When a band is still touring after almost four decades, the obvious question is going to arise: Can they still rock? Aerosmith answered that question with a resounding “yes” last Friday at the Tweeter center in Mansfield. Aerosmith’s formative days took place right here in Boston, even practicing in Boston University’s own West Campus basement.
James Montgomery Band opened the show, replacing Joan Jett, who couldn’t make it. Though talnted musically, Montgomery were uninspiring. Their songs — nearly all almost 10 minutes long, with multiple guitar and drum solos and very little lyrical content — failed to get the crowd moving, and the crowd was ready for Aerosmith long before the last chords of the opening act.
Aerosmith opened with a rocking rendition of “Love in an Elevator,” with a voice still good enough to tour, if not a little weak.
Though the crowd settled in as the night went on, the electricity from the opening outburst never died down. Brad Whitford and Joe Perry demonstrated some truly amazing guitar playing on songs like “Last Child” and “Draw the Line.” Perry likes to showboat, playing behind his back at certain points just because he still can.
Whitford, meanwhile, is reserved onstage but still showcases his talent on both rhythm and lead guitar. One of the most intimate parts of the show was when Perry and Tyler sat together on the front of the stage and played the first song they ever wrote together, “Movin’ Out” — more meaningful than usual because they were near Boston. But even that was topped by “Dream On,” still simply amazing live; a sight to see (and hear) for any true classic rock fan. But it was stuck in the middle when it should have closed out the show. The lackluster encore, “Walk this Way,” was marred by sound problems.
Everything may move a little slower onstage, but Aerosmith still know how to put on a hell of a show. Fans expecting a lot of newer stuff, such as “Jaded” or “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” were probably a little disappointed, because they mostly played from their older days. But anytime Steven Tyler is on vocals and Joe Perry is wailing on guitar, the bad boys from Boston are almost guaranteed to put on a good homecoming show.
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