EDMONTON -- It is so refreshing to see a rock star who isn't ashamed of being a rock star.
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is such a figure. Guitarist Joe Perry also. And to a lesser extent, those other three guys in Aerosmith - which rocked 12,500 fans at Skyreach Centre last night.
So did the opening band, the Cult, whose lead singer, Ian Astbury, likewise doesn't shy away from the excesses of rock 'n' roll celebrity. The Cult rocked, too. It was kind of a two-for-one deal. This was a quintessential baby boomer concert - in the prime of middle age, with troubled histories, on the cusp of dinosaurhood, but still rocking hard. This applies to both the crowd and the band, of course. The fans were on their feet from the first note. There was really no other choice.
"Rocked" is such an overused word. It has something to do with sex and power put together - a heady brew that Aerosmith has been serving for 30 years. These guys are like an old blues band made larger than life and louder than a jet engine. Aerosmith revealed its roots several times last night. Tyler came across like Wilson Pickett on steroids and ecstasy. Anyway, analyse this: "Love in an elevator, living it up when I'm going down." Gosh, what could that possibly be about? What deep philosophical implications are found in the music of Aerosmith? What political issues are addressed in My Big 10 Inch?
Exactly.
In a modern rock 'n' roll world where fun is belittled, sex is pushed to the back seat (so to speak), power is mocked and rock stars live in denial of their rock star status, Aerosmith sticks out like a sore thumb. Good for them. Within the first minute of last night's concert, Tyler established himself as a flamboyant rock star of the old school - 53 years old yet full of swagger, exuding charisma and sex appeal from every pore. Decked out in an American flag overcoat and with trademark scarves dangling from a microphone stand he wielded like a staff, the singer prowled around five separate catwalks extending into the audience - greeted in each case by a sea of groping hands - as he led his band through a hit parade of sex and power. His voice was in top form, give or take a high note or two.
Perry, meanwhile, brandished his axe with every excess available to the electric guitar.
A giant TV screen made the whole thing feel like one giant music video. American and Canadian flags were shown. The crowd cheered. This is about as political as it got.
New songs were introduced first, including the title track to the band's latest album, Just Push Play. This allowed Tyler to showcase his more recent talents as a rapper. It sounded like gibberish within the carefully controlled chaos behind him. Something about sex and/or power, let's assume. The band got wild and crazy with Eat the Rich (Tyler's rich, so what's he saying here?) and dipped into the past with the power ballad Dream On, the band's first hit and the start of a long legacy of great power ballads this band excels at writing.
Despite some of the most expensive "in your face production" money can buy, there weren't any pyrotechnics at all during the first half of the show. None were needed. Tyler was a walking, talking, screaming, smirking, prancing, preening, butt-wiggling special effect all by himself. He had no trouble getting on the crowd's good side, although calling Skyreach Centre "the home of Wayne Gretzky" is about 13 years too late. Oh, well. You could say Aerosmith is somewhat out of date, too. Or not.
During the song Pink - another tune not about politics - a (male) audience member gave Tyler his pink feather boa, which the singer promptly stuffed into the back of his pants. Fans wearing giant purple top hats were also spotted. It's nice to see the general public get into the rock star spirit. But don't get the wrong idea. Tyler may have proved that it's OK to be a rock star - and in fact a hell of a lot more entertaining than its opposite - but not everyone can do it. It takes a special kind of band to be rock stars. Aerosmith performs like they were born for the role.
JAM! Rating: 4.5 out of 5
