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REVIEW: AEROSMITH & SLASH - 8/19/2014
Gweedo
The Pepsi Center hosted Aerosmith and Slash on August 19th. There were concerns that this concert might get cancelled with the recent health problems of Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer. Thankfully the show went as scheduled. Both bands had a good selection of shirts. I was a little disappointed that Slash’s CD doesn’t come out till September because I would have loved to buy it. The Pepsi Center was a little sparse to begin with.
Gweedo
The Pepsi Center hosted Aerosmith and Slash on August 19th. There were concerns that this concert might get cancelled with the recent health problems of Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer. Thankfully the show went as scheduled. Both bands had a good selection of shirts. I was a little disappointed that Slash’s CD doesn’t come out till September because I would have loved to buy it. The Pepsi Center was a little sparse to begin with.
Slash, accompanied by Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, popped the cork on the evening. What a great high energy set. Everyone started to fill in as Myles Kennedy dominated the mic. He has an amazing dynamic voice that took on many Guns N’ Roses covers flawlessly. Some songs from Slash’s solo work were also included. Two songs to note from the performance were “World On Fire”, which is the single and title track of Slash’s upcoming album, and Velvet Revolver cover “Slither”. Both were awesome and it was a treat to get a live taste of the new album. The members comprising The Conspirators did all the songs justice and proved to be a quality backing band. An accent piece to the stage was a shiny silver drum set. I loved the graphic on the bass drum which was a yellow smiley face with skull teeth. The back drop was just a giant illuminated band logo. On the amps were silver ladies showing off their butts. What’s great about a Slash concert is that with every song you get a killer solo and dancing. I’m speechless with how fantastic Slash continues to be on the guitar. Something I’ve never seen before was when Slash came out with a dual guitar with one being electric and the other acoustic. I want one! Myles pulled out some of his guitar skills for one song showcasing more of his talent. One funny observation I had was that they stayed away from the side and middle stages like the plague. Steven Tyler is very particular about his stage extensions. After this set I can’t wait to get my hands on World On Fire.
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In high fashion, out came Aerosmith. Immediately Steven Tyler headed down the center stage like it was a catwalk. I don’t even know how to explain what he was wearing but it was very Hollywood. They sounded excellent starting out with “Love In An Elevator”. After dancing around and shedding some clothing Steve Tyler looked an awful lot like Keith Richards as Captain Teague sporting a small beard. Also looking in fine form was Joe Perry. Fit and tanned he was all over the stage rockin’. Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford weren’t looking too bad for their age but weren’t quite as polished and Bedazzled as Tyler and Perry. If you noticed, I didn’t mention drummer Joey Kramer. Mr. Kramer was present at the sound booth recovering from a minor medical procedure while his son, Jesse, sat behind the set. There was a crisp LCD display behind the band and side stages that enhanced the performance. The music sounded really tight even with the stand in drummer. Joe Perry had a lot of cool guitars he cycled through from one with cutouts to one with a beautiful woman. He even wailed on a guitar and simulated the amp smoking and catching fire. Not to be out done Tom Hamilton had one of the coolest basses I’ve seen. On the neck, there were blue illuminated finger guides, but the best part was the LCD screen in the body. Where the pickups normally lived was a big screen that showed visualizations as he played. As for Steven Tyler, he was giving the crowd a yard sale. He threw various items out when he was through with them such as a hat, sunglasses, harmonica, etc. Speaking of which he played the harmonica on a few songs with one being a Joe Perry sang “Stop Messin’ Around” Fleetwood Mac cover. They also played many hits from the Aerosmith catalog with some deep cuts like “Toys In The Attic”. It was no surprise that there was a two song encore. The surprise was what came with the encore. From the end of the extended stage rose a white piano with a clear top being played by Steven Tyler. Sharing the spot light, Joe Perry stood on top as they played “Dream On”. In another turn of events the spot light showed Joey Kramer on the drums well enough to participate in the encore. With “Sweet Emotion”, some dancing, and a lot of confetti the show came to an end.
I had a blast at this show. Both bands have great entertainment value with music and stage presence. I’m glad Slash is still making new music with a talented band. Aerosmith are getting old but are looking and playing great. Their show has a lot of movement to it. Jesse Kramer was the perfect stand in for his father and did excellent. Make sure to catch this tour, definitely worth the money.
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