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Bassist Tom Hamilton (far left) is proud that the 35-year-old Aerosmith has lasted longer than many suit-and-tie corporations. |
BY EMILY GILMORE
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
For rock bands, the prevailing wisdom used to be that you would tour when you had a new album to promote, but that doesn't necessarily hold true anymore.
These days, veteran groups can hit the road every summer or two, secure in the knowledge that they will still draw a huge crowd based on reputation alone.
For a band like Aerosmith, which plays Nissan Pavilion on Sunday, touring has changed a lot since members Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford started playing together more than 35 years ago. But one thing that's stayed the same is the feeling the members get before they go onstage each night.
"Before you go on, you know, your body is in a different state of concentration and energy," Hamilton, Aerosmith's bass player, said in a recent phone interview. "There's something that says, 'This is a brand new audience and it's time to prove yourself again.'"
Highlights of the current tour have included Aerosmith's first-ever shows in India and the United Arab Emirates. The band also played a series of dates in Europe--their first in several years--before coming to North America, where they will play through the end of this month.
Other notable shows included performances in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, which were "incredible experiences," Hamilton said.
"When we started this band, we never thought that we would ever play in Russia," he added. "We thought there would be a nuclear war before that ever happened."
It seems even after playing together for so long and selling millions of albums, Aerosmith is still reaching out to new fans--not only to those in other countries, but also to those of a younger generation who are showing up in greater numbers because of an interest in vintage guitar music that's recently taken hold, Hamilton said.
He remembers how important music was to him when he was a teenager, so seeing younger people in the audience "is probably more of a thrill than anything for me," he said.
That Aerosmith's already strong following is growing is a testament to the band's remarkable longevity and widespread appeal.
It's one thing for a band that's been around as long as Aerosmith to be able to attract a live audience--many such bands still do that. But Aerosmith is one of the few that consistently releases successful albums, as well, which is a point of pride for the band.
"It really means a lot to me," Hamilton said. "And I don't mean that in a gloating kind of way; I mean that having experienced the ebb and flow of these things.
"I love the irony of how we've outlived so many things that have come and gone. And the fact that, you know, people think of a rock band as a very unstable, very impulsive, compulsive thing; but we've outlived a lot of suit-and-tie corporations that are supposed to be the picture of stability."
Not that Aerosmith hasn't had its share of trials. Problems with Tyler caused Perry to leave the band in 1979, and Whitford departed soon after. But the original lineup, which now is more like a group of brothers than band mates, re-formed in 1984 and has been performing together ever since, surviving everything from drug and alcohol problems to Hamilton's being treated for throat cancer in 2006.
As other music trends have come and gone, Aerosmith has managed to remain one of the biggest bands there is. And the members plan to stay around as long as there's new gear to try out, new shows to be staged or new songs to be recorded.
Once the band finishes touring, the members plan to start working on a new studio album to be released before next summer. While he couldn't speak for the rest of the band, Hamilton said he wants to make a hard, energetic album with that classic Aerosmith sound, and the time seems right to do that.
Of course, once the album is finished, there's only one thing left to do--another tour.
"If there's one thing that always seems to be there," Hamilton said, "it's that we're always going to be on the road soon."
Reach Emily Gilmore at| What: Aerosmith will perform with openers Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Where: Nissan Pavilion, Bristow When: Sunday, gates open at 6:30 p.m.; music starts at 7:30 p.m. Cost: $125, $85, $49.50, $29.50, $25 Info: 703/754-6400 Web: nissanpavilion.com, aerosmith.com Tickets: 800/551-SEAT, ticketmaster.com |
