Rocknworld.com: Aerosmith / Motley Crue Live Review

Aerosmith / Motley Crue

by Falcon Kriegsman

On a cold October evening, The Route Of All Evil Tour made a stop in Tinley Park, IL. With Motley Crue kicking the evening off, there were the usual favorites from the Crue such as: "Dr, Feelgood", "Kick Start My Heart", "Home Sweet Home", "Girls, Girls, Girls", and one of the new songs off of Red, White, and Crue, "Sick Love Song". While the Crue was entertaining, by no means did this show compare to the solo tour they did last year. The pyrotechnics and fog machines were over-the-top and of course what Crue show wouldn't have half naked women prancing around.

But, the only one who truly seemed to be enjoying himself was Nikki Sixx. Watching him play the bass with the enthusiasm of an assault team can keep anyone in the audience grasping for more. You didn't even know Tommy Lee was behind the drums till the very end of the show and Vince Neil was up for the challenge but, at times felt distant from the rest of the Crue and tried to engage the audience as he continuously held the microphone out asking for a sing-along.

After a brief intermission it was Aerosmith who gripped into the crowd with "Toy's in the Attic" and "Mama Kin". There is no denying that when you see Steven Tyler and Joe Perry you are really going to get a memorable Rock-N-Roll treat. With Joe Perry singing the Blues favorites, "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Stop Messin' 'Round" showing that he compliments Steven's vocals with a style and sound all his own. As they continued through the set, engaging the crowd walking up and down a ramp that went halfway through the seating area, they sat on two chairs and played what would be the highlight of the evening "Season's Of Wither". With faux snow emitting from the ceiling and cool blue lighting, it was truly the song that would shine from this set. Bringing the tempo up a bit they had the crowd in a frenzy with "Dream On", "Last Child", "Rattlesnake Shake", the fan favorite "Sweet Emotion", and "Draw The Line". The crowd was in anticipation of more from the encore that really fell short. While Aerosmith played their signature "Walk This Way", you really couldn't help but feel like you only got to see half of a show. Playing 13 songs from a band with a catalog spanning over 30 years and with tickets prices around $150.00 you really expected more.

After recently seeing Motley Crue headline their own tour last year and getting a two and a half hour set that truly was incredible makes you wonder why they felt the need to tour so soon without a new CD release?

As for Aerosmith only playing 13 songs, while they are still at the top of their game in every aspect, you are really left disappointed for not getting a full Aerosmith show. The venue in which they played had about 14,000 people in attendance and as recently as 2001 and 2002 they were in front of around 30,000 at the same venue. I think that speaks highly of how the trends are going with ticket prices and showmanship. If you are going to be charging well over the $100 price range, you really need to give the audience what they pay for and 13 songs is certainly not it.

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