Aerosmith – Back In The Saddle  (Sept. 09)

The rain clouds rumbled off in the distance as the stagehands hurriedly made the final adjustments to the massive sound equipment placed strategically around the metal stage. It had been three years since Aerosmith had played San Antonio and now the chance of rain seemed destined to hamper their show. Ironically, when they last played the Alamo City, they performed on the polo field behind Retama Race Track. That show was so successful; it helped convince SFX to partner with Verizon Wireless to build the brand new amphitheater in Selma.

Few noticed a small platform at the edge of the lawn seats. All eyes were focused on the massive stage, packed full of amps, drums and enough sound equipment to burst an eardrum ten miles away. A roar rose from the crowd as a lone figure walked onstage and picked up a microphone. Unfortunately it was a local DJ announcing that the show would be delayed for another fifteen minutes or so to allow the remainder of the crowd to arrive. When Fuel, the opening band for tonight’s concert, took the stage, the fans came alive and responded with a deafening roar.

The young rockers had their stage show down pat and performed with the skill of seasoned rockers. They played snippets of classic rock tunes like “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd and “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin to intro several of their own hits. This drew rave approval from the old timers in the audience. Many of the younger fans weren’t even born when these songs were first released. (Insert info about Fuel here – see Internet)

As sounds of Little Richard boomed over the loud speaker, fans near the front of the stage could see the red lights flash as the massive row of 100 watt amps were turned on. This could mean only one thing, showtime was mere minutes away. As the house lights went out, the silhouettes of four men could be seen casually strolling on-stage. The original members, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer, took their places behind their instruments and prepared for battle. Only one member was missing, Steven Tyler, often called “the mouth that roared,” was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly he appeared high atop the stage on a platform built around the back of the drum riser, doing what any normal red blooded kid would do, playing on the monkey bars. There he was, the singer most often compared to Mick Jagger, doing silly flips on a piece of playground equipment. His gymnastic skills were cut short as he dropped to the floor and grabbed his microphone. As they have been doing on this tour, they opened with a new tune, “Beyond Beautiful,” from the new CD, “Just Push Play.”

Immediately following the opening number, Tyler stepped to the mic to address the crowd. “Hello San Antonio!,” he screamed. “It’s good to be back. This feels like déjà vu. Now we’re gonna rock your butts for the next two hours.” With that enticing promise, they blasted full speed ahead into “Love In An Elevator.” As the huge video screens projected clips of live footage, Tyler led his band through a pair of new tunes, “Jaded” and the title cut, “Just Push Play.” The new songs rocked much harder than they did on the album versions.

With hundreds of songs to pick from, I knew they would have a hard time choosing what to leave in and what to leave out. Tyler brought out the harmonica for the best version of “Big Ten Inch Record” that I’ve ever heard. “I know I’m gonna get a bug in this big mouth of mine” Tyler said as he put on a cowboy hat thrown on-stage by rowdy fan. They slid into “Pink” with Steven prancing around the stage wearing a pink feather boa. Few men could pull off such a feat but he did and the fans loved it.

Just as I was beginning to fear a set list comprised of new songs, the opening riff for “Mama Kin” blasted across the Texas sky. Tyler had prefixed the song by announcing, “First album, first album, here it comes…” After the crowd showed their approval by going completely ballistic, Tyler acknowledged their enthusiasm. “So, you like that old stuff,” he asked. “OK, well then, we’re gonna bring it out to you.” Then, in a maneuver that sends chills through the bones of security guards, the band proceeded to jump off the stage and wade into the crowd.

A burly group of men, all sporting camo outfits and Marine haircuts, locked arms and held the band tightly within their huddle. Slowly they inched their way through the crowd until they reached a tiny makeshift stage at the edge of the lawn. The Rolling Stones did this on their last tour, but they had a ramp that connected the two stages, thus eliminating the need to have such close contact with the crowd. Once their destination was reached, Tyler and the boys tore through “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Dream On,” and “Toys In The Attic.”

The trip back to the main stage went quicker and the show continued where it left off. Joe Perry handled lead vocals on “Drop Dead Gorgeous” before turning the mic back over to Tyler for “Draw The Line.” From here on out, they did a fantastic job of mixing the old with the new. Classic’s like “Seasons of Wither” were mixed in with newer tunes like “Sunshine” and “Wouldn’t Want To Miss A Thing.” Their best album was easily “Toys in the Attic,” so it made sense that they close the show with “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion” from that classic collection.

Encores consisted of more powerhouse rockers like “Livin’ On The Edge” and “What It Takes.” After everyone in the crowd was totally exhausted, they came back for the grand finale of “Train Kept A Rollin’,” the warhorse from their early days. The perfect ending to a perfect night. A nice cool breeze left over from the summer showers during the afternoon replaced the sweltering Texas heat. Often called the American answer to England’s Rolling Stones, Aerosmith has survived every conceivable hardship to remain a tight band still capable of producing incredible rock ‘n roll music.

With few milestones left to conquer, this is a band that has been there, done that. Somehow they continue to keep their music and attitude as fresh as if they were teenagers playing in a garage band. They are back on Sony Records, the label they started with three decades ago. They produced their last album themselves, marking the first time in their careers to tackle such duties. The future is their own, they have earned the right to take the music in any direction they choose. The crowd in San Antonio made it perfectly clear they are bound to follow.