Date: Friday, June 22, 2012
City: Chicago, IL
Venue: United Center
Opening act(s): Cheap Trick
Headlining act: Aerosmith
Cheap Trick Setlist:
Hello There
Elo Kiddies
California Man
Ain’t That A Shame
Never Had A Lot To Lose
Sick Man Of Europe
Baby Loves To Rock
Need Your Love
I Know What I Want
Surrender
The Flame
I Want You To Want Me
Dream Police
Goodnight
Aerosmith Setlist:
Draw The Line
Love In An Elevator
Oh Yeah
Livin’ On The Edge
Cryin’
S.O.S. (Too Bad)
Last Child
Drum Solo
Rag Doll
Boogie Man
Combination
What It Takes
No More No More
Legendary Child
I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
Mama Kin
Sweet Emotion
Walk This Way
———————
Dream On
Train Kept A Rollin’
Notes:
- First time seeing “S.O.S. (Too Bad),” “Boogie Man,” and new songs “Oh Yeah” and “Legendary Child.”
- First open for “Draw The Line.” Fifth opener total.
- Show #1 at this venue.
Videos:
Review:
Apparently I have to follow a certain schedule as far as Aerosmith goes.
I first saw them in 2001, then followed that up a year later in 2002, then took a year off before catching them again in 2004.
Then came a long break…
I ended that break by catching them in 2009. And I followed that up with a show in 2010, then took a year off (since they didn’t play in the US in 2011) and had the chance to catch them here in 2012 with their first original new album since 2001 on the (now distant) horizon.
I had never been to the United Center and had actually avoided going there to spare myself dealing with a huge arena within the city limits of Chicago. Just this year, I skipped out on seeing Van Halen there and chose to wait a month and a half until they made their way to the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont instead.
Naturally, there was some shitty traffic on the highway just outside the city, so we went from making great time to running the risk of missing the start of the show fairly quickly. Not to mention Brittany and I had to piss like hell. After a quick pit stop at the first exit we came across, we were back on the highway, moving at a brisk 13 MPH.
Somehow, we made it into the venue and to our seats with 11 minutes to spare. I hadn’t bought tickets for the show until the drive up there. Isn’t technology great? We ended up in Section 5, Row 6… Which worked out to the 10th row straight back from the end of the catwalk. Not too shabby for buying the day of when Ticketmaster dumped a bunch of held tickets.
Still, waiting till the last minute to buy tickets didn’t hinder my ability to always end up directly behind one of the four people in the arena that were actually taller than me, and to always have a notorious whistler end up behind me.
But hell, I was about to see my second favorite band, so I wasn’t going to let that get me down. Not to mention I had another one of my top 10 favorite bands, Cheap Trick, opening up. It was a repeat of the show I saw in 2004 at the Peoria Civic Center. That was a great show, and I expected nothing less out of this show.
Cheap Trick took the stage right at 8:00, getting things going with their classic opener “Hello There.” After that came a chunk of songs that I was familiar with, but didn’t know quite as well as their 70’s and 80’s hits. “Sick Man Of Europe” remained as the sole song in the set from their last album, 2009’s “The Latest.”
As the set neared the end, I was surprised with how long they were playing. I expected 45 minutes to an hour, and it looked like they were going to use every minute of that hour timeslot. They started a run of big hits to end the show with “Surrender,” and followed that with 80’s megahit “The Flame,” and 70’s classics “I Want You To Want Me” and “Dream Police.” The night came to a close with the “Hello There” doppleganger “Goodnight.”
The stage changeover swiftly began, and I took that time to admire the arena. The “Madhouse on Madison,” as it’s come to be known. I looked up at all of the Bulls championship banners and thought about how I was sitting in place that my favorite basketball player of all time, Charles Barkley, once stood. If only I had gotten the chance to see him play in person. To this day, I’ve never been to an NBA game, but I’ve been to TWO arenas that house NBA teams now (the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN, home of the Pacers, being the other). Someday…
9:40 seemed to be the start time for Aerosmith. The lights went down around 9:35 and their video intro type thing started. They had odd shaped screens at the back of the stage and a large, circular screen hanging in the center of the stage. The screen had mezmerized, so it caught me off guard when Steven Tyler and Joe Perry came rising from the smoke at the end of the catwalk, with Joe strumming the start of the riff of 1977’s “Draw The Line.”
The classic “Love In An Elevator” followed, and probably had the best audience participation of the night.
Then came the first of two new songs from the forthcoming album Music From Another Dimension, now due in November, “Oh Yeah.” The song had a very 70’s style groove to it and was heavy on the guitar. I enjoyed the hell out of it and can’t wait to hear the studio version.
Two clunkers from 1993’s Get A Grip followed, being “Livin’ On The Edge” and “Cryin’.” Being that this is my sixth Aerosmith show, I’m finally starting to get sick of some of their songs. The thing with them is that there are only a handful of songs I’ve seen at every show. These songs are two of them.
The good thing about Aerosmith is that while I may get sick of some of their songs, mainly the ballady hits, they are equally good at mixing up their sets and throwing the die hards a bone. One of those came next in 1974’s “S.O.S. (Too Bad),” from the Get Your Wings album. It was another song I had never seen them do before and was one of the hightlights of the night for me.
“Last Child” followed, after a Zeppelinesque guitar riff intro by Brad Whitford. Then the band/crowd sang Happy Birthday to drummer Joey Kramer, then gave him the stage for a drum solo, which featured a cameo by Steven Tyler.
Much to Brittany’s delight, “Rag Doll” followed. Then came another surprise in the Get A Grip instrumental “Boogie Man.” I never would have expected to hear that one live, and while I would also never pick it, given the chance, anything different is welcome.
As Joe Perry was given his typical intro by Steven Tyler, I could only hope that “Stop Messin’ Around” would NOT follow. And thankfully, it didn’t.
Instead, the band launch into “Combination,” a song from 1976’s Rocks album that features both Joe and Steven on lead vocals. I actually saw the first ever play of this song in 2009, so it was a nice surprise to see it again. Sadly, Joe’s vocals on the song weren’t all that strong, and it seemed to be the biggest clunker of the night for the crowd.
So Steven Tyler swooped in to save the day, singing the entire first verse of “What It Takes” to the crowd at the end of the catwalk. They ate it up, but they’ve been playing this version of the song since at least the late 90’s. Much like Def Leppard’s half acoustic version of “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak,” this version of “What It Takes” could use a break.
Another surprise came next in 1975’s “No More No More,” a deeper cut from the Toys In The Attic album. This is one of my favorite songs by the band and it’s not all that common in the sets, so I’m lucky to have seen it three times now out of six shows.
The first single from Aerosmith’s new album, “Legendary Child,” followed. I wasn’t crazy about this song upon first listen, but it has really grown on me over the last couple of weeks and the live version was killer. It was also the fourth song of the night I had never seen them do live before, bringing my grand total for them to 47 different songs through just six concerts. Impressive, considering as of the show date, I had seen Def Leppard to 44 different songs through a whopping 27 concerts. Stale sets much, DL???
Another turd came next in “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” Normally the crowd eats this up too, but it seemed to me that even the hit loving casuals were bored with this song. I took the opportunity to check the 17 different messages on my phone during this. The band looked just as bored performing it.
They surprised me again by launching into “Mama Kin” from their 1973 debut album next. I hadn’t seen that song live since my very first show all the way back in 2001… And it was way better then. They sure made a mess of the intro to the song at this show, but once it got going, it was a lot better and I still enoyed it.
The big guns came next in “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way.” Then came the encore break…
Smoke began to billow up from the end of the catwalk, and before the lights even came back up, the intro riff of “Dream On” could be heard being played on a piano. Right on cue, Steven Tyler rose up from the end of the catwalk playing the song on a white baby grand piano. The rest of the band appeared and Joe Perry joined Steven on the end of the catwalk, even getting up on top of the piano at one point.
Eventually they traded spots as Joe stepped down and Steven climbed up.
The band’s classic closer “Train Kept A Rollin'” followed and brought the night to a close with confetti falling on the crowd.
Aerosmith played from just before 9:40 until 11:30.
After a quick stop at the Michael Jordan statue outside the arena, we made our way out of the city surprisingly quickly.
The show was great as always. Through six shows, Aerosmith has not failed to deliver a fantastic, varied show. Even through the drama ridden 2009 and 2010 shows, they made plenty of changes and sounded great.
Media Review:
Big Hits, Big Moves From Aerosmith, Cheap Trick At United Center
The pairing of headliners Aerosmith and openers Cheap Trick at United Center on Friday had the markings classic arena rock fans might expect: big hits, shout-along choruses, rock star moves and flashy garb, a catwalk, over-the-top production and even a five-necked guitar. And despite a lull or two, it was fairly entertaining.
As veterans of knowing how to show an audience a good time in a large setting, both groups played to that strength. Rockford’s own Cheap Trick primed the crowd with a set that included their covers of The Move’s “California Man” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame,” saving their rousing hits (“Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me” and “Dream Police”) for last, with a final five-necked guitar flourish via Rick Nielsen during “Goodnight.” Robin Zander was in fine voice, with his tremolo on “Need Your Love” a particular standout.
After Aerosmith’s last few years of in-fighting, which included talk of replacing singer Steven Tyler, it seemed, at least onstage, that they’ve reconciled. Friday’s “The Global Warming Tour” stop served as a primer for Aerosmith’s forthcoming “Music From Another Dimension,” due in August. It’s their first fresh material in a decade. And while they played new single “Legendary Child,” which references lyrics from “Walk This Way,”, it paled to the bluesy stomp of new song “Oh Yeah.” The same could be said for the rest of the material traversed during their two-hour set, with their hard-churning earlier songs such as “Draw The Line,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Last Child” – being the most resonant.
Tyler strutted around the stage and catwalk in skintight pants, with plenty of pelvic thrusts, hip swirls and kicks to almost forget the band has been around for 42 years. Save for some gray hair, they weren’t for the most part behaving or sounding worse for wear. Tyler’s vocal range remained pliant, his metallic screams seeming effortless, such as during encore “Dream On,” where he appeared playing a piano that rose from beneath the catwalk. He and guitarist Joe Perry traded turns on top of it, before the song ended in spurts of steam and confetti. While that power ballad worked, others dragged, such as during the cheesy “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.”
Still, four decades in they looked to be having fun. Drummer Joey Kramer who was also celebrating his birthday, beamed during the rollicking “Mama Kin,” all of them displaying a hard-won camaraderie that belied their storied history.
By Althea Legaspi @ The Chicago Tribune, 2012
Joys In The Static: Aerosmith And Cheap Trick Deliver Classic Arena Rock Enjoyment
Unlike presumably some of those who robustly filled the United Center on Friday night, I can honestly say that Steven Tyler being on American Idol had absolutely no bearing on my attendance.
For I have been a fan of both Aerosmith and Cheap Trick since the age of 10, if not a trifle earlier. If there are any two records I purchased prior to Live Bootleg, by the former, and At Budokan, by the latter, I do not recall them.
Thus, there are no two still-active rock artists for whom I’ve had a more enduring fandom (unless you count The Rolling Stones as active and allow Paul McCartney to represent The Beatles).
But with that said, opting to go to last night’s double bill wasn’t as obvious as it may seem. I’ve seen Cheap Trick several times, and while I will never tire of hearing their classics, as the opening act their influence on my decision to attend was substantive, but secondary.
And my desire to see Aerosmith was largely fueled by having been disappointed the two prior times I’d attended a concert of theirs. The first time, after years of their being high on my list of “favorite rock bands I’ve never seen live,” was in 2004–with Cheap Trick as the opener–and for that I had to drive up to Green Bay. The bands were good, if not fantastic, but I was made rather uncomfortable by rude interactions with obnoxiously drunk cheeseheads (male and female) throughout the show.
And in August 2010, I with some friends got $10 lawn seats to see Aerosmith at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. Again, the music itself was enjoyable enough, but the sound was utterly atrocious, as I wrote about in my review. Plus, at the time, the band was in particularly intense turmoil, with Joe Perry having recently pushed Steven Tyler off a stage, and even from the lawn it looked like no one was interacting nor having much fun onstage.
That whole introduction serves to basically explain that I went to the UC last night in hopes of finally catching a first-rate Aerosmith show, and because I love Cheap Trick as well.
As Aerosmith sings in their earliest hit, “Dream On,” from 1973, “dream until your dreams come true.” Fortunately–in terms of getting an Aerosmith/Cheap Trick arena rock show as good as I hoped–they pretty much did.
Waiting until just this week to buy my ticket, through Ticketmaster, I got about the best cheap seat imaginable; 3rd row of the 3rd deck, straight away.
From there, except for through my binoculars, the members of both bands didn’t look over 60–as most of them are, or close to it–and they sure didn’t sound it.
Going on promptly at 8:00pm, before the house was full but with a number of fans–myself included–adorned in Cheap Trick t-shirts, the Rockford quartet played a terrific hourlong set.
Longtime drummer Bun E. Carlos no longer tours with the band, replaced by guitarist Rick Nielsen’s son, Daxx, but with singer Robin Zander still sounding great, Cheap Trick delivered as-good-as-ever renditions of “Ain’t That A Shame,” “Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police” and several other great oldies (see their full setlist on Setlist.fm).
As a CT fan to the extent I am, I certainly could say I wish they’d played this or that, but I was actually surprised Aerosmith allotted them a full hour and for an opening set, it couldn’t have been any more satisfying.
Aerosmith opened their set in pretty cool fashion–as you can see in this video from a recent show–with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry rising up together through a lift at the end of a catwalk as the band ripped into “Draw the Line.”
Perhaps it was just for show, but within the first five minutes, Steve & Joe seemed more amicable with each other than during the entirety of their 2010 gig. (Perhaps that’s why Aerosmith has dubbed this “The Global Warming Tour.”)
The rest of the original band–guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer–also seemed engaged and in sync. And while the United Center can be acoustically-challenged at times, everything sounded good enough for me, eons better than at the shed in Tinley.
Having become an Aerosmith fan in the late ’70s, I still prefer their output from that decade to anything that came after (the same can be said for Cheap Trick as well).
So I was happy to hear powerful renditions of “Draw the Line,” “Last Child,” “Mama Kin,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way” and “Train Kept a Rollin.'” I certainly would have also preferred to hear “Toys in the Attic” and/or “Back in the Saddle” instead of schmaltzy ’90s ballads “Crying,” “What It Takes” and “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing,” but I get that Aerosmith expanded its fan base with that stuff and has to play it. If anything, the crowd seemed more revved up about the ’80s and ’90s tunes than most of the ones I loved from the ’70s.
To their credit, Aerosmith played at least a couple new songs that fit in well, as well as a few older songs and/or covers that I didn’t know, but sounded good (see Aerosmith’s Chicago setlist on Setlist.fm). I could have stood for Kramer’s drum solo to be a bit shorter, but as Tyler noted and the crowd saluted, it was the drummer’s birthday.
With his voice still solid at 64, Tyler remains one of rock’s best frontmen and now that he’s seemingly playing nice with his bandmates, it’s possible that Aerosmith is better they’ve been for years, and conceivably just as good if not better than they ever will be again .
Especially with Cheap Trick to open the evening, I’m glad I got another chance to catch them. And for anyone who rues missing them, the same double bill will appear at Milwaukee’s Summerfest on July 7.
By Seth Saith @ SethSaith.blogspot.com, 2012
Links: My Pictures | Concert Page on AerosmithSetlists.com
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