Review by Junkman
Photos by Ron
Lyon
Aerosmith made a rare appearance at the Whisky A Go-Go to officially
announce their “Let Rock Rule” summer tour with Slash Featuring
Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. The special invitation-only media event
included an onstage performance from Aerosmith, with an appearance by Slash.
After a brief introduction from LA radio personality (currently with 100.3
The Sound) Uncle Joe Benson, Aerosmith hit the stage at 1:00 PM, minus guitarist
Brad Whitford for some reason, for a six-song set.
Opening with “Draw The Line,” the band rocked the world-famous
Whisky A Go-Go stage for the first time since 1973, according to guitarist
Joe Perry and confirmed by bassist Tom Hamilton.
A full and sweaty house enjoyed another Aerosmith classic, “Same
Old Song and Dance,” followed by “Pink.” As the band loosened
up, Steve Tyler yelled, “C’mon Kramer” and the familiar
opening strains of “Walk This Way” from 1975’s Toys In The
Attic got the already amped-up crowd, as well as Tyler himself, busting out
their favorite dance moves. The applause that followed was deafening.
The band then brought out Slash who joined them for a slamming
“Mama Kin,” which, of course, was covered by Guns N’ Roses
back in the day. Slash fit right in with the bad boys of Boston, especially
in lieu of Whitford’s absent. He shared the mic with Tyler and Perry
and blazed out some of his patented guitar licks. At one point, Tyler sang
a few lines from “Welcome To The Jungle” while Perry did his damnedest
to replicate Slash’s famous lick.
“Thank you Slash,” Tyler said. “And thank you Axl out there
somewhere…”
Closing out the all-too-brief set with “Train Kept a ‘Rollin”
from 1973’s Get Your Wings album, the crowd was whipped into a frenzy,
loving every rockin’ riff. Tyler did his best moves on the small Whisky
stage, while Perry, Slash and Hamilton navigated the remaining space. And
just like that, it was over.
“Remember we‘re htting the road with this guy,” he announced,
motioning to Slash. “Bring it baby, Bring it. Rock and roll is forever…”
Promoted exclusively by Live Nation, the “Let Rock Rule” tour
kicks off on Thursday, July 10 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh,
NY, and finishes up on Saturday, September 12 in Sydney, NS, Canada.
