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October 21, 2009
Aerosmith Rocks Oahu’s Blaisdell
Earlier speculation regarding the potential discomfort that might result from basically being forced to put on a show for fans in Hawaii may have been off the mark. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, Aerosmith fell easily back into their live routine without missing a beat.
Talk of a rift between frontman Steven Tyler and the rest of the group had led to rumors that the band was headed for a break-up. Guitarist Joe Perry has been seen as Tyler’s most vocal critic, hinting in a recent Billboard interview that the 61-year-old singer need to “get together,” which we can probably safely assume is synonymous with “get his act together.”
“If there was any discomfort between the two, or any of the band, it didn’t show on stage or in the music,” according to the paper. After decades playing together the group may well have the ability to successfully hide signs of any bad blood within the ranks, but on the other hand, maybe they have buried the hatchet and decided to move on. We all have our moments, and in it’s probably not the first time a bit of in-fighting has erupted within the group. Most of us forgive, forget and get on with life.
With regard to getting his act together, that’s exactly what Tyler did. At least for the show at the Blaisdell Arena Sunday night where he was reported to be in great form. It’s been a little over two months since Tyler had a nasty fall off the stage during a show at the Sturgis motorcycle rally and has either healed quite well or has the ability to please a crowd even while suffering from pain or other lingering complications.
Tyler seemed to make a special effort to show that he and Perry were still on good terms by taking “every opportunity to sidle up next to Perry, his longtime bandmate and friend who has openly criticized him for his continued rock-star lifestyle, and declared he ‘loved’ the guys in the band.”
Overall, the first of the two shows scheduled sounded as if it could not have gone any better. The group was reported to be enjoying the show as much as the fans were. If that reflects the true feelings experienced by the guys on stage, it certainly sounds like a promising development where the future of Aerosmith is concerned.
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September 24, 2009
Perry And Kramer Discuss Aerosmith’s Future
The rumors and speculation about the future of Aerosmith seem to be dying down and more positive signs are emerging that the Bad Boys From Boston are not headed for a split. Guitarist Joe Perry caused a stir when he made some remarks about frontman Steven Tyler and revealed that he had not spoken with Tyler in weeks. There were even some crazy rumors that Tyler’s fall from the stage in Sturgis, ND had resulted in his death!
There was also some mystery surrounding the decision made by Tyler to hire his own management, separate from the group’s management, which also lead to speculation about a rift between Tyler and the rest of the group.
More recently, comments from Perry and Drummer Joey Kramer indicate that the group has plans to continue on as soon as circumstances permit. The break in Tyler’s shoulder is described by Perry as an unusual one which may require the insertion of a pin to heal completely.
When asked about the relationship between himself and Tyler, Perry said that he considers Tyler to be his “brother,” whom he has been playing music with for 40 years. “Of course we’ve all fallen off the stage at one time or another,” Perry said in apparent defense of Tyler. “Maybe twice in some cases.”
Perry clearly sees no end in sight for Aerosmith in the near future and says that the group, “Maybe we have three more records in us. Maybe we have five, (and) seven years of touring.”
Although working for that many more years would push many of the group’s members close to 70 years of age, that’s something that does not seem to be stopping Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts from rocking on at 68 years of age. Recent rumors of Watts’ retirement surfaced but were quickly denied.
Joey Kramer, the man behind the drums for Aerosmith is still doing book signings, but has also taken time to do interviews which seem to reinforce comments that Perry has made regarding the band’s future.
Kramer’s book may or may not be a “tell all” version of his life, but certainly contains some content that may not be flattering to certain other members of the band. Concerned with Steven Tyler’s reaction to some of the revelations in the book, Kramer states that Tyler is just fine with anything as long as it is the truth.
Kramer expects the band to continue working on their new album once they finish up their two-show visit to Hawaii next month. It has also been revealed recently that Aerosmith is booked along with Beyonce to perform at the Formula 1 auto races in Abu Dhabi that starts with practice and qualifying runs on the last two days of October with the race scheduled for November 1st.
As far as the group’s plans after the live dates are wrapped up this year, Perry says that as far as he’s concerned, the group will be working on the new album in late spring and planning a fall tour. Perry expects that band mates Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton would be in agreement with that scenario.
For more on Joe Perry’s comments visit the Boston Herald and for more on Joey Kramer visit Back Stage Axxess.
September 22, 2009
Aerosmith Gearing Up For Return To The Stage
Steven Tyler must be feeling better these days. There are reports that Aerosmith plans to forge ahead and head out to Hawaii next month to fulfill obligations that they agreed to in order to settle a lawsuit brought against them by angry fans who decided to band together and take action against the group after they cancelled a show on Maui during the fall of 2008.
The group is scheduled to perform two shows in Hawaii, one on Sunday, October 18 at the Blaisdell Arena and the other on Tuesday, October 20, at the Maui War Memorial Stadium. Tickets for both shows are set to go on sale Saturday and range in price from $65 to $195.
As for the 8,000 or so fans that filed the appropriate paperwork to be a part of the lawsuit, they can expect to receive tickets in the mail in the near future, according to attorney Brandee Faria, who was representing fans who were upset about losing money that was spent on things such as hotel and travel reservations that were made in order to attend the show.
The suit had been scheduled to go to trial in May, but the group decided to avoid a trial and settled with fans by offering them the two aforementioned shows.
There’s been a bit of friction between Tyler and the rest of the group if Joe Perry’s alleged comments were any indication, but it appears that relationships may be on the mend in addition to Tyler’s injuries. Whether or not the group’s return to the stage in Hawaii will pave the way for plans to make up the dates that have been missed over the past couple of months remains to be seen.
As I’ve noted before, Joe Perry has not been sitting around playing cards and watching TV during the past few months. Perry has kept himself busy with various activities, including doing interviews, pitching in as part of a a beach cleanup in Sarasota after a show was cancelled in Florida and working with his solo group.
Perry’s new album, Have Guitar, Will Travel, will hit store shelves on October 6. The video below shows Perry and his group, The Joe Perry Project at a recent performance in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
For more on Aerosmith’s up-coming Hawaii shows, check out the Star Bulletin.
April 28, 2009
Aerosmith Settles With Disgruntled Fans Over Canceled Maui Show
There is a saying that rather boldly proclaims: “You don’t mess with Texas.” Recent developments from the legal world suggest that the same may hold true for the state of Hawaii. At least if you ask Boston-based rockers Aerosmith and their legal team.
It all started last fall when Aerosmith canceled a concert that had been scheduled for the end of September on the island of Maui. The veteran rockers were accused of ditching their fans in Maui in favor of the opportunity to perform a show in the Chicago area where they would collect a bigger paycheck. The group was also invited to perform a private show for automobile giant Toyota around the same time, which was also thought to be quite lucrative.
Many fans who had tickets for the Maui show were determined to take action and make the group pay for ditching the show on the Pacific island and opting to grab for a different variety of green in the windy city. That, in so many words, was the way the story was presented by the legal team that was enlisted to level a class-action lawsuit against 
Aerosmith at the time.
Many fans were alleged to have been greatly inconvenienced due to extraordinary travel expenses associated with attending the show on Maui, and has also suffered monetary losses due to hotel and rental car reservations that had to be canceled and were not refundable.
Whether Aerosmith and their legal team recently decided on a settlement due to the goodness of their hearts or due to the concern over losing a few millions bucks is something that some fans may argue about for a while, but the settlement that was reached just days ago appears to be a clear win for the fans, and surely must be cause for smiles on the faces of Aerosmith fans in that region of the world.
Aerosmith has agreed to perform on Maui sometime this fall, after the group finishes up with their North American tour. Attorney Brandee Faria, whom we also heard from back when the lawsuit was first filed, has announced that the settlement provides original ticket holders with a free ticket to the show as well as all out-of-pocket expenses, regardless of the amount.
Whether or not Aerosmith’s decision to play nice had anything to do with a recent case in South Korea where pop artist Rain was forces to shell out a cool $8.1 million after the 27-year-old entertainer and his former management were found guilty of fraud after the abrupt cancellation of a show that was scheduled back in 2007 at Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium.
The Aerosmith case was set go to trial in May, and apparently the group decided that a few hours on stage in Hawaii would be less painful than finding themselves on the losing end of a lawsuit that was said to have resulted in losses somewhere between $500,000 and $3 million for fans who had made plans to attend the show.
I can only imagine how uncomfortable those first few moments will be for frontman Steve Tyler when he walks on stage for a show that the group is essentially being forced to put on. How do you greet a crowd under those circumstances?
However the show ends up being received, the “Bad Boys From Boston” might do well to remember that “you don’t mess with Hawaii,” no matter how rich and famous you may be – a lesson that Rain will probably not forget, although I expect he might be a rare sight anywhere near Hawaii for the rest of his days!
September 10, 2008
New Aerosmith Material May Be Heard First on Guitar Hero
Aerosmith is currently recording their new album, and in addition to the new material they are working on, they may be working on some new ideas regarding the distribution of that material as well.
Guitarist Joe Perry is saying that the group may decide to release some of the new tracks online before the official release date for the album, so that gamers can play along with them on Guitar Hero.
“We’ll probably release some of the music from our new record as a download so kids can plug it in and play some new tunes on the game,” Perry was quoted as saying.
In other Aerosmith news, a trial date has been set for the legal showdown between angry Aerosmith fans and the Boston-based rockers over a canceled a show in Hawaii back in September.
At the time, Aerosmith said that they were unable to transport their equipment from Chicago to Maui in time for the show, but did show up a few days later to put on a private show for employees of Toyota, who some say the group was paid $1 million for. The canceled show on Maui was never rescheduled.
May 11, 2009 is the date scheduled for the start of the trial. Anyone who purchased a ticket for the canceled show is automatically included in this class action suit unless they take action to exclude themselves. According to lawyers working for the fans, the lawsuit currently includes about 8,700 people, although perhaps not all of them consider themselves Aerosmith fans any longer.
