TYLERS MEND FENCES

Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has heard his ex-wife Cyrinda Foxe-Tyler say horrible things about him since they broke up 18 years ago. But when Foxe-Tyler recently became seriously ill, Tyler made peace with the mother of his 22-year-old daughter, Mia.

In March, Foxe-Tyler suffered a stroke. She has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has been given a 50-50 chance of survival after radiation and chemotherapy. When Tyler heard about the cancer, he contacted his ex.

"We had brunch at Balthazar, walked around SoHo, and did the usual Sunday bull----," Foxe-Tyler told New York magazine. "It was a lot of fun with a lot of healing."
Tyler made contact with Cyrinda at the urging of Mia and his other daughter, Liv, 24, whose mother is Bebe Buell. He's paying for Cyrinda to stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel, near Beth Israel Medical Center, where she's being treated.

"All I could say is thank you," said Foxe-Tyler, whose 1997 memoir, "Dream On," accused Tyler of abuse and womanizing, among other tawdriness. The reunion, she said, was inevitable. "But I don't recommend that people wait 20 years to make amends."

...We have just finished taping a new video featuring Aerosmith and a gang of sexy female robots. This video was taped in New York City...

Link: http://www.inextv.com/

Jesse Kramer, son of Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, and his band, Touch It, will perform at the Sk8 Fest 2001 on the Marshfield Fair Grounds tomorrow. The fund-raiser for the town's Skatepark Alliance will feature skateboarding demonstrations and the giant 11-foot vert ramp featured at the WBCN River Rave. Check it out!

And speaking of Aerosmith, the band got together for a little clambake at the Chart Room in Pocasset the other night. Steven Tyler, dressed in brown surfer shorts with white trim, an orange T-shirt, bright orange sneakers and round blue shades, sat on the deck with his bandmates just like regular rock stars on a not-so-Permanent Vacation.

AEROSMITH TAKES CARE OF ITS FANS
Scene briefs
Friday, June 29, 2001

The story of Aerosmith's fan club hassles has a happy ending: Yesterday afternoon, about 1,000 satisfied Aerosmith fans were invited to the Tweeter Center for a private soundcheck performance. The band's fan club organization, Fans Rule, also arranged for many fans at the Tweeter Center to get upgrades on their tickets. Yesterday the group performed a short set for club members only and premiered its new video, ``Fly Away With Me.'' According to Michael Saitow of Fans Rule, ``That's what the group wanted to do once the fans got their voices heard.''

The problems began in April, when members of the fan club complained about being sold less-than-prime concert tickets through the club. At Tuesday's Tweeter Center show, a member of Aerosmith's crew came to the fan club section, apologized on behalf of the band and the club, and arranged for fans to move up to better seats.

All club members with tickets to last night's show received invitations to the soundcheck.

``I'm psyched,'' said Karen Nietsche of Westport, one of the fans who originally complained to the Herald. ``The band and the club came through for us.''

BRETT MILANO

Also, as I posted earlier (on May 23rd), CDnow.com also lists an item called 'Audio Biography CD' under Advance Orders for Aerosmith. The price for that one is now changed to $10.99 and the Expected Release Date has been moved to July 10, 2001.

After 16 weeks on the charts...
... Nine Lives was right around the 40 mark.
... Just Push Play is at 93.

Fly Away is not yet on the Billboard Top 50. Not enough radio "adds".

The Just Push Pies Tour - Kevin's Baking Granny Smiths For Aerosmith
By PAT SEREMET
The Hartford Courant
June 28, 2001

For people who believe in pie-in-the-sky dreams coming true, this one's for you. Kevin Bowen of Hartford would work construction by day, and then by night relax by watching the Food Channel, reading cookbooks and making desserts, now popularly known in the rock music trade as "killer, killer desserts." Oh, and in the summer, he would help out his friend Rob Polo, who is caterer at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Centre, with odd job duties, like shlepping ice, Polo said. But all that changed early this month when Bowen, a self-taught cook, happened to bake pies for the rock band Aerosmith that was at the Meadows on its "Just Push Play" world tour. He is now the band's "personal baker" on an all-expenses-paid tour of the world. Rolling in the dough? "It's a very nice salary," Polo said. Polo talked to Bowen in Boston after the first show there, and he told him that when he goes backstage with his pies, his pass says: Kevin "The Pie Guy" Bowen, the moniker bestowed on him in Hartford by Aerosmith. It all started when Bowen casually told Polo, "I bake." Polo, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, had heard that before. But Polo was willing to try Bowen out. Bowen made desserts for one show at the Meadows, and Polo said, "They were killers." When Aerosmith came here for its tour and requested desserts, Polo asked Bowen to bake again. He gave the band Bowen's pies, and desserts he had bought at Mozzicato-DePasquale's Bakery & Pastry Shop, a South End Hartford venue famous for its sweets. "They snubbed Mozzicato's," Polo said. "But they loved Kevin's pies." The next day, Bowen was back on his construction job when the Aerosmith wardrobe assistant came to Polo and asked for five fruit pies. When Polo said that Bowen was working elsewhere, Polo was told in no uncertain terms: "We want The Pie Guy. You get The Pie Guy down here." Polo got The Pie Guy, and in an hour and a half, he had catered to Aerosmith's appetite, which was now approaching a feverish pitch. "They were in rehearsal, and literally stopped in the middle of a set," Polo said, "and converged on the pies." Joe Perry, guitarist, reportedly grabbed a whole pie like it was a pizza, and ate it with a fork. Neither Aerosmith's formally trained personal chef nor Polo could believe that Bowen could make "these killer, killer desserts." In the weeks since Aerosmith left Hartford, evidently, band members have been rueful without their rhubarb, lugubrious without their loganberries, and doleful without their pineapple cream. Pining for "The Pie Guy," last week, Aerosmith called Bowen and asked him to be the band's personal baker. He only had a couple of days to decide. It didn't take him long. Bowen packed up his pots and pans and left Tuesday for Boston. He'll tour with the band nationally before heading to Europe and Japan. And what do his friends back at the Meadows make of all this? "He's got the best gig in rock 'n' roll," said Andy Mule, production assistant. "Make a couple pies, see the world - that's frigging great. "A good guy from Hartford, now touring with one of the greatest bands in history," Polo said. "It couldn't happen to a better guy." Or, evidently, a better Pie Guy.

Does this mean Jagger has listened to Just Push Play and liked what he heard...? :)

THE PATRIOT LEDGER

LIFE & LEISURE

MUSIC REVIEW: Aerosmith rocks with sonic adrenaline

By JAY N. MILLER
The Patriot Ledger

Aerosmith might just be synonymous with rock'n'roll showmanship, and last night's two hour, 22-song show at the soldout Tweeter Center was a well produced and well performed blast of sonic adrenaline.

The band returns tomorrow for another show.

The Aerosmith setlist last night included five tunes from the band's current album, "Just Push Play," a healthy sampling of the quintet's past hits, and a couple of surprises from the long ago early days.

One overriding impression from last night's show was that no band has done the power ballad as well as the hard rockers from Boston. Aerosmith's songbook by now includes several such tunes, which might be cloying in less capable hands. But no rock vocalist can deliver this kind of romantic longing with Steven Tyler's power and passion while still avoiding sugary overkill.

As Aerosmith delivered its best-known power ballad, the Hollywood soundtrack hit "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" late in their set, most of the 20,000 fans either sang along or embraced, as Tyler's soaring vocals grasped every shred of passion in the lyrics. It's easy to visualize Michael Bolton or Barry Manilow singing this tune, but impossible to imagine their doing it as well, with this kind of impact. It was also instructive to see Aerosmith selling such potentially sappy fare to the same people who are yowling and foot-stomping.

The quintet appeared at 9:05 on a two-tiered stage, with a huge video screen behind it. A semicircular higher level was mainly used for Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry to occasionally perform above their bandmates, and long side wings also provided Tyler and Perry the chance to perform for the folks on the extreme edges. Tyler was dressed in a white coat, over a white shirt, with black and white pants which had the cartoon of a woman's face wrapped around one leg. The hard-driving "Beyond Beautiful" from the new CD got the night off to a rousing start, and a gritty "Love in an Elevator" kept building the momentum.

The big hit from the new CD "Jaded" got a big roar as Tyler's voice was in superb form on the power ballad, even down to a sort of wicked glee at the line "I'm the one that jaded you." The title cut from the new CD shifted the focus back to grinding heavy rock. "Fly Away From Here," another outstanding power ballad from the new CD carried a marvelous melodic lilt.

Just before taking off on the randy and rambunctious "Pink," Tyler mentioned how much was ahead, and noted: "We're supposed to be done by 11, there's a curfew. I don't think so!" The old Aerosmith classic "Mama Kin" featured some lacerating Perry guitar lines, and a brief Tyler jaunt on a ropeswing at stage left. (To be truthful, he didn't get very far out over the crowd, and the stunt wasn't repeated.)

The band then hurried up the aisles to a ministage set up in front of the lawn seats. "Those rumors our old manager was spreading a few years ago are true," Tyler cracked, "this is the Aerosmith on Grass tour." The fans on the lawn went nuts for the rowdy "Same Old Song and Dance," but it seemed a bit remote from the arena. "Dream On" prompted a mass sing-along, and a rumbling "Toys in the Attic" concluded the miniset.

Perry's slide guitar flavored "Draw The Line" and the burbling hard rock rhythms of "Under My Skin" seemed to have sampling help. 1974's "Seasons of Wither" was a neat surprise, a dreamy sort of, you guessed it, power ballad. "Cryin'" showcased Tyler's incredible pipes once more. "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" brought the regular set to a fiery close.

For encores, Aerosmith began with a ponderous "Livin' On the Edge," the only misstep of the night. They recovered quickly with "What It Takes," and a furious "Train Kept A-Rollin'." For their finale the quintet did a torrid guitar raveup take on the Beatles song "I'm Down," finishing at about 11:04 p.m.

The Pennsylvania quartet Fuel opened with a 50-minute set that suggested they could be Aerosmith understudies. California songwriter Leroy and his quintet played on the wooded side stage, charming a few fans with funky low-fi rock, and soulful tunes like "The Way We Carry On."

Copyright 2001 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted June 27, 2001

-----------------------------------

BOSTON HERALD

Strong finish: Aerosmith ends with a bang despite a few ups and downs

by Brett Milano
Wednesday, June 27, 2001

Aerosmith, Tweeter Center, Mansfield, last night. Early in last night's Aerosmith show, singer Steven Tyler made a promise: ``Closing time at 11? I don't think so.''

Sure enough, the band broke curfew, by about five minutes, with an extra encore of the Beatles' ``I'm Down'' - one of the most raucous songs they played all night.

It made a strong ending to a show that included some curious ups and downs. When Aerosmith hits their groove, they're still one of the greatest on the arena circuit. But they also have to worry about pleasing the power-ballad audience they've picked up lately, and it makes for some clumsy segues.

Last night they followed their slick soundtrack hit ``I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'' with the signature tune ``Walk This Way,'' and the two songs just didn't fit together.

Also unusual were two aspects of the staging. The first was a real shocker: There were two TelePrompters onstage, clearly visible if you were sitting toward the front. They were even running the lyrics during ``Sweet Emotion,'' and it's amazing to think that Tyler would have trouble remembering the words to that one.

The other problem was at least a nice try: Midway through the show, the band relocated to a second stage in the back of the house. It was a great gesture for those stuck in the cheap seats, but it made for two long breaks while the band moved up and back.

And the three songs they played in the back (including ``Dream On'' and ``Toys in the Attic'') sounded like a mess of echoes for everybody else. U2 and the Rolling Stones have used secondary stages with better results, making sure nobody got left out. The show didn't really rev up until the band got back to the main stage and kicked into ``Draw the Line.'' Old fans got a treat with some long-unplayed album tracks (``Uncle Salty,'' ``Seasons of Whither'').

But it might have been a better idea to build momentum by starting the show on the rear stage and moving up or by doing the ballads earlier.

And please guys, ditch the TelePrompters. If Tyler does forget a lyric, there are plenty of fans upfront who'd be glad to help out.

-----------------------------------

BOSTON GLOBE

MUSIC REVIEW

A fiery Tyler ignites Aerosmith

By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 6/27/2001

MANSFIELD - How old is Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler? It doesn't matter. When aroused, as he was last night, he remains one of the most wildly determined, hardest-working singers on the road.

He took charge of this homecoming show like a man possessed. He raced across stage to ramps on both sides and at the back - and he even swung out over the audience on a rope at one point, looking like a circus performer who wouldn't quit.

Tyler, who is 53, did his eternally youthful thing for a sold-out 19,900 fans - the first of two Aerosmith shows at the Tweeter Center this week. And never mind the teleprompters that were set up on each side (and that he never seemed to look at). He still played the pied piper of bacchanalia. He also surprised fans by marching the band through the crowd to a B stage on the lawn, where he declared this to be the ''Aerosmith back-on-grass tour.''

Up on the lawn, he sang three old hits, the riffing ''Same Old Song and Dance'' (with an aerial video camera focused on his clacking tongue), the enduringly psychedelic ''Dream On,'' and the rampaging ''Toys in the Attic.''

As the lawn fans went bonkers, the band crowded around Tyler as though this were a club show. Some of the fans in the lower pavilion, those who paid $75 a ticket, were stewing as they looked at Tyler's back from afar (OK, they could still see him projected on the main-stage video screen). Such is life for a populist band that tries to please everyone. And if memory serves, the only other act to play on the lawn at Tweeter was Jimmy Buffett a few years ago. Another devoted populist.

To start the night, Tyler burst forth in tight pants with a large eyeball design right by the crotch. It was a sign that Tyler was not going to hold much back - and he didn't, save for an overly long ballad segment near the end (the slick ''Cryin''' into the overripe Diane Warren tune, ''I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'').

But, generally, Tyler was rocking and it made for one of the best Aerosmith homecomings in recent years.

Uncharacteristically, the band didn't open with the traditional ''Back in the Saddle.'' Daringly, three of the first four songs were new (''Beyond Beautiful,'' ''Jaded,'' and ''Just Push Play'' were interrupted only by vintage hit, ''Love in an Elevator''), but the move sounded fresh and not contrived.

Guitarist Joe Perry - glammed up in a shiny black plastic jacket - tore into one brain-splicing solo after another, while a steady flow of the band's MTV video clips appeared on a rear screen, mixed with incendiary live concert footage.

Pumped by drummer Joey Kramer, the band hit stride with the suggestive ''Big 10-Inch Record,'' before hitting the kinky ''Pink'' (''I want to wrap you in rubber,'' Tyler sang) and freedom-espousing ''Mama Kin.'' Then came the march to the lawn and a return to the main stage for the jolting ''Draw the Line'' (with Perry slamming away on slide guitar), the new ''Under My Skin,'' and a surprise ''Seasons of Wither,'' played with an almost demonic precision.

Encores of ''Livin' on the Edge,'' Yardbirds nugget ''Train Kept a-Rollin''' and the Beatles' ''I'm Down'' were icing on the homecoming cake.

Opening act Fuel was up and down, sounding like Stone Temple Pilots wanna-bes at times, but also standing out with their radio hits, ''Hemorrhage'' and ''Bad Day.'' The band needs to write more songs like those, but of course that's easier said than done.

This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 6/27/2001.

Tyler's Motermouth
Steven Tyler pushed the envelope while singing the national anthem at the Indy 500, changing the closing words of the song to "the home of the Indianapolis 500." Patriotic race fans were less then enthused. "I've gotten, like, 60 faxes about it," says Tyler. "Anyone who has a problem with it can go fuck themselves! I mean, what's more all-American then fast cars?" Tyler was also wound up about sitting in the custom Aerosmith Indy car. "It was flipped out," He says. "It's contoured to hold your body - like a womb with a few!"

Caption under the pic: "I'm supposed to get to drive it," says Tyler, at Indy w/ Aero's Joey Kramer.


Anyone who has a problem with it can go fuck themselves! Damn right! :)

click on the pictures for bigger versions

Make sure to check out the site at http://www.dodgeaerosmith.com/

Drive This Way With Dodge and Aerosmith
Tour Sponsorship Is The First Phase In A Multi-Faceted Partnership

In an exciting move that combines the power and energy of rock and roll with the automobile, Aerosmith and Dodge have entered into a multi-faceted alliance that brings two great American names together for a comprehensive consumer marketing and communications campaign.

The deal was announced today in New York City, where the first details of the program were released.

"Just Push Play," the 48-city U.S. tour launched by Aerosmith in June will be sponsored by Dodge and become a highly visible focus of the alliance with the Dodge brand. "Just Push Play" has already broken all expectations to become a platinum-selling release.

"Dodge and Aerosmith are a perfect match," said Jim Schroer, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Corp. "Both represent the rebellious and powerful energy that great rock and roll bands and great car brands have come to represent. Who better to partner with a great American brand like Dodge than the greatest American rock band of all time, Aerosmith?"

"What does 'Ram' stand for?" Steven Tyler says, "Ready, Aim, Meet me in the backseat."

Aerosmith, the multi-platinum selling rock and roll global superstar band, is also known for their members' obsession for cars and racing. This makes the partnership a natural fit, given Dodge's bold product line-up and its recent re-entry to NASCAR Winston Cup racing. This landmark partnership is one of mutual passion and is the reason why Aerosmith chose to make Dodge their first-ever corporate sponsor.

"We've been playing and touring for 30 years and have never had a corporate sponsor," bassist Tom Hamilton said. "But when Dodge asked if we would be interested, we thought it would be a great fit for a touring band like us…cars, trucks and racing. It's all rock and roll."

It was in 1969 that Tyler and his band, Chain Reaction, heard Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton's Jam Band playing. They got together in 1970 and created the steady blast we know today as Aerosmith. As luck and talent would have it, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 following a spectacular show at New York's Max's Kansas City. Their first album, the self-titled Aerosmith was released in 1973. The band began touring, fans followed and the press took notice. Aerosmith took to the road and the airwaves and became one of the biggest stadium acts of the decade.

"We are America's hometown band; the garage band that made it really big out there on the road," said guitarist Joe Perry, "You can always count on Aerosmith to play your town."

"Trust me, this is just the very tip of the iceberg," said Julie Roehm -- Director, Dodge Marketing Communications. "We have plans in the works that will touch every element of the Dodge family - customers, dealers and employees. This alliance will re-define how two great brands can work together to support each other's interests, while delivering what all our fans and customers desire."

Following the press conference, the band put its own unique stamp on the event by autographing a Dodge Ram pickup with spray paint cans. The truck will travel with the band on tour and then be auctioned off for charity.

Dodge is the third-largest automobile brand in America, selling over 2 million vehicles in the 2000 model year. Its 8-product portfolio includes the best-selling minivan in the world - Dodge Caravan, and the all-new 2002 Dodge Ram pickup and the world's fastest production car - the Dodge Viper.

"I've driven a lot of great sports cars," said Perry, "but the Viper is in a class by itself. It's everything your mother warned you about."

It's Aerosmith's World, We Just Live in It
C. Bottomley
06/20/2001

Thom Kidrin, president and CEO of Worlds.com, and I are standing in a bathroom stall reserved for the use of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Outside, the "Jaded" video plays on a TV perched high in the corner of the empty Mount Blue diner. Kidrin is explaining how, if I flush the toilet, a secret panel will open and a passage will lead to Steven Tyler's private quarters. I am, by the way, a 3-foot-high penguin.

This is Aerosmith World, and if you're thinking from the above scenario that it might require a portion of the band's alleged '70s pharmaceutical diet to get into this head space, you're wrong. It's easily accessed from Aerosmith.com. In cahoots with Worlds.com, the band is in the process of creating one of the Internet's most ambitious projects, a virtual playground where its fans can meet, chat, listen to the Boston boys, and the group hopes, a whole lot more.

See what the Aerosmith World Mount Blue environment looks like.

"They wanted to have secret places that users would go to," explains Kidrin. "[Soon] we'll be launching the Boneyard, which is this studio in Joe Perry's house where they recorded Just Push Play. We took digital pictures of the space, and then replicated it graphically."

"There was a lot of 'This is what we can do, guys; what do you want to do with it?'" Joe Perry recently explained to VH1.com's Joe D'Angelo. "The Boneyard section - where you go into my world - is exactly what my studio looks like. I'm knocked out by it. This is where the whole Internet thing is going. And we like being on the edge of that."

Get a sneak preview of the Boneyard environment at Aerosmith World.

A visitor to Aerosmith World can wander through environments like the Boneyard, the Mount Blue diner (modeled after a eatery near the band members' homes), an Oriental hall based on the "Jaded" video, and an avatar gallery where you can select a 3D icon, like a penguin, to represent you on your peregrinations. There are plans for separate worlds inspired by the whims of each band member.

"Steven's studio is called the Bryer Patch," Kidrin said. "There are hidden icons. So when you hit on certain things like the soundboard, you'll be able to mix tracks. If you click on the fishtank in the studio, it will launch a media player, where there will be media clips of Steven and Joe and the band scuba-diving."

But as well as curating an online museum where you meet 3D rock dudes, babes, and penguins, Aerosmith were determined to be part of the action. So Worlds.com made them personal avatars. Steve, Joe, and the guys donned Lycra body suits with 40 reflective nubs and were filmed by nine cameras doing their trademark movements. Using the films as a basis, animator Odette Plavinskas transformed them into 3D graphic representations. The online Steve Tyler does his trademark twirls; Joe Perry stares intently at his strumming hands. The only thing missing is the smell.

See Steven Tyler strut his stuff to create a variety of moves for his 3D animated avatar.

Watch Joe Perry being filmed smashing his guitar and getting turned into a 3D animated avatar.

Tyler has surreptitiously slipped into Aerosmith World to chat with fans, but the bandmates might not be prepared for the sort of hysteria that greets them when their all-singing all-rocking avatars debut. In the Aerosmith World chat room, user Pandora 505 said that if she met Tyler in his Tron form, she would "Try my best to talk to him! Maybe faint!" The user deemed Sweetest_Emotion pledged to ask, "Hey baby, can I peel yer banana?" Good to see Steve understands the benefits of potassium.

Right now most people are primarily using Aerosmith World to meet fellow fans and chat ("It's addicting - most of us pop in and out all day," said Pandora 505), but there are plans for a virtual concert sometime in August, and the group wants to take the concept even further. "Steven wants to incorporate the body suit in the stage show," said Kidrin. "So while he's playing, people will go online and see his avatar playing during a live performance.

"We're trying now to work a scene into the show where he runs up the riser, dives into the screen, falls into a pit and his avatar will fly across the screen into the virtual world. He's trapped in a virtual world, and he starts to hang with these people."

This penguin will have his banana ready.

Disgruntled Hub Aerosmith fans rock in a hard place
by Brett Milano
Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Boston-area Aerosmith fan club members will walk a different way outside the band's concert at the Tweeter Center tonight, protesting what they say is shoddy treatment by the new management of the club.

The club was taken over this year by the national organization Fans Rule, and members say they've been getting lousy tickets instead of the prime seats they've had in the past.

``We don't want to make Aerosmith look bad, because they're obviously our favorite band. But we feel like we've been had,'' says Bonnie Tallman of Dartmouth, who's been connecting with others on the fan club's online chat boards.

``Everybody's upset. There hasn't been one person I've talked to who's gotten a good seat. We're planning to meet at the Tweeter Center early and let our voices be heard,'' Tallman said. ``It's not going to be violent, we're just going to go in there with banners. We'd like to see if we can get ticket upgrades, or at least a backstage pass to meet the band. Just something to say they're sorry.''

The problems began in April, when fan tickets for the entire tour went on sale through an 800 number at 3 a.m., with club members given less than a day's notice. An estimated 39,000 fans immediately crashed the system, and Fans Rule has worked overtime since then to get the tickets out. But many fans say they've gotten their tickets barely in time for the shows, and that they've paid premium prices for less-than-great seats.

Karen Nitsche of Westport said she only received her tickets for tonight's show on Thursday. And her seats are in Section 6, Row M - in the elevated section of the Tweeter Center pavilion, closer to the lawn than the stage. Though she was charged $75 for each ticket, she says she called the Tweeter Center and found that other seats in her section were selling for $65. Worse, Nitsche ordered tickets for two different shows and was charged $20 per pair for UPS overnight shipping - even though all her tickets arrived in the same UPS envelope.

``I got ripped off on the tickets, and I got ripped off on the service charges,'' she said. ``I used to see Aerosmith at Fall River Park when they were nobody. Now I'm 40, and this is about the only thing I look forward to.''

While waiting for her tickets, Nitsche reached Fans Rule marketing director Michael Saitow, who promised a surprise in her ticket envelope that would make up for the hassle. This turned out to be a year's free membership in the fan club, plus automatic entrance in a contest. Aerosmith donated about 30 prizes for the Tweeter Center shows, including autographed drumheads and a Joe Perry guitar.

``It's good for the lucky winners,'' says Nitsche. ``But that still leaves a thousand of us with crummy seats.''

In a Herald interview, Saitow insisted ticket prizes weren't jacked up: ``We paid $75 for all the tickets that we bought, and fans were charged face value. There's nothing else I can say on that.''

Nor does he blame any of the tour's promoters, such as the local promoter, SFX, for keeping fans away from the prime seats.

``The simplest way to put it is that there were a lot of new things going on this year - not just the fan club, but a lot of new people involved,'' Saitow said. ``We weren't able to get the first 20 rows at all of the venues. And we had to put more people at the concerts than we've ever done before. So that puts more people further behind. It's simple math at this point.''

``We never should have taken on a fan club just before a tour. Therein really lies the problem,'' admits Joyce Logan, vice president of fan services at Fans Rule.

``Usually I like to read all the letters, to get to know the mind of the fans. We'll introduce them to what we do, and we'll do some contests together,'' Logan said. ``But with Aerosmith, we didn't have the honeymoon period. It's been devastating to me, because I want them to know that this office really cares.''

Aerosmith plays the Tweeter Center again Thursday. Both shows are sold out.

Older Rockers Flop on Pop Charts
by Jim Farber
6/26/01

The pop charts operate a bit like the movie "Logan's Run." After a certain age, you're toast. (In the movie, it's 30.) In pop, you can be older than that and not be completely toast, but you're certainly tanning badly. Witness the long-running, big-name acts Aerosmith, Depeche Mode and R.E.M. They're all seeing mediocre sales on their latest albums — an especially interesting occurrence in the cases of the first two, since they're packing in fans at their live shows.

Steven Tyler and his band Aerosmith are huge concert draws, but don't sell many records anymore. Last week, Aerosmith sold out five local concerts with a capacity of 17,000 each. That's enough to fill Giants Stadium for a night — something only the biggest live draws can manage. But the Boston band's album "Just Push Play" is idling at No. 63 on Billboard's Top 200 Album list in its 15th week out. Compare that to the younger artist Eve, whose album came out at the same time and now stands at a strong No. 33. While "Play's" sales have crept up since their tour started, they're hardly soaring. Aerosmith can't claim a lack of exposure. Their Super Bowl halftime show in January got so much attention that Columbia moved up the release of their album three weeks to capitalize on it. So what's the problem?

When you hit your third decade, fans take your albums for granted. As with the Rolling Stones, they'd rather see the band live and play the old records than pounce on new music.

Michael Stipe and R.E.M. are not selling many albums lately either, and they are also not touring. Same goes for Depeche Mode. The band has two sold-out shows at the Garden this week. But their latest album, "Exciter," slunk to No. 66 in just five weeks. R.E.M. has done nearly as poorly, skidding to No. 58 in the month since "Reveal" came out. That follows a pattern of decreasing sales for their last two albums, which surely won't be helped by their decision not to tour this year. The dull performances of both Depeche and R.E.M. epitomize problems at Warner Brothers Records, home to both. The label is stuck with a roster of largely aging quality artists. The label's only youthful smash is Linkin Park, who hold at No. 13 after a 34 weeks of chart action. Of course, you don't have to be an oldster to stumble. Thirteen-year-old one-time country wonder Billy Gilman has seen his latest recording quickly shrivel. After six weak weeks, his album plunges to No. 130. Though Gilman retains a measure of fame, he may be well on his way toward becoming the world's youngest has-been.

"I was in madison square garden watchin U2, I saw Colin with Steven Tyler. rock and roll dude"

it was posted on 22-06-2001

AeroDynamic Rocker
That dude looks like a gymnest--but he's really Aerosmith frontman, Steven Tyler, getting a bit crazy as he leaves his midtown hotel on a luggage cart yesterday. The ageless rocker walked this way until getting onto his tour bus, as Aerosmith took its Just Push Play concert tour to Hershey, PA last night. Perennial chart-toppers have been playing Jones Beach for much of the last week.

Sounds like Steven...

" I stopped stopped at a place where they were selling fireworks. It was a small house and it was weird. You had to knock on a door you couldn't see through and then someone came out and checked your drivers liscense. To make a long story short while I was checking out I thought I heard the girl working there mention Steven Tyler. So I said "who"? And she said you know the Aerosmith guy, Steven Tyler? I said what about him and she said he and Joe Perry (and a young blond boy, Joe's son Im sure) were in there the previous day buying fireworks! I almost died, lol. Well I grilled her for every detail I could get out of her as to what they said and what they were wearing. I hung on her every word. They said that Joe was very quiet but that Steven was very likeable, asking questions and he didnt act like a famous person at all. Steven was wearing bright tight yellow pants with bright orange open backed sneakers and a rainbow striped shirt. Then she adds in "Oh, they were staying at the Holiday Inn right across the street. " Well, that just about did it for me. The hotel was like in the middle of nowhere. It woulda been so cool to have the info earlier. They took pics with the family. None of them are fans of the group (I have trouble even typing that statement), but they were happy they came in and couldnt say enough about how funny and nice Steven was. Oh, Steven spent around $250 on fireworks and thats a lotta fireworks, lol.

STEVEN Tyler with daughter Mia in the Hogan store on Spring Street buying a pair of size-11 women's sneakers - for himself . .

If you want to download, go to www.aerocanal.com, choose the Portuguese version with the Brazilian flag and then click on the link that says "Notícias". Once there, scroll down to where it says "Notícias colocadas em 22/06/01: Clipe de FAFH? Só AQUI!". Just a few rows under that you'll find a link with the text "clique aqui". That is the one to use to download the video...

Another way is to, at www.aerocanal.com, click on the Spanish flag. If so you will enter another page on which, if you scroll down, you will find a pic that says "Video De Fly Away From Here". If you click on that a pop-up window will appear. In that window there will be a pic that says "Descargar El Video De Fly Away From Here". Click on that and the download will also start...

I hope that will explain it enough for people to understand how to do it...

Thirty years ago, "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" was the Aerosmith credo. Now, with group members reportedly off drugs for some time, Aerosmith will soon live by new rules: "sex, Dodge and rock 'n' roll."

The platinum-selling band has just signed a sponsorship deal with Dodge and will be paid millions annually to plug the auto line in ads, TV and radio commercials, at NASCAR events and in the group's ongoing "Just Push Play" tour.

That means Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the rest of the band will tool around in new Dodge Vipers and Ram trucks.

Jim Schroer, executive VP of global marketing of Dodge owner DaimlerChrysler, called the alliance between Aerosmith and Dodge "a perfect match. Both represent the rebellious and youthful energy that great rock 'n' roll bands and great car brands have come to represent."

Aerosmith was traveling and could not be reached for comment. But I understand they're planning to announce the deal here on Monday.

So huge, in fact, that it has even become a launching pad to Hollywood. Mia Tyler, 22, daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, 53, and 1/2 sister of actress Live, 24, 1st tried modeling in 1998 and quickly landed spreads in Teen and Seventeen magazines. The succsess brought the 5'8'', size-12 Tyler a fame independent of her illustrious family's. The elisabeth line "just called for her and we explained that she couldn't show up because she was on tour with her dad," says Susan Georget, director of Wilhelmina's division for sizes 10 to 20. "They said, 'Who's her dad?"

The exposure also helped Tyler win small parts on TV shows and just finished her 1st lead role, in the movie A Little Bit of Lipstick, due out in January. "It's a love story that shows you don't have to be a size 2 to be a leading lady," says Tyler, who lives alone in Manhattan. "When you read a script, it shouldn't have to be Jennifer, size 6.' It should be about who can play the part right. The same for moderling."

In singles news, Fly Away From Here AND Just Push Play (the song) are making news. First, while Fly Away From Here isn't in the Billboard top 50 yet, it is making strides. According to Radio and Records online, Fly Away is the 28th most played song at pop radio this week. When the song gets more "adds" at other stations...It'll climb higher and make a splash into the upper reaches of the Billboard charts.

The song Just Push Play was 10th on the Mainstream Rock charts for last week. It has been getting LOTS of rock airplay. This is interesting to me as It was detailed that some time back, JPP was intended to be the 3rd single released. Now, Im not so sure that's still gonna happen. We shall see......It'll be interesting!

Subject: AF1 hooked me up tonight
From: MICTYLER

I went to the Jones Beach show tonight, without a ticket, and I went over to talk to the AF1 reps to see if I can get a half decent seat from them. They were both very cool and hooked me up with a pa~~ to sit on a platform on Brads side of the stage. They didn't have the onstage seating tonight. It was pretty cool. I got to see the show from a different view. We got to go backstage before the show but not after, only people with laminate pa~~es got to back after the show. Unfortunately, Aerosmith was nowhere to be found. But I did see Big Pussy from The Sopranos hanging out back there before the show.

Aerosmith sounded great tonight especially Rattlesnake Shake. Joe Perry smashed his guitar during Train Kept A Rollin'. If anyone gets stuck with sh&~ty seats from AF1 (most of us) or couldn't get a ticket for a show, I definately suggest talking to the reps at the show. They were both very nice.

All these pics can be accessed at the AeroFANatic website

When the band did their second show at the Jones Beach Amphitheatre, Wantaugh, NY yesterday, 6/18/01, they played alot of awesome tunes we usually don't get to hear...

Those who were there got to hear "Walkin The Dog", "Rattlesnake Shake", "Seasons Of Wither"(!!!) and "Milk Cow Blues"! Also worth mentioning was that they didn't play "Janie's Got A Gun", "Rag Doll" nor "Dude"! Wow!

Now, if they would just replace "IDWTMAT", "Pink" and "Jaded" with "Nobody's Fault", "Lord Of The Thighs" and "Rats In The Cellar" I think we'd have something very close to a perfect setlist... ;)

...or of they want to have more ballads, what about "You See Me Cryin'" or "Home Tonight"? Or imagine if they would play "Kings and Queens" or even better, "Spaced"... yeah, yeah, I know, in my dreams... but still, "Dream On until your dreams come through", isn't that what the man says? :)

OK, here's the complete setlist from last night:

Beyond Beautiful
Love In An Elevator
Jaded
Just Push Play
Walkin The Dog
Fly Away From Here
Pink
Mama Kin
Dream On
Rattlesnake Shake
Under My Skin
Seasons Of Wither
Back In The Saddle
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
Cryin'
Drum solo(kinda) Popcorn scat/ Walk this Way
Uncle Salty/ Sweet Emotion
(((ENCORE)))
Livin On The Edge
Train Kept A Rollin'...
Milk Cow Blues

Perry: We definately got back that unique Aerosmith sound on the album. We know that we own this sound. What everyone refers to as that Aerosmith sound is the funk sound in rock. Its not heavy metal and its still white but theres a thread of rhythm that seperates us from the rest of the pack.We're just funkier than the rest, man.

'Anyone believing Aerosmith are longing to return to their blue denim roots are deluding themselves. These songs may provide a rocking backbone to the Smiths always energetic live shows but thats as far as rediscovering their rock roots goes.'

Tyler: I remember recording 'Aerosmith' and 'Get Your Wings' like it was yesterday, man. Its the years after that where things start getting blurred. Like which tour did that big festival happen and such.

When talking of Toys and Rocks Perry talks about using the studio as a medium for the first time 'We also left a lot up to other people and the end result wasnt what we intended it to be like.' - Maybe why they dont want to go back to Jack?

Tyler: These guys we used to look up to or share the stage with are all working in Macdonalds now.


On a seperate article with Izzy Stradlin he says some real cool stuff about Aerosmith

'Then we toured with Aerosmith and it was like, thank God we got to meet some people that werent fucked up! It influenced me big time. Oh, yeah. Cos Tyler and those guys, they were always like my rock idols. Growing up in Indiana, I loved fucking Aerosmith, man. Smoke a joint...listen to the first record... When we toured with them id go out to watch and they'd sound fucking amazing! I thought, we're gonna have to really pull this shit together to keep up. Cos they were tight, you know?'

Then they interviewed Steven and Pink. Pink said she looooves Steven, has for a long time. Look like Steven liked that comment by the look on his face..lol

It also showed the Bee Gees saying that Aerosmith was older than them...

Anyways, six captures from this can be found at http://www.aerosmithweb.com

Just Push Play
Thirty-one years and 55 million records later, Aerosmith is still pushing their music
by Glenn Gamboa Staff Writer

AEROSMITH is still hungry. Yes, the bad boys from Boston have sold more than 55 million records, with 17 platinum and 22 gold albums to their names. Sure, singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer are now part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But they still feel they have something to prove. "We're still captured by the dream," said Perry, calling from the band's Boston rehearsal studio. "We still love making music. I still haven't played the best solo I can. None of the band feels like we have done the best record we can. So we keep going." Now, 31 years into its adventure, the band that can claim classics such as "Dream On" and "Walk This Way" and mega-hits "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is still celebrating some firsts and pushing to be better on its new tour to support its "Just Push Play" CD. "It's the most ambitious show we've ever put on," Perry said. "This time, we're going out with our own stuff, like our own video production for the video screens. Let's face it. We're a live band. We like to play live. We like to let the music speak for itself." Aerosmith's durability also speaks volumes. By rocking into its fourth decade, the band clearly impresses those whom it has influenced. "They're one of the only bands from their era still out there doing it," said Jason Wade, lead singer of up-and-coming rockers Lifehouse. "And their new stuff is so amazing. They haven't lost their edge. They haven't lost their touch. They're still at the top of their game." Aerosmith's already-platinum "Just Push Play," featuring the hit "Jaded" and the new single "Fly Away From Here," already is a success, since it is the band's first self-produced album. "We've been talking about doing it for a long time, and we thought, 'If not now, when?'" Perry said. "It worked out well. We didn't have anybody to answer to. We set our own limits and our own schedules. "Whether it rises or falls is on us. But we know it wouldn't have sounded like that if we didn't do it, so we can't really blame anybody else if it doesn't work. We think it sounds as good as it does because of us." The band is anxious to see how the songs from "Just Push Play" develop on the road. "Over the years when you write songs you get to know the ones that are going to be great live and that others don't mean that much live," Perry said. "But until we get out on the road for a month or so we won't know which is which." One song Perry is rooting for is "Beyond Beautiful." "It's got a groove and a feeling that we love, kind of close to 'Rag Doll,' that same vibe," he said. Perry is also glad "Just Push Play's" title track is also coming along in rehearsals. "It's like we took Aerosmith rock and roll and mixed it with what Fatboy Slim does," he said. "It's like we put all these musical flavors in a blender and put it on whip. It's got great energy and is a real party song. We hope that comes out live."

WHERE&WHEN Aerosmith plays Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. First two shows are sold out. Tickets for Wednesday ($40, $65, $85) are available through Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000.

AFTER 30 YEARS, AEROSMITH STILL ROCKS
By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY

WANTAGH, N.Y. — I don't know about you, but the idea of watching middle-aged men run around screaming and doing suggestive things with musical equipment can make me a bit queasy. Mind you, it's not the inherent silliness of such behavior that bothers me. It's just that I associate that silliness with rock stars who are decades past their prime and desperately trying to recapture past glories. Fortunately, this dynamic doesn't apply to Aerosmith, whose concert ( out of four) at the Jones Beach Theater Saturday night was a testament to the enduring appeal of hard-rock excess when it's delivered with conviction and panache.
The 30-year-old band has transcended nostalgia-act status not only by continuing to pump out hit singles, but by performing these hits with a mix of style, chops and utter shamelessness that is rare among its peers.

Those qualities were all on display at Saturday's performance. Singer Steven Tyler took the stage sporting streaked hair that covered half his face, enormous tinted shades that hid about another quarter and a flowing, multicolored frock that he promptly ripped off (along with the shades) to reveal a torso-hugging tank top. Lead guitarist Joe Perry braved the humidity in his trademark black leather jacket, worn open.

But however cartoonish their appearance, Aerosmith's dynamic duo exhibited a prowess that defied snickering. Anyone who ever bought into the portrait of the group as a bunch of Rolling Stones wannabes should try to imagine Mick Jagger and Keith Richards harmonizing with the kind of power and clarity that Tyler and Perry revealed while sharing the microphone for the occasional line or verse.

Though Tyler struggled with the piercing high notes in Dream On, one of several early hits sprinkled through the set, he was generally in fine voice. His tangy, keening tenor lent sweetness and spice to unabashedly sentimental tunes such as Fly Away From Here, a selection from the band's latest CD, Just Push Play.

In general, though, the emphasis was on rockers rather than the power ballads that have given Aerosmith some of its biggest hits. Perry deftly delivered the flashy, speed-driven solos that are de rigueur for any hard-rock guitarist, but was even more impressive during the more lyrical, melodic interludes he injected into songs such as Love in an Elevator and the recent single Jaded.

Guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer gave supple rhythmic support.

The staging was not always as inspired as the music. Many numbers, particularly MTV-era hits, were accompanied by the kind of glossy video footage you would expect to see at a bubblegum-pop concert.

Still, the relaxed friskiness and unself-conscious bravado that these veteran rock stars demonstrated live and in the flesh were undeniably entertaining. If I could just give Tyler a little unsolicited advice: Trim the bangs, dude — you'll get a better look at your adoring fans.

On Stage, Aerosmith Soars

By JIM FARBER
Daily News Music Critic

Playing live isn't such a good idea for some acts. Concerts only underscore the shoddiness of their skill shorn of studio tricks.

It's the opposite way with Aerosmith. Playing live redeems them, freeing the band of all those production gimmicks that, while helping get their songs on the radio, only obscure their true talent for punch.

Over the past 15 years, this long-running Boston band has remained a commercial powerhouse by prostituting themselves to the demands of Top 40 pop, at the serious expense of their rock core.

Luckily, at their sold-out Jones Beach show Saturday night (which precedes concerts at the venue tonight and Wednesday), Aerosmith tipped the balance back the other way, downplaying pruned pop in favor of mangy rock. They were back in the saddle again.

Older fans shouldn't get too excited. Just under half the night's 22-song set drew from their uncompromised '70s peak. But when the band dutifully trotted out their MTV-driven hits - from "Janie's Got A Gun" to "Jaded" - they delivered them without those horns, strings, and production glop that castrate them in the studio. Even a power ballad like "Fly Away Home" had some vim, while "Just Push Play" (the title of their latest LP) soared on Joe Perry's impertinent guitar riff.

Of course, the band clarified itself best in boogie-woogie classics like "Rats In The Cellar" or "Same Old Song and Dance." Even after a quarter century, such songs still sound more spry than anything they've done since.

Jaded
Fly Away From Here
Sweet Emotion
Mother Popcorn(alt lyrics)/Walk This Way

The intro to Walk This Way was the Mother Popcorn music, but instead of Steven singing the lyrics to that ("well ya gotta have a mother for me...' etc) he sang other words... The lyrics were from a song called 'Iko Iko' (anyone know who originally did it?).

During 'Walk This Way' Pink came out on stage to sing with Steven. She's a fan of the band, and the guys seemed to enjoy it...

All in all a somewhat low key show; understandable they must have flown all night to get there (and then all night to get back to the east coast). Joe was wearing a leather suit and it's VERY warm there even at 7pm...

AEROSMITH ON TOUR :
BONA FIDE ROCK AND ROLL - TOUR DIARY - HOLMDEL  NJ, 6/12/01

Fifteen minutes before showtime, I took a good look at the crowd – packed almost to capacity (they had sold out here on Sunday night) and was amazed by the age range of this fan base. There were the people you’d expect to see at an Aerosmith show; guys with long hair who rode in on motorcycles, men who left the office early to get a few beers in them before the show, women who dressed as if they hoped Steven Tyler would see them and take them home; and then the normal concert going public just out to see a good rock show. I met Joe from Dix Hills, Long Island who was making this his 106th Aerosmith show. He is 71 years old.

Five minutes to showtime and the crowd emitted an electronic tension in anticipation of their heroes taking the stage. At the three minute mark a chant emerged from the depths of lawn… "Aerosmith! Aerosmith! Aerosmith!" they cried. Two minutes to show, the house went dark and the telltale signal from a roadie’s flashlight indicated that the band was on the move.

Showtime. From the darkness, a familiar voice, "Have we got a full house? How bad do you want it?" As the crowd cheered the lights came up and a fire display appeared on the main screen behind the stage. There they were, Aerosmith, pacing like five boxers at the start of a match. Steven Tyler in a glowing tight white silk suit, Joe Perry in black leather, Brad Whitford in a red t-shirt and black pants, Tom Hamilton in all black and Joe Kramer in a sleeveless shirt. The ascending riffs tore from Perry’s guitar as the Toxic Twins erupted into "Beyond Beautiful" from their new album Just Push Play.

For the next two hours the assault did not stop. Combining classics and new songs, Aerosmith went right into "Love in an Elevator" and "Jaded" complete with clips from their videos split on the screen that showed close-ups of the band for the fans on the lawn.

Steven came to the front of the stage for "Just Push Play" and seemed to want to show the ladies his "Big Ten Inch" as he sang an Aerosmith classic. If younger fans forgot how much this band has seen and done, a 25-year retrospective of footage and memorabilia was shown on the big screen.

From there it was "Away From Here" and "Pink" complete with more video clips. Steven asked the audience, "What did you come here for?" and Perry hit the opening strands of "Mama Kin". Tyler did a nice harmonica solo as the band seemed to jam on the Foghat gem, "Slow Ride" for just a bit.

As a techno beat filled the venue, the band left the main stage and surrounded by an army of security. They walked through the crowd and headed to a smaller stage on the lawn. Once on the stage, Steven Tyler shouted that he wanted to see "250 of you crazy motherf**kers!" and they performed "Same Old Song and Dance" (which concluded with a taste of the Doors "Love Me Two Times"), "Dream On" and "Toys in the Attic."

With a Godzilla movie playing on the big screen, the band returned to the main stage to pull out "Rats in the Cellar" and "Janie’s Got a Gun." From there, old and new Aerosmith hits filled the air; "Back in the Saddle" and "Don’t Want to Miss a Thing" (complete with clips from the film "Armageddon" starring Steven’s daughter Liv Tyler, who was in the front row).

After Steven went to kiss some women standing in the "Just Push Play Café" on stage right, the band did "Cryin" and Joey Kramer launched into a drum solo. Tyler did a little of "Mother Popcorn" before Whitford started "Walk This Way."

"You drove 4,087 miles to see Joe Perry take off his shirt?" Tyler asked his disciples (Perry kept his shirt on by the way) and started singing "Uncle Salty" as Perry fired up the voice box for a killer rendition of "Sweet Emotion" that contained a full on assault of sight and sound that ended the set.

Of course you can’t end a show without the proverbial encore and as hordes of Aerosmith fans screamed a voice from the sky called for quiet and directed everyone’s attention to the big screen. What we saw was one of those black and white swirling hypnotic circles that when you stare at it long enough and look at white wall, it appears to still be there. With the crowd mesmerized, Krammer stared pounding the skins, Perry started strumming and "Living on the Edge" assuaged the fans need for more music. This song of tolerance and togetherness seemed to bring people together as complete strangers turned to sing to each other in what looked like the sign of peace in a giant cathedral of Rock and Roll.

To keep spirits high, the band whipped out "Train Kept A Rollin’" and ended the whole show with The Beatles "I’m Down," which the band covered for their Permanent Vacation album.

Aerosmith was leaving the stage and the audience knew it was over. Joey Kramer threw his drumsticks to the crowd and then lingered at center stage… teasing… smiled, waved and walked off.

I asked for some crowd reactions, and Alyssa from Hawthorne, NJ told me that she’s seen Aerosmith a bunch of times and that this was one of their best "most rocking" performances. Jill from Brooklyn, NY said, "We may have the Yankees, but Aerosmith is Boston’s best export."

Hank from Arlington, NJ summed it all up: "What you have just seen is an honest to goodness bona fide Rock and Roll Show. It just doesn’t get any better than this."

--Dan Mathers, SFX/New Jersey

VindalooSpice now sent me some photos from this event, and I decided to post three of them here...

Entertainment was provided by 'Rockapella', five young men from New York, and Steven joined them onstage for a rousing rendition of 'Amazing Grace' and then launched them into an incredible jazzy a capella version of 'Pink' as only the demon' of screamin' could do it.


Their auction had Joey's 9 Lives touring drum kit as one of the items and Joey couldn't resist banging out a few beats on the drum kit to keep the bidding going...


Steven Tyler together with chairwoman, and Joey Kramer's wife, April Kramer

PERMANENT VACATION , Silver , Thu Jul 27 1989
PUMP , Silver , Fri Oct 20 1989
PUMP , Gold , Fri Oct 20 1989
PERMANENT VACATION , Gold , Thu Mar 15 1990
GET A GRIP , Silver , Sat May 1 1993
GET A GRIP , Gold , Sat May 1 1993
GET A GRIP , Platinum , Sat Oct 1 1994
BIG ONES , Silver , Tue Nov 1 1994
BIG ONES , Gold , Tue Nov 1 1994
BIG ONES , Platinum , Thu Dec 1 1994
NINE LIVES , Silver , Sat Mar 1 1997
I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING , Silver , Fri Oct 2 1998
I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING , Gold , Fri Oct 30 1998

also, the latest issue of Classics Rock said that Pump has sold over 9 million worldwide, Get A Grip 12 (although we know its sold a million since 1995!) and Nine Lives 10 million and counting! Nine Lives has only sold like 2 million in America, so that would mean that it has sold 8 million outside of USA. That cant be right!!

also, in the UK the following is the sales that is required...

for an album:
silver 60,000
gold 100,00
platinum 300,000

for singles:
silver 100,000
gold 300,000
platinum 600,000

i sit here with my copy of the aero blues tribute. yeah yeah,i know, "it's supposed to come out tuesday". guess what, it is. but i'm resourceful and got it now. i'm sure you'd love to know how,not. you wanna know what this thing sounds like! here goes.the disc opens with otis clay's version of "cryin'". very b.b. kingish. it's slowed a bit from the original and clay's vocal is nicely ragged,like joe cocker, and the blues licks added throughout add a nice little something. the "smoke filled chicago night club" take on "pink" pleases, a little too cliche though. when and if you buy this,skip right over "walk this way". much too square and well,hokey. As an added bonus to doing so, you'll land on "last child". on the word "i'm" at the begining i swore it was the original vocals. this one is slowed down a bit too. cathy richardson is doing the vocals here. music sounds like stevie wonder did the soundtrack for a porn. very nice.some harmonica,could it be?! yes! it's a fabulous version of "big ten inch". after all that slowing down,this one picks up the pace. you can tell marshall crenshaw (one of my faves) and sugar blue were feeling this one. On "One Way Street " we finally get some slide guitar. Back into the chill mood of the blues. Decent cover. "Back in the Saddle" is a little better. I like the blues take on this song better though. Not as "In Your Face".Depends on your mood too at the time, I suppose. The real gem though is track 8, "Dream On". Really mellow. There's even a choir sounding backing vocal."Draw The Line" hmm,.......what can I say? Once it picks up, it's nice. Upbeat, the variation in the drum beat and the fact chormatic part of the main riff is played by piano and the high part is guitar blends nicely. Thumbs up. "Rag Doll" sounds almost like the original. Except for the vocal,I'd swear someone just looked at the music and played it from that. Not very creative. On the other hand, "Sweet Emotion" is very easy on the ears. The front half reminds me of "Gimme Some Lovin'" from the Specner Davis group. Then there's that jam at the end, sounds like George Clinton doing an "Unplugged "show. Ok, to understand this, go to the nearest "Chuck E Cheese" and listen to the music they have play for the parties. This sounds like it. Oh, this so horrible. Wait now, "Train Kept Rollin'" is good. it's David "Honeyboy" Edwards doing the song by himself with an acoustic guitar that doesn't sound all that good. But that makes it better. It's sounds like some guy on his back porch singing the song to himself. He doesn't quite remember all of it. But the parts he does remember he rocks on. Otherwise he'll pick a couple notes here and there. Oh,masterful. All in all a good disc. Much better than the "Pickin' On Aerosmith". Bluegrass and rock is like putting hot sauce on your macaroni and cheese, ya just don't do it. So anyways, pick it up on tuesday. - Joe

To find out how you can be a part of this great dedication, browse through the website- http://www.dfwflowers.com/aerobook

We would love it if you pass this on to all the Aerosmith fans you know.

Thanks,
- Ashley (AeroLuvr4Life)
- Delanea (DreaminRagDoll)
- Lisa (Joe'sDarlin)
- Laurie (TomsAngel)"

You can read more about the man in the beard at www.johnkalodner.com

http://www.geocities.com/newsows/news29.htm

That interview just goes to show what a complete asshole the man is. Not only is he only interested in money and getting commercial hit records, it seems he has also got a really bad attitude. I don't understand why Aerosmith keeps having him around. To me it seems the man is totally tone-deaf and he sure doesn't make their music any better... oh well, that's just my opinion.

AEROSMITH IN THE SADDLE AT ARTS CENTER

By MARK VOGER
STAFF WRITER

Sometimes, lawn-seat ticketholders at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel feel like second-class citizens. But not at Aerosmith's Sunday night concert.

Forty-five minutes into the show, Aerosmith leaves the stage without explanation. Minutes later, approximately 30 security guards -- beefy arms linked, wearing no-nonsense expressions -- emerge from the right side of the stage.

They've formed a human barrier around Aerosmith, and the men all march to the center of the venue, across to the right and up toward the lawn.

The band mounts a cramped stage on the lawn's edge equipped with instruments and a modest light show, and launch into three oldies: "Same Old Song and Dance," "Dream On" and "Toys in the Attic."

It's a way-cool gesture, though Aerosmith aren't pioneers here.

The Rolling Stones pulled the same stunt on their "Bridges to Babylon" tour. Other aspects of Aerosmith's show conjure the Stones: curved staircases leading to a catwalk; singer Steven Tyler leaning on guitarist Joe Perry as a smoke dangles from Perry's lips; ticket prices creeping north.

But, after all, if any band deserves the title "the American Rolling Stones," Aerosmith wins on razzle-dazzle, onstage energy and career longevity alone.

Opening band Fuel plays a pleasing set of radio-friendly alt-rock. Songs such as "Innocent," "Last Time" and the hit "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" vacillate between hard-edged and acoustic, a sound ultimately more "Gilmore Girls" than Ozzfest.

As Aerosmith takes the stage, Tyler is a shimmying, swaying, shrieking vision with his giant mouth, streaked hair and cascading scarves. Perry plays it cool in a black jacket and black Les Paul guitar. Guitarist Brad Whitford sports a "Bada Bing" T-shirt -- a nod to New Jersey?

Behind the gleaming stage is a giant video screen -- the band's, not the venue's -- which is hard to pry your eyes from, what with all the dizzying camera angles, quick-cuts and even a cymbal-cam. Though the quintet is occasionally joined by a pianist, Aerosmith's true sixth member is a ubiquitous onstage video cameraman.

Sometimes a music video plays on screen while the band performs the corresponding song. "Pink," "Fly Away From Here" and the "Armageddon" theme "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" are fairly well-synced to the live music, which is a tad off-putting. But just when you suspect Aerosmith are using videos as a crutch, they pull that lawn-stage stunt.

Returning to the stage is a trickier enterprise. As the gauntlet struggles, a film of Godzilla fighting Mothra is shown. Appropriately, Aerosmith's first number upon returning is "Back in the Saddle."

Aerosmith performs "Love in an Elevator," "Baby Blue," "Rag Doll," "Mama Kin," "Jamie's Got a Gun," "Cryin'," "Sweet Emotion," "Big Ten Inch Record," "Walk This Way" and three songs from their new CD "Just Push Play." Their encore: "Livin' on the Edge," "Train Kept a'Rollin'," and The Beatles' "I'm Down."

The band is scheduled to perform Tuesday night at the arts center.

Def Leppard - "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" (62%)
Aerosmith - "Angel" (13%)
Ozzy & Lita - "Close My Eyes Forever" (10%)
Motley Crue - "Without You" (10%)
Van Halen - "When It's Love" (5%)

Also, don't forget to start voting for Fly Away From Here on TRL!

Strong tunes overcome video orgy
Review
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Can a great rock band upstage itself? That's what Aerosmith came perilously close to doing last night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where a terrific set was nearly crushed under the weight of an overblown video display.

We're used to seeing huge multiple video screens projecting the performers to the cheap seats, but Aerosmith's was a real monster: Besides two large wing screens, the band's heating-duct set was dominated by a humongous single screen that could split into multiple images. Camera crews in black followed the band around throughout the two-hour set, and I swear I caught guitarist Joe Perry catching glimpses of himself: rock narcissus in excelsis.

The band felt the need to goose its more recent material with clips from the videos for "Janie's Got a Gun,'' "Cryin''' and the new single "Jaded,'' and the power ballad "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'' included shots from the movie 'Armageddon.'' Wasn't it enough that I sat through that movie once?

It's a sin to turn a concert review into a movie review, but any band that depends so heavily on a video show asks for it. Aerosmith doesn't need to, and they proved it with the songs that didn't come with ready-made videos:

Older stuff such as "Mama Kin,'' "Back in the Saddle'' and a roadhouse version of "Big 10-Inch Record'' sizzled, as Perry strutted and lead singer Steven Tyler -- looking more and more like Katherine Hepburn every day -- gave full vent to his vocal demons, scatting and growling like Ella Fitzgerald swallowing a light bulb.

Forty-five minutes into the two-hour set, the band ventured out to a smaller stage set up at the edge of the lawn section and proceeded to give a lean quartet of classics, including "Dream On'' and a blistering take on "Toys in the Attic.'' They ought to note that the majority of people in the orchestra seats were happy to watch the band's backs instead of the slickly edited video feed from the lawnside stage.

As the show built to a finish, the band seemed to rely less and less on the video; in the middle of "Walk This Way,'' Tyler gave one camera a lick and a playful pelvic thrust. Shouldn't rock stars save this stuff for backstage?

Fuel provided everything required of an opening act, and then some. If there's such a thing as bubble-gum metal, this up-and-coming band -- whose CD "Something Like Human'' has produced a number of alternative-chart hits -- serves it up with skill and heart. And they didn't need a single cameraman to do it, either.

FACTS: CONCERT REVIEW AEROSMITH with Fuel

When: Friday night
Where: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Highlights: Fast tunes such as "Mama Kin,'' "Toys in the Attic'' and a bluesy "Big Ten-Inch Record.''
The crowd: Microbrew drinkers in the expensive seats, Jack Daniels sippers on the lawn, plus a few kids in earplugs.

Also, it seems the video edit version of the song has a little more guitar in it, and there is one scene that is kinda messed up. In an outer-space scene there is one animation of a robot that doesn't look like it was finished. Becuase the video goes out of widescreen for the only time and you can see writing on the screen which includes the driector's last name. Also there is no backround there. Just a little flub in editing I suppose.

They have also posted the deadlines for ticket orders for the July, August, and September shows on the Technical Message Board.

Aero dynamics

Published in the Asbury Park Press 6/08/01
By MARK VOGER
Staff Writer

In 2001, we worship the taut midriffs of Britney Spears and Beyonce Knowles; the Stepford choreography of 'N Sync and O-Town; and their electronically manufactured vocal perfection.

And then there's Aerosmith -- old-schoolers who are kickin' it old-school, but who somehow remain contemporary among the gyrating divas and robotic boy bands.

When Aerosmith tours, it's no nostalgia act. Their new CD is "Just Push Play" (Columbia).

"To me," says Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, "it's just because we want to be in the game. There's no way we could just sit by and watch ourselves get old and fat. We had a really powerful desire to be part of this when we were teen-agers, and luckily, it's still there."

When Aerosmith were teen-agers? That was a while back. Singer Steven Tyler is 53; guitarist Joe Perry and drummer Joey Kramer are 50; guitarist Brad Whitford and Hamilton are 49.

Yes, these are the same five musicians who played on the FM classics "Dream On," "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" in the '70s -- though a period of squabbles and substance abuse led to some forgettable, mid-career personnel blips.

The band formed in 1970 and scored platinum on its first three albums: "Aerosmith" (1973), "Get Your Wings" (1974) and "Toys in the Attic" (1975). But by 1979, when Aerosmith released "Night in the Ruts," the band was indeed in a rut, and Perry walked away.

"We'd been touring and touring and just burning out and burning out, and a lot of the resentments and ill will started to build up as a result," recalls Hamilton. "We kind of fell apart."

"It was a pretty depressing period, actually," Whitford agrees, "because, things were just getting worse, and it was going nowhere real fast. For me, personally -- I was very depressed.

"It was about a year after Joe left that I decided I really couldn't be part of it. When I made that decision, it was a tremendous load off my shoulders. I felt just incredibly relieved.

"At that point, I thought Aerosmith was over, really. They struggled on, but it just wasn't the same. For me, it was over."

Through the early '80s, Aerosmith, Perry and Whitford floundered as separate acts.

Recalls Hamilton: "It was kind of weird. You know, Steven and Joe have a bond that's really amazing. Even during that period, with all the anger that happened, Steven was kind of creatively pining away for Joe.

"So Steven and Joe had actually kind of been in contact over that whole period. I remember I'd hear about Steven and Joe having a phone call, and I would dread the idea of getting back together at that point, because I knew it wouldn't work."

A few years later, in February of 1984, Perry attended an Aerosmith gig at the Orpheum Theater in Aerosmith's hometown of Boston. Soon after, the original five members met and decided to reform. But a happy ending still eluded the band; though transgressions were forgiven, the partying continued.

"You know, that's an interesting word: 'partying,' " says Hamilton with a laugh. "Because I think that's what most people think of it as. But the partying was long over. It was just the desperate coping that was going on. Yeah, we all thought we were partying, but in reality, we all were just kind of medicating ourselves."

"My gang believed in quantity," says Tyler of his medicating days. "The 1960s was all about if you could do every drug in the room and still walk out, you were more of a man. If you could smoke that joint of 'Maui wowie' and still get the girl, you were more of a man. If you could get drunk and hold your liquor, you were more of a man.

"That's the John Wayne syndrome: 'Get drunk and you'll get the girl,' " Tyler says, imitating Wayne.

"I was the best. I could drink, like, so much beer sitting under the keg just with my open mouth, just letting it driggle down without swallowing. I hold the record for 33 seconds of letting it go right from the tap right down my throat without one swallow."

So things still weren't gelling for the reunited Aerosmith. A bold solution was suggested by then-manager Tim Collins.

Recalls Hamilton: "After about a year of us trying to come up with a good record and being hung-over and sort of muddled all the time, he said, 'Look, you guys need to think about the idea of getting clean.'

"We all were finally convinced one by one that we needed to consider it a group cause. So we tried it. And it was really difficult coming around to that point."

Recalls Tyler: "I just gave myself 10 years of nothing. Nothing. Not a joint, not a pill, nothing mood-altering other than sex or being onstage. And watching your children be born and learning to fly. But no substance until 10 years."

(Tyler adds that he has since allowed himself "a cold beer on a hot day.")

All of this drama makes life in Aerosmith stressful -- though the rewards are certainly great.

"It can be fun or it can be hell," says Kramer. "When it's hell, it's really hell. When it's fun -- those are the moments that you live for.

"I think that there probably have been a lot of times when a lot of other people would've just given up and walked out and said, '------ this. I can't handle it anymore.'

"I don't think that any one of the five of us are what you would call quitters. That's why we're still around."

"For this band, it's never really balanced," says Hamilton. "There's always some kind of crisis going on. But we communicate about it now. We don't all sneak off to our separate mansions and get obliterated."

Published on June 8, 2001

Aerosmith's Opening Night: Crazy Amazing For Hell's Angels And 'Jaded' Kids
By Brian Ives
06/07/2001

HARTFORD, Connecticut — Having performed brief sets everywhere from the Super Bowl to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the past few months, Aerosmith finally kicked off their much-anticipated Just Push Play tour Wednesday night.

The band seemed under-rehearsed at times — frontman Steven Tyler missed a cue and flubbed a few lines during "Cryin' " — but overall, the band hit a groove, and stuck in it. During the best parts of the show at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Center, they demonstrated why, at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Kid Rock called them "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band."

Fuel opened the show, and suffered the same problem that many support acts face when playing huge summer sheds: many of their fans have the cheap seats, i.e. general admission, and are therefore separated from the band by hundreds of feet of mostly empty chairs. When the band hit the stage, frontman Brett Scallions acted as if it were a packed house — and a few songs later, it nearly was. A half hour into their 50 minutes, when they played "Bad Day" and "Shimmer," the crowd's younger segment was singing along with every word, while the higher-tax bracketers were beginning to take notice. As the band finished up with "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)," those who weren't familiar with Fuel were asking those in the know about this "new" band (who, to date, have two platinum albums).

Aerosmith hit the stage at 9:30, following a brief montage of the band's TV moments on giant video screens around the stage. Opening with "Beyond Beautiful," the first track from Just Push Play, the band seemed a little stiff and a little nervous. The fans were familiar with the song, and the band followed it with their 1976 anthem "Back in the Saddle," to somewhat better response, and a confident version of Just Push Play's lead single, "Jaded," a song they're well used to performing by now.

After playing faithful versions of two of their more immaculate studio productions — 1989's "Love in an Elevator" and the new "Just Push Play" — they kicked into high gear with their cover of the jump blues song "Big Ten Inch Record" (from their 1975 album, Toys in the Attic), at which point Tyler went into charismatic hyperactive ringmaster mode. In an odd bit of pacing, they then slowed things down just as the audience was getting worked into a frenzy, playing their latest single, the ballad "Fly Away From Here."

After that came 1997's "Pink" and "Mama Kin," from their 1973 self-titled debut, and with the crowd once again worked up, they left the stage ... only to appear on a small stage located between the last row of seats and the lawn. It was there that things really got heated: for four songs, the concert became a general admission club gig, which happened to be four of their biggest crowd pleasers: "Same Old Song and Dance," a cover of the Beatles' "Come Together," "Dream On" and "Toys in the Attic."

The band showed its sense of humor while returning to the main stage — during the brief break, the screens showed a parody commercial for a non-existent Aerosmith Greatest Hits 1990-1994 album, featuring "Cryin'," "Crazy" and "Amazing," as well as "Amazing Cryin'," "Crazy Amazing," etc. Not that they shied away from ballads &$151; when they got back on stage, they performed their only #1 hit, the Diane Warren-penned "Armageddon" soundtrack cut "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," as scenes from the movie flashed on the screens.

They closed the main set in a jukebox-like manner, with "Janie's Got a Gun," "Cryin'," "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion." During "Cryin'," Tyler seemed to miss his harmonica cue, but the other band members — guitarists Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer — salvaged the song.

Their exit from the stage was, unsurprisingly, met with deafening applause and a demand for an encore, and Aerosmith didn't let the crowd down, returning with "Livin' on the Edge" and their cover of the Rock 'n' Roll Trio's "Train Kept a Rollin'." Their final encore was a second Beatles cover, "I'm Down," their only selection from their 1987 comeback album, Permanent Vacation.

While Aerosmith's set wasn't flawless, the band wasn't shooting for perfection in the first place. But they were aiming to satisfy their fans — no easy task when the audience is comprised of 40-something Hell's Angels, 20-somethings raised on "Beavis and Butt-head" and younger kids who like "Jaded." The show was truly an all-ages affair, and as one guy said to his son after the show, "Not bad for a bunch of 50-year-olds, huh?"

Visit the 'Concert Setlists' page in the 'Live In Concert' section of this site for the full setlist of this show! Setlists from all shows this tour will be posted there so, if you're interested in seeing what they will play, make sure you visit it!

PhilBurt has made some quality screen captures. Check them out at: http://philburt.com/aerosmith/.

The are also some very nice quality pics from this show at AeroFANatic

Aerosmith delivers
by Sarah Rodman
Thursday, June 7, 2001

Aerosmith at Meadows Music, Hartford, last night.

There's good news for the folks in the cheap seats for the Aerosmith shows at the Tweeter Center June 26 and 28.

The bad boys of Boston will be playing a set just for you.

Last night, at the Meadows Music Center in Hartford, Conn., the hard-rocking quintet kicked off what they're calling the In Your Face tour.

And they're not kidding.

With three huge video screens, an expansive stage set and an entire portion of the 105-minute show played on a satellite lawn stage, Aerosmith definitely got up in it with a sold-out crowd that ran the gamut from perky teens to grizzled '70s survivors.

VH1 was on hand to document the first few songs of the set and opened the show with a kaleidoscopic montage of band images, quick-cutting from the baby-faced early '70s to the well-coiffed present-day and everything in between.

The band then hit the stage - frontman Steven Tyler resplendent in white, guitarist Joe Perry in black leather, and cranked up the first track from their new album ``Just Push Play,'' the stuttering, thunderous ``Beyond Beautiful.''

They immediately galloped into the vaunted past with a spring-loaded version of ``Back in the Saddle,'' with Tyler effortlessly ripping off high-pitched yowls with his patented rock star aplomb.

Proving there's no moss on these newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, the band then lit into the cascading new single "Jaded", marrying that off-kilter ``Ticket To Ride'' rhythm with that sweet Zeppelin-esque riff and a killer right hook.

The early sound mix found the guitars and rhythms tracks too loud and Tom Hamilton's bass sludgy and most of Tyler's raps on the caffeinated ``Just Push Play'' totally unintelligible.

By the time the blooze boogie rave-up ``Big Ten Inch Record'' kicked into overdrive with Perry peeling off howling licks as he did all night, things had leveled out quite nicely.

Videos for the various songs danced on the screens overhead while the band played. The band also showed glimpses of the high-tech video for their new ballad, ``Fly Away From Here.'' In a futuristic, ``Blade Runner''-style world, the group rocked atop a huge skyscraper while a silver-painted Tyler cavorts with former ``7th Heaven'' star Jessica Biel.

The group then ran through the aisles to a small lawn stage, where they played a kicking old school mini-set of ``Same Old Song and Dance,'' ``Come Together,'' ``Dream On'' and sassy ``Toys in the Attic.''

Proving their excellent senses of humor, on the way back they played an old ``Saturday Night Live'' sketch in which Adam Sandler, as Tyler, proves that ballads ``Amazin,'' ``Crazy'' and ``Cryin'' are all the same song. Later, the band did one of these, ``Cryin,'' I think.

The evening ended with the double whammy of ``Walk This Way'' and ``Sweet Emotion.''

Video-Heavy Aerosmith Cruises On Oldies, Some New Material

By ROGER CATLIN
The Hartford Courant
June 07, 2001

The big news for the opening of Aerosmith's "Just Push Play" world tour Wednesday at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Centre was that its first few songs were being broadcast nationally on VH1.

That meant the Hartford crowd played to the cameras almost as much as frontman Steven Tyler. It also made the band concentrate a little too much on blocking; Joe Perry kept looking around trying to remember where he should be standing for his guitar solos.

But the bigger impression came after the TV cameras were turned off, and the band made a daring pilgrimage to a second stage in front of a delighted lawn audience. There, Boston's favorite band was suddenly more than figures on overhead video screens.

And as a full moon rose on a beautifully mild evening, the five band members packed together on the size stage they must have played when they started off 30 years ago. They then played four of their biggest songs: "Same Old Song and Dance," their version of the Beatles' "Come Together," "Dream On" and "Toys in the Attic"

If it left the people in the reserved seats and corporate boxes out of the picture for a few songs, so be it. Aerosmith made its career being a people's band, and by the time it got to the small stage and back to the big one, the band members were loose and having fun. Of course by then they were cruising on oldies from their original `70s heyday and from their remarkable, late `80s comeback.

Employing huge video screens behind them and on each side, the band members relied (maybe too heavily) on the the video clips that helped revive their careers. But they also premiered one of the most unusual (and probably most expensive) videos, their sci-fi one for "Fly Away from Here."

If that ballad is essentially a remake of their No. 1 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," that was OK with the adoring audience, who loved the songs, old and new. Aerosmith was rather light, in fact, on new material from its "Just Push Play" album, doing just four of its songs early in the show before making way for things like "Pink" and "Mama Kin."

What's impressive about a two-hour, 21 song Aerosmith show in 2001 is all the material the band had to leave out. This time around, for example, there was no "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "The Other Side," "Crazy" or "Amazing," though the latter two were covered in a wicked "Saturday Night Live" parody that played as the band made its way between stages.

Alongside the modern sheen of its newer songs, which depend mightily on an additional keyboardist who seemed as anonymous on stage as the several cameramen, Aerosmith brought back its grittier crowd-pleasing covers of the classics "Big Ten Inch Record" and "Train Kept A Rollin'" that roared like the Yardbirds. The band capped the encores with an unplanned second Beatles song of the night, "I'm Down."

Aerosmith members know what it's like to be down. But on their biggest tour yet, they certainly aren't.

The setlist for Aerosmith Wednesday was: "Beyond Beautiful," "Back in the Saddle," "Jaded," "Love in an Elevator," "Just Push Play," "Big Ten Inch Record," "Fly Away from Here," "Pink," "Mama Kin," "Same Old Song and Dance," "Come Together," "Dream On," "Toys in the Attic," "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "Janie's Got a Gun," "Cryin'," "Walk This Way," "Sweet Emotion" (encore) "Livin' on the Edge," "Train Kept A Rolling," "I'm Down."

Hamilton adds that the band knows a segment of its fan base was unhappy to see their heroes doing the halftime show with the other performers, but he tells LAUNCH that they have nothing to worry about. "I just hope that people realize that it was tongue-in-cheek," he says. "I think, you know, a lot of our hardcore fans probably are terrified that we're gonna go off and sing Britney Spears songs--but hopefully we can go out and convince them that they won't have to worry about that."

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

Rock This Way with Joey Kramer

"People think it's this glamorous high life," he says, "and that we're the luckiest guys in the world. Yeah, we are the luckiest guys in the world. But I'm here to tell you, it is hard work. This is not a job you go to, this is a lifestyle you live." Says Joey in an in depth interview with Modern Drummer (July 2001 Issue). This is an interview you won't want to miss! Joey talks about his early beginnings with Aerosmith, his influences, his style, about albums past, and about the making of Just Push Play.

What did his band mates say about him?

Tom Hamilton, bass "Joey's really loud! And when we record, we ride on his playing. He's the raft that we all float on."

Brad Whitford, guitar "I believe that Joey's the most powerful rock drummer of all time. He's a powerhouse. Awesome!"

Joe Perry, lead guitar "Joey can fool around with jazz and other forms of music, but when it comes to what I like - rock - Joey's right there. His playing just cuts through everything else, and it's all I need to hear. I think the best thing about Joey is that he's a good friend and he's always there."

Steven Tyler, vocals "Aerosmith wouldn't be Aerosmith without his drumming. I like to think of Joey's playing as the bed, the base, what we really rely on to get it good. Because if you don't have a good drummer, you might as well kiss it all goodbye."

Please chyron courtesy credit: VH1 SOURCE VH1

From what I hear the movie pretty much sucks though. It is wasted time until 1:26 minutes into it when Steven shows up to play David Foster who is going to give this guy, Kennedy, a chance at a record deal. Steven is on camera for 1 full minute, says three lines, and walks away...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- After spending more than three decades dealing with the business that is rock 'n' roll, Aerosmith co-founder Joe Perry dreams of a time when he can focus on nothing but playing his guitar. Dream on.

With the release of a new album and summer-long U.S. tour that starts Wednesday in Hartford, Perry and the Boston-based quintet have been dizzied by a flurry of videos, movie soundtracks, award ceremonies, sporting event appearances and collaborations with other artists.

"It seems like Aerosmith has turned into a full-time job, which is kind of a drag because I got into this business so I wouldn't have to work,'' Perry said after a recent recording session at his home in Cohasset, Mass.

"We just want to play our guitars, get out there, get a little instant energy, adrenaline rush and move on to the next show,'' he said. "But it seems there's so much other stuff that goes along with it now.''

He admits the band members -- including co-founder Steven Tyler -- have changed, and with them, the music. They still kick out ear-bleeding, riff-based hits, but have found more success in melodic power ballads like "Jaded'' that receive widespread radio play.

"There's only a couple of us that have long hair anymore. You can't stay the same. I think it's boring,'' said Perry, 50. "But I still like leather pants, I don't think that's going to change anytime soon ... they're just not as tight as they used to be, but they're still leather.''

Aerosmith's Just Push Play tour kicks off Wednesday in Hartford, Connecticut, and, for the first time, the gigantic images projected onstage will equal the band's three-decade legacy as one of the world's biggest concert attractions.

"The stage and show are all about the band playing live," guitarist Joe Perry said on Saturday. "That's kind of what we do. But the biggest thing on this tour, literally and figuratively, will be the video screen in back."

Although some of the band's past arena shows have employed video magnification, those monitors came with the venue. This tour marks the first time the band will bring its own "huge" screen, as Perry described it, to integrate video segments and other visual elements — as well as close-ups of Perry's fiery fretwork and singer Steven Tyler's lavish outfits.

Still, Perry harbors minor reservations. "We've never brought a screen with us before, so we hope it will add to the live performance, not take away from it."

The futuristic silver-skinned fembots that embellish everything associated with Just Push Play will of course adorn an elaborate stage 12 tractor-trailers will trek in pieces across 43 cites for 48 dates. Only the first two legs of the tour have been announced with confirmed shows ending September 23 in West Palm Beach, Florida — though Perry said the massive production will keep the band on the road until February.

It seems like a daunting task for the 50-year-old guitarist and his middle-aged bandmates — singer Steven Tyler (53), bassist Tom Hamilton (49), drummer Joey Kramer (51) and guitarist Brad Whitford (49) — but Perry is anxious to return to the circuit.

"I'm pretty much looking forward to getting on the road so I can get some relaxation," he explained. "These last couple of months have been hell because we've been doing other stuff, everything from videos to Superbowl shows. All the planning that goes into those things drives you nuts. But once you're on the road, you go, 'Oh, we can't do it that day because we have a gig,' and we can't do anything on our day off because it's a day off. So we're all looking forward to getting on the road and getting back to normal."

While Perry is grateful for the group's devoted fans, they're only part of the reason Aerosmith continues to rock after 30 years. Selfishness is also part of the equation.

"We're doing this for ourselves, too, because we love putting out the best show we can," he said. "When I go onstage and see the lights we have and know the PA is the best we could buy, I know our fans are going to get the best show we can give them.

"It's like if you have a circus, you don't send your people out there in sweatpants. You want to give your audience the most bang for their buck."

No need to worry! I've been informed that Brad had a prior engagement in NY over the weekend, and thus wasn't able to make the Kiss Concert 22. Marti Frederiksen (co-writer of songs on Nine Lives and Just Push Play) sat in for him....

The Boston Herald reported today that he was at a wedding.

So, just so you know, Brad is in fine form and will be rockin' with the rest of the band in Hartford on Wednesday.


From what I hear the radio station DJ, who was talking to the crowd while they finished setting up, introduced the band by saying the members' names, and said 'Brad' when his temporary replacement entered the stage. Then the curtain comes up and it obviously isn't Brad... Maybe they figured the teeny bopper kids wouldn't know the difference... I've been told that they made no mention of Brad not being there, which I found odd...

Missed Zootopia the 1st time around? NOT A PROBLEM! Visit: http://promo.sfx.com/webcasts/index_archives.asp

Aerosmith - Join us for the rebroadcast of the Aerosmith set this Tuesday night (June 5th) at 10pm EDT and again on Friday afternoon (June 8th) at 4pm EDT. - Visit these websites: www.columbiarecords.com and www.aerosmith.com.

Here's the article:

Fanning flames: New Aerosmith fan club draws fire for mishandling tickets

by Brett Milano

Saturday, June 2, 2001

Boston heroes Aerosmith hit the road this weekend for their first tour in years, on a national swing that runs through September. It begins with a closing set at today's KISS Concert. This would normally be a time for hardcore Aerosmith fans to crank up the music, head for the front rows and celebrate.

That's not the case for everyone this year, however.

Aerosmith acquired new management during the past year, and its fan club business was taken over by a national organization, Fans Rule. Now, fans around the country are alleging that ticket sales have been seriously mishandled by the fan club.

As a result, many fans who intend to see the band within a week still don't have tickets in hand. And many who have received tickets find themselves with back-of-house seats rather than the preferred seating to which they're accustomed.

``I can't imagine that (angering) 30,000 fan club members would be of no concern to a band that might need our cash again someday,'' posted a fan this week at the unofficial site, aerosmithfans.com. ``This could ruin Aerosmith's reputation as a band who never let down their fans.''

Another Web poster had discouraging news for fan club members: ``I got tickets from Ticketmaster, and I'm 10 rows from the stage in Boston. That's good for me, but in the past you could never get those tickets from Ticketmaster, because those would be the fan-club seats.''

Yesterday morning the site's front page even suggested that fans are thinking of a class-action lawsuit against the organization.

In the past, Aerosmith has sold priority tickets to fans through its fan club, Aero Force One. Members would be contacted well in advance and given a chance to purchase tickets before the general public.

``We've never had seats further back than the ninth row,'' said Patrick Brown, a longtime fan from St. Louis. ``This year, I'm seeing them in Missouri and Nashville. I was charged for my tickets a month and a half ago, and I still don't have them in hand.

``People haven't got their tickets, and those that do have them are way in the back. That's the whole reason you join a fan club, to make sure you can see the band.''

The problems apparently started in April, when Fans Rule sent out an e-mail announcement that tickets for the entire tour were about to go on sale through an 800 number - at 3 o'clock the following morning. The system immediately crashed when an estimated 39,000 fans tried calling at about the same time. What happened next was a comedy of errors.

``A lot of us started calling at 3 in the morning, and all we got all night were busy signals,'' says Donna Regan of Holbrook, N.Y. ``The next day I got an e-mail saying they didn't realize how many fans Aerosmith had. `Talk about the greatest fans in the world' - yada, yada.''

Regan and others were assured that they'd have a chance to get their tickets. And she said she was e-mailed a few days later that tickets were finally available. The only trouble was that she got the e-mail a mere two hours before sales began. And since she wasn't home at the time, she was out of luck.

``I got home from work, and found out that they'd e-mailed me around the time I'd left. And when I called the fan club the next day they said, `Sorry, the tickets are all gone.' ''

Regan finally contacted a Herald reporter who brought her case directly to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, who made sure she got in. But not every fan has been so lucky.

An Aerosmith representative said only, ``There are definitely some problems, and we're doing our best to correct them.''

And the fan club is currently knee-deep in damage control. Brown said he received three phone calls from an apologetic fan-club representative, who revealed she had been sent a couple of death threats. Fans Rule has set up a toll-free line, (866) 885-3897, to deal with Aerosmith inquiries. Be prepared for a good 20 minutes on hold, however.

And the front page of Aeroforceone.com says tickets for some of the shows are now going out. But since the first of those shows is the Hartford date next Wednesday, fans will have little chance to complain if the seats aren't good.

Fortunately, many of the fans are keeping cool heads. As a poster on the fan site put it, ``C'mon everybody, don't take it out on the band just because the fan club has been shafting some of you. This is Aerosmith, there's a mutual loyalty here.''

http://www.vh1.com/community/one_to_one/aerosmith/

http://www.aerosmithweb.com/teen.html