red lights

Aerosmith's Still Havin' Fun

Alpine Valley Music Theater
East Troy
May 22, 1999

Story and Photo by Phil Bonyata

"Are you havin' fun tonight?" Steven Tyler, dressed in a black silk top and tight-fitting sequined pants, yelled at the audience as a couple of female fans were groping his legs. Of course StevenTyler was playing with the audience because he already knew the answer.
Aerosmith played at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy last Saturday night to a nearly sold out audience. Guitarist Joe Perry and Tyler, once called The Toxic Twins due to there greatly publicized years of drug abuse, looked a lot like Jagger/Richards of old. Tyler, still the master peacock, pranced, preened and went face to face with Perry so many times that it became evident these two musicians still love what they do.
Steven Tyler When Tyler yelled "Hold the person next to you" before the opening notes of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" many couples and some soon-to-be couples, got close and slowly swayed in unison to the romantic melody. On "Dude Looks Like a Lady" Tyler grabbed a feather boa from a female fan in the second row and partially stuck it in the back of his pants making it appear that the old rock n' roll animal had a tail. The band played tight and rockin' numbers like "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)", the fast and electric "Livin' on the Edge" and the timely and fog induced "Janie's Got a Gun." On "Pink," Tyler donned a top hat as Perry, electrically dressed in an orange silk blazer and bright yellow silk pants, gave the song a fresh and raw energy. An energy that was not missed by the audience as this song generated one of the best crowd responses.
The band also delved into some of their older classics to the delight of many of their first time fans from the 70s. "Walk This Way," "Big Ten Inch" and "Dream On" sounded a little tired and dated, but many of the people that paid $40 per ticket might feel cheated if these songs were not performed.
"Sweet Emotion," Aerosmiths' final encore, was performed with a bit more weight and feeling then the previously mentioned classics.
Aerosmith might not be as innovative as some other hard rock bands out there today, but their performance Saturday night reminded many of what rock n' roll is all about - havin' fun.

Return to Reviews
Return to Menu