada. Will we be seeing Aerosmith after that? Will they even be able to stand the sight of each other once this tour ends? My advice is if you’ve never seen this band live, you might want to catch them on this tour. There may never be another chance.
if the touring rock show business is a great cause for steven tyler to go back and do the same old typical rock star song and dance, i hope he leaves it. change for the better was a far more inspiring example. don’t let anything rob you of your efforts, sweet steven, you are worth too much for such nonsense.