A different Aerosmith comes home
Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass., June 16, 2009
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
A homecoming Aerosmith is almost always a real treat - the boys are back on home turf before longstanding supporters, soaking up the crowd and giving it back. But this return was different on a bunch of scores, and not all of them good.
For starters, this wasn't Aerosmith as we have come to known them. Guitarist Brad Whitford was out with an injury caused by hitting his head while getting out of his Ferrari, replaced for a few weeks by Bobby Schneck, who ably performed the material.
The biggest issue was front man Steven Tyler's voice, typically an instrument in and of itself. Time and again, though, he just seemed inert at the beginning of songs, not sounding all that strong. He also sounded hoarse a good chunk of the time and tended to stay away from the high notes (there's something to be said for knowing your limits), helped out a lot by a touring keyboardist on the vocals. Tyler's vocals grew stronger towards the end of the evening, but this was not the Tyler we have grown accustomed to.
Tyler remained a strong front man and presence, moving about the stage (his mother sat on stage), shaking and bending his lithe body and being a sturdy performer.
What also stayed intact was the superb playing of the band. Joe Perry went through a zillion guitars depending on what sound he wanted to get for a song, and remained a deft player, squeezing out the notes whether rocking or bluesy without a lot of drama or showiness. He sang one song, which showed why Tyler handles most of the vocals. Bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer set a good beat throughout.
Aerosmith did something different by playing most of its very strong third release, "Toys in the Attic," from 1975. Good idea to go outside the box a bit especially since the boys have not released new material since "Honkin' on Bobo" in 2004. Tyler apparently forgot exactly what was on "Toys," however, because he said early on that they would play the disc in order "from start to finish." However, Aerosmith never played the ninth and final song, You See Me Crying.
Playing "Toys" offered a chance to hear a few hits they doubtlessly would have played anyway like a sharp version of Sweet Emotion along with songs they rarely play. Among them was what Tyler said was his favorite Aerosmith song No More No More, which rocked really well.
Clocking in at only 90 minutes, Aerosmith left out a slew of hits, such as Same Old Song and Dance and Dude Looks Like a Lady. The encore proved to be a mixed bag. The Dropkick Murphys, who opened the night, eventually came back on stage to do a Boston standard Dirty Water with Aerosmith, but DKM's Al Barr was hampered by a non-working mic until Tyler told him to take his. The pairing never took off and lacked oomph on what is typically a very high energy song. Aerosmith turned it around by closing the evening with a solid version of Come Together, from the 1978 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" soundtrack.
This was not Aerosmith at its best, but they still proved entertaining in presenting what has become a long, meaty catalogue of songs over the decades.
Fellow Boston band the Dropkick Murphys played their blend of punk and Irish music for an hour in opening the show. Dressed all in black, DKM offered a very lively sound with a heavy dose of enthusiasm. Lead singer Al Barr scores on both of those counts, but his grinding metal on metal voice gets a tad tiring after awhile. Fellow lead singer Ken Casey took over on more of the Irish-based songs and did a good job.
Accordion playing from Tim Brennan, who also plays guitar, and bagpipes/tin whistle courtesy of Scruffy Wallace stretched out the sound a lot for the Murphys.
With a few Boston-centered classics, Tessie, which is played at Red Sox games, and I'm Shipping Up to Boston in their repertoire plus a good read of The Who's Baba O'Riley, the Dropkick Murphys show why they're the leading Irish music/punk band in the country.
