Out & About

Aerosmith Bids Farewell to Old School Rock Fans in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH -- Some say rock'n'roll will never die, but even the biggest rock bands in history someday have to say goodbye -- and a fond farewell awaited Aerosmith this week at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Plenty of old school rock bands have launched farewell tours over the past couple of decades, and a good chunk of them are still milking out a few more legs of that decades-long final trek.

But American rock legends Aerosmith just kicked off their "Peace Out" Tour this past week, giving longtime fans a chance to "go crazy one last time," as their promotions for the tour proclaim.

The 40-date tour kicked off in Philadelphia on Saturday, making the Pittsburgh show stop No. 2 on the brand new tour -- one for which the band promised to deliver "the best show of our lives."

That's a high bar for a band that has been on the road for more than half a century since forming in Boston in 1970.

Time will tell if the band will tack on additional show dates and more legs of the final tour beyond this current jaunt's closing date in January.

Until then, these rock'n'roll icons seem to be poised to pack every house in every city they visit -- despite some eye-popping ticket prices.

But Wednesday's show in Pittsburgh on a steaming hot late summer night was eagerly awaited by legions of fans representing many generations of rockers -- from young ladies strutting their most head-turning concert-night outfits to AARP members cruising in motorized chairs, ready to rage. Fans were happy to make their way out of the heat and into the cool air conditioned PPG Paints Arena – home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The stage for Aerosmith's "Peace Out" Tour was itself somewhat of a marvel. Built in the shape of an "A" with wings to represent the band's logo, it was almost set up like a concert in the round.

Seats were sold in all parts of the arena -- even behind the stage. And it turned out that those weren't bad seats at all.

Catwalks forming the tip of the "A" came far out into the crowd on the floor, and the catwalks forming the wings allowed band members to traverse clear up into the seating areas on either sides. A rear stage area behind the drum set also allowed band members to get up close and personal with fans in the back -- and they often did just that.

There was even a small pit of people who could stand inside the "A" between the main catwalks -- apparently VIP fans who were ready to drop some serious dough for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Above the stage were huge LED screens that brought the action on the stage to life with crystal-clear images of the band members while they performed. The screens formed a giant triangle directly above the stage, giving side-view and back-view audience members a great perspective regardless of where the performers were standing.

As a prerecorded video history of the band played on the screens before the band took the stage, a digital countdown until showtime was displayed along with it. A contagious, electric vibe began to build through the arena as the clock wound down and the lights began to dim.

Two massive wings lowered from the rafters and flanked either side of the "A" as the band took the stage in Pittsburgh for one last time -- launching into the classic "Back in the Saddle."

Those in the crowd remained on their feet as the boys kept their foot on the gas, following through with a barrage of hits -- "Same Old Song and Dance," "Rag Doll," "Livin' On the Edge" and "Janie's Got a Gun."

With a catalogue of albums spanning 50 years and a long string of singles, hits and even crowd-favorite deep tracks, Aerosmith could have played until sunrise before running out of gems. There were several traditional live staples and chart toppers that simply did not make the cut on the set list, yet there were plenty of big hits and old-school deep cuts woven into the mix for the two-hour show.

Singer Steven Tyler's voice sounded as strong as ever, and his mesmerizing stage presence and flamboyant rock'n'roll style made it hard to focus on anyone else on stage. Boasting his signature scarf-clad gypsy rocker image, he strutted around the stage in full command and often took to the harmonica throughout the night to add a bluesy punch to the formula.

Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry -- the “Toxic Twins” -- fit the moniker, looking and performing together like inseparable brothers.

"We'll take you back to 1975," Tyler said, as the band ripped into "No More No More."

Kudos to the video crew, who did a superb job of capturing each member of the band up close while superimposing cool graphics on the jumbo video screens for a mesmerizing visual smorgasbord to go with the music.

The more recent single "Cryin'" (more recent, as in 1994 …) was followed by the deep cut "Adam's Apple," keeping both the commercial crowd and longtime, hard-core fan base satisfied.

There were video monitors positioned all over the stage to display lyrics for each song, and a larger lyric video monitor was unapologetically displayed directly behind the sound board in the back of the room. Fans could easily look to the monitor to see what song was coming next, but eventually most of those who caught on to the cheat sheet chose not to ruin the surprise.

The middle of the set brought Tyler and Perry to a pair of seats at the tip of the stage’s "A" for "Hangman Jury," "Season of Wither" and "Movin' Out."

Perry reminded the crowd that the world lost a true guitar hero this year in Jeff Beck. Perry then busted out a treasure on stage in Beck’s honor.

"This is his guitar, right here," he said. "His wife gave this to me, and she said 'keep playing it.'"

And he did just that -- making sure the sound of Beck's guitar continued to be heard live and loud in front of thousands of fans.

While Perry is undoubtedly a great rock guitar player with a raw and boozy signature style, fellow Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford is a great player as well, boasting a tasty and more refined technique on the six string – delivering an array of lead guitar moments in the spotlight and rock-solid rhythm riffing, as well.

"Love in an Elevator" was followed by a Fleetwood Mac cover of "Messin' Around,” with Perry on lead vocals.

A crowd sing-a-long erupted during "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" before "Rats in the Cellar" was followed by bassist Tom Hamilton taking center stage, building up an extended bass solo that transitioned into the opening notes of "Sweet Emotion."

Hamilton was all business in laying down the low end for the night. At one point when Tyler was belting it out right next to Hamilton, the singer playfully offered to share his mic and give Hamilton a chance to shout out some backing vocals. Hamilton simply mouthed “no, thank you,” and just kept playing!

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer is not performing with the band for the final tour. The band previously announced that Kramer “regrettably made the decision to sit out” and focus on his health and his family. His duties behind the kit were performed admirably by his drug tech John Douglas, and the band was also backed by sax player Seth Stachowski, keyboard player Buck Johnson and backing vocalist Suzie McNeil.

"Toys in the Attic" closed the set with giant balloon toy characters -- a frog, a bear, a gnome and an elephant from the cover of the 1975 album of the same name -- dropped down from the rafters and bobbed above the crowd.

The encore brought Tyler to a (literally) smoking piano for "Dream On," and the night ended with "Walk This Way" and a stream of confetti.

While the sound throughout the night was great most of the time, from the crowd’s perspective, the band was obviously experiencing some technical difficulties with the monitors on the new stage. It was only the second night of the tour, and some of the bugs apparently were still being hammered out. Tyler in particular was patiently but persistently giving hand signals to the stage-side sound crew and speaking to the sound engineers via talkback mics from the beginning of the show through the encore.

After a low rumble murmured out of the speakers during one point in the show, Tyler asked the crowd if they could hear it, too.

“Welcome to the sound check of our final dress rehearsal,” Tyler jabbed.

If you asked the band how the Pittsburgh show went, they may say it was a rough show in light of those challenges. But the technical difficulties rarely bled over into what the crowd was hearing – a great rock’n’roll show delivered by legends of the genre.

Fans were not only treated to a solid night of Aerosmith, the appetizer for the show was none other than The Black Crowes. The brothers Robinson and crew delivered a set full of energy and full of their own hits and crowd favorites – including “Twice as Hard,” “Sometimes Salvation,” “Hard to Handle,” “Thorn in Mu Pride,” “She Talks to Angles,” “Jealous Again” and “Remedy.” Much like Aerosmith, The Black Crowes threw out some deep tracks, as well, to mix it up and keep things interesting.

Both bands are rock heavy hitters that racked up hit after hit before the turn of the century. The old-school rock swagger was back in full force throughout the night, as blues-infused, guitar-driven rock anthems were brought to life once again.

It’s something that dominated the radio airwaves in their heyday and has become classic rock today. But judging from the reaction of the crowd, it’s something that legions of concertgoers want to hear.

"It's not goodbye, it's 'Peace Out,'" the band asserted about this final tour.

We shall see. If fans missed this stop on the farewell tour, hopefully they can catch the penultimate show in Columbus in January, or heck, maybe a new leg could even bring the band back to Wheeling one last time.