Style: hard rock
Label: Geffen
Year: 1998
Home: Boston, Massachusetts
Members: Steven Tyler ~ lead vocals/harmonica/percussion
Joe Perry ~ guitar/pedal steel/b. vocals
Brad Whitford ~ guitar
Tom Hamilton ~ bass
Joey Kramer ~ drums
Additional: Russ Irwin, Thom Gimbel ~ keyboards/b. vocals
From the Get A Grip & Nine Lives tours comes this two disc live set to fulfill contractual obligations. They could have done something interesting with their Geffen swan song. I'm thinking of Billy Joel's live Songs In The Attic that culled lesser known earlier hits that his newer fans wouldn't know. But, it's doubtful Aerosmith were thinking creatively. They were probably just counting the days until the contract was up. So, what we get is a straight ahead live show with great production values. It's actually far more enjoyable than I expected. Probably because when they stick to the hits it's hard to fail & when you have a majority of songs be said hits from the 70's & 80's it's nearly impossible to fail. There's only two songs from Nine Lives & six from Get A Grip, but the later might be their last good album. It also helps that this is just the band in their basic form where they're not able to overdub to death a song with too many layers, there's not even any anonymous backing musicians except for a keyboardist. This is Aerosmith the way they should sound & the way we want them to sound. The boys are as on top of things energy-wise as ever, making for an enjoyable concert. The songs sometimes get a few extra shots for a longer guitar solo or there's a variation with the arrangement on a verse or bridge, but not to any real detriment & it's not always so noticeable. The newer songs stick pretty closely to their studio counterparts, but the older ones do tend to vary. The only song that doesn't do too well is "Janie's Got A Gun" with some odd guitar parts. Steven Tyler limits his audience banter. There's also a lack of audience noise. At times it might sound like a studio album because it's all too perfect sounding, but there's a bit of an echo now & then & a warmth that comes out that a studio album lacks. While a later day Aerosmith live album might seem like a waste, if you've seen them live recently this will be a good souvenir. Also of note ... remember, Joe Perry might be the lead guitarist we know, but he's really not. Brad Whitford takes lead duties on: "Love In An Elevator", "Same Old Song & Dance", "Back In The Saddle", "Last Child", "Walk On Down", "Dream On", "Mama Kin" & "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)".
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