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[Live & On Record]

AEROSMITH AT TWEETER:
A TALE OF TWO BANDS

One of the more amusing conceits of the arena-rock concert business right now is the way the biggest artists are putting the most effort into becoming as “small” as possible for what usually amounts to a two- or three-song mid-concert mini-set. The Stones, U2, and even the mighty re-made-up Kiss have all been there on recent tours. And a week ago Tuesday, Boston’s own hardened veterans of the arena-rock wars, Aerosmith, downsized their operation for a three-song blast from the past on a modest-sized secondary stage up in the general-admission lawn section of the sold-out Tweeter Center. The downside for those unlucky enough to be stuck in the more expensive reserved seats was that, along with not being able to see very well, they were treated to crappy-sounding versions of three of the band’s best classic rockers: “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Dream On,” and “Toys in the Attic.” But anything the band may have sacrificed acoustically was more than made up for by the symbolic value of the gesture: in the era of the blithely manufactured boy band, this was a not so subtle reminder that Aerosmith are real musicians who write real songs on real wood and steel guitars.

The beauty of Aerosmith is that four decades into their career they’ve found a way to exist on both sides of the real/fake pop/rock divide. They underscored that point by playing a set that made seemingly random jumps back and forth between the vintage ’70s blooze rock that defined the first half of their career (“Big Ten Inch Record,” “Draw the Line,” “Mama Kin”) and the polished hard-candy pop that’s kept them competitive in today’s market (“Jaded,” “Pink,” “Fly Away from Here”). They favored the same soulfully gritty two-pronged guitar pressure and heavy rhythmic attack on the playful rock numbers that they did on the poignant pop tunes, as if there were no difference between the two sides of their split musical personality. And on some level, maybe there isn’t. But when they unleashed the big modern-rock hits “Jaded” and “Pink,” it was hard not to appreciate the stark contrast between the giant, stylized, computer-enhanced MTV video images of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry projected on the huge screen that loomed overhead and the sweating, sinewy Steven Tyler and Joe Perry stomping around on stage. Today’s Aerosmith comes in both sizes.

BY MATT ASHARE

Issue Date: July 5 - 12, 2001





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