- "Hello, Cleve ... Cincinnati!"
From time to time, we here at C-Notes like to hit the road for big concerts that for some reason are skipping Cleveland. Here's our report.
Had to beg for this article, cut out of work early and drive five hours to Cincinnati to get Aerosmith tickets last night. Top priority of the summer!
Luckily, it was totally worth it. Actually, opener Sammy Hagar just about justified the cost on his own. He combined a lean three-person band, a better-than-you-realize back catalog of minor rock classics, his still-strong voice, and undeniable love of life into an impressive hour-long set.
As he said goodbye, Sammy declared that the only two bands he would ever open for were the Stones and Aerosmith. That association is more than Aerosmith deserves, but not by as much as you'd think.
For all the talk of recent dissension between Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the band sure seemed like a hungry, unified outfit with something to prove.
They tore through classics like "Sweet Emotion," featuring an excellent interlude from Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone From the Sun," and underrated, more recent material like "What It Takes" like their lives depended on it.
Maybe they're mad at, and trying to top, each other, but if so, all the better for us, right?
One thing, Joe Perry: Please be aware that you might literally be opening the gates to hell by subjecting your fans to a commercial for a video game in the middle of a concert. —Matthew Wilkening
Follow us on Twitter: @clescenemusic
