If recent rumours surrounding Aerosmith are to be believed, it’s a wonder that they even managed to make it onstage at the Air Canada Centre last night. From reports of a tour in chaos to accusations of racism from Nicki Minaj, hardly a day goes by without the rock veterans making the news for all the wrong reasons.
Not that you would have known it from watching their two-hour set on Tuesday night. Steven Tyler was at his boisterous, charismatic best, prancing around the catwalk and appearing to be having just as much fun — if not more – than the 10,000 fans in attendance.
He and Joe Perry displayed absolutely zero signs of conflict, with Tyler wrapping his arms around the long-time guitarist on more than one occasion. One of the standout visual images of the show came with Perry jamming atop Tyler’s white piano during “Dream On.”
Cheap Trick opened up the night with a string of reliable, familiar hits, including “I Want You to Want Me,” along with strong covers like “Ain’t That a Shame” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” From there, Aerosmith launched into an energetic set that kicked off with “Mama Kin” and included “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” which surely sated the longtime fans who had seen the band skip the track on their past two visits.
When the crowd wasn’t taking in Tyler’s gyrations or Perry’s rocker essence, they were being captivated by a vibrant spectacle of a show that included an entertaining cartoon of the band during a new track, “Lover Alot,” and an absolute downpour of confetti during an encore performance of “Sweet Emotion.”
With some performers, it doesn’t matter what’s going on backstage so long as the performance measures up. And on Tuesday night, Aerosmith’s performance definitely measured up.
