Philadelphia has a long history with Aerosmith – and it hasn’t always a been good one. But all that was swept under the rug as one of the contenders for America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band launched their “Peace Out” farewell tour at the Wells Fargo Center to a packed house last weekend.
Led by 75-year-old frontman Steven Tyler and 72-year-old guitarist Joe Perry, the group might technically be more senior citizens than deserving of the “Bad Boys from Boston” moniker, yet you’d never know it given the energy and fervor with which they hit the stage Saturday night at Broad and Pattison.
Kicking off with the apropos “Back in the Saddle” from the landmark 1976 LP Rocks, the setlist on the whole appealed to old school devotees, given 10 of the 18 songs were released before 1980. That’s not to say casual fans were left in the dark, with ‘90s sap like the Diane Warren-penned “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and “Cryin’” allowing for swaying singalongs.
It was the rougher edged “Toys in the Attic,” “Rats in the Cellar” and deep cuts “No More No More” and “Adam’s Apple” where Aerosmith dug in and found their groove however. Anything that let the music breathe during extended, bluesy jams seemed to connect the band to their roots and bring knowing smiles from Tyler, Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton and guitarist Brad Whitford.
The set up featured platforms in the rear for the band to play to those behind the stage, ramps on the sides that extended out into the first level and a V-shaped ego ramp used liberally by Tyler. Perry ventured out onto it often as well, mainly sticking to his stage left side while Hamilton and Whitford sporadically wandered around it. Inside of the V were a pit area for deep-pocketed fans and members of the tech crew.
During the second half of the show, Perry and Tyler set up shop on the tip of the ramp to sit down and belt out “Hangman Jury,” “Seasons of Wither” and bantered back and forth about the early days before going into the first song they ever wrote together, “Movin’ Out.”
Afterward, firmly reset at centerstage before he took a vocal turn on a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around,” Perry addressed the audience, noting that it was the 40th time Aerosmith played the region. Tyler interjected with a not so fond memory of someone tossing an M-80 onstage in the late-70s, calling it “like the Big Bang theory,” before the guitarist waved him off and said they weren’t going to talk about that.
It was during a show at the Spectrum in 1977 when a concertgoer threw an M-80 as the group were returning to the stage for an encore. The explosion seared Tyler’s cornea and deeply cut Perry’s arm, apparently hitting an artery. About a year later, once again at the Spectrum and just a handful of songs into the set, someone launched a beer bottle from the balcony which hit the soundboard by the stage and shattered upward into Tyler’s face, leaving him a bloody mess. The band angrily walked off and didn’t return to the city for four long years.
All that was in the past though as Aerosmith said goodbye – likely for good this time – with an encore that saw Tyler perched atop a white piano at the end of the ramp belting out the second half of “Dream On” while Perry ripped through the ballad’s guitar solo below him. One last run through a raucous “Walk This Way” before streamers and confetti rained down as the band waved goodbye.
There were some lowlights and expected first night hiccups. Tyler botched a verse of “No More No More” and spent the entire night visibly angered at being unable to hear from the monitors and his in-ears, directing his ire at the crew and anyone within spitting distance of the side stage soundboards. He wasn’t the only one, as Whitford was vocal in expressing his frustration at the sound too.
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And while you can’t besmirch Tyler from needing some assistance at his age and given the often linguistic gymnastics of his lyrics, the gigantic teleprompter across the arena could be read by 80 percent of the audience and took away from any feeling of spontaneity or surprise at what song was up next.
Original drummer Joey Kramer has been absent from the band roster since 2020 with drum tech John Douglas performing in his place. It’s a bit of a bummer not to see Aerosmith go out with its original lineup intact.
It could be worse though, as openers the Black Crowes had brothers Rich and Chris Robinson as the sole representation from the retro rockers’ membership since the last time they were in town supporting Aerosmith, 33 years ago at the Spectrum. Now grizzled veterans with their own sordid history of drug abuse, breakups and makeups, Rich and Chris – on vocals and guitar respectively – laid out an hour-long set filled with the hits “Sting Me,” “Thorn in My Pride,” “Twice as Hard” and “Jealous Again.”
A version of this article appears in this week’s print and online editions of my syndicated Rock Music Menu column under the title “Aerosmith plays Philadelphia for 40th and likely last time.”
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 