But singer Steven Tyler's new gig hints that band's tour date here may be last ever
By Tom Harrison, The Province September 15, 2010
Guitarist Joe Perry says something special happens when Aerosmith gets together, which is why, despite the turmoil, he doesn't think the band is finished quite yet.
Guitarist Joe Perry is looking at his calendar. The days are blank after Thursday.
That's the last date on Aerosmith's Cocked, Loaded and Ready to Rock tour. More than that, it might be Aerosmith's last date ever.
The band's future is uncertain due to singer Steven Tyler's commitment to being a judge on the reality TV series American Idol.
His coming and going within Aerosmith -- from a recent bout with rehab, for which he temporarily quit the band, to landing the role on Idol -- has led to speculation on his relationship with Perry, culminating in the guitarist pushing Tyler off the stage at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
For his part, Perry thinks this incident has been blown out of proportion (though the incident was a big hit on You Tube, as Tyler's fallen off the stage before) and figures Aerosmith will continue.
"I still think there's a lot of life in us." Perry says. "The last two to four years have been crazy. We need a break."
He can't forecast what Aerosmith will do if it does get that break, but it would seem out of character if it just gave in and surrendered. Here's a band that has weathered drug addiction, injury, lawsuits, bassist Tom Hamilton's throat cancer, the quitting of Perry and second guitarist Brad Whitford and has staged a spectacular comeback.
The five musicians -- drummer Joey Kramer is the fifth -- from Boston have proven resilient in whatever form. The band has gone out with other personnel, even allegedly approaching Lenny Kravitz to replace Tyler in December, but for most people Aerosmith will be Perry, Tyler, Whitford, Hamilton and Kramer.
"There's some kind of vibe when we get together," Perry agrees. "There's a certain vibe that just worked. It kept us moving.
"I'm not the greatest guitarist in the world. Joey isn't the greatest drummer and Steven isn't the greatest singer, but when we get together something special happens."
That uniqueness has kept Aerosmith together 40 years. In the beginning, they were united by the influence of British invasion bands from the '60s. As the band became more successful, its slinky blues-rock drew comparisons to The Rolling Stones. So perhaps it was inevitable Perry and Tyler would be identified as Aerosmith's Keith Richard and Mick Jagger, something Perry and Tyler's behaviour didn't discourage.
A slide into heroin addiction made the point but, from 1986, the band woke up, started to get clean and, with Vancouver's Bruce Fairbairn's guidance, it began it's unlikely comeback.
Aerosmith moved its families to Vancouver, enrolled its kids in Montessori schools, attended rehabilitation meetings together and made two of its most successful albums, Permanent Vacation and Pump.
When the others went back to Boston, Tyler and Perry stayed to mix the albums. They'd dine together, go to shows and clubs. Yet Perry and Tyler are different people. Tyler tends to look back, thinking that Pump is as good as Aerosmith gets. Perry looks forward, which is why he still has faith in Aerosmith.
Perry also seems comfortable with his identity. He has released five solo albums and was here a few months ago presenting his Joe Perry Project as opening act for Motley Crue, which is odd considering Motley Crue has been opening act for Aerosmith. Perry is a musician and musicians have to play.
"I don't have to answer to anyone, apart from the audience," he says of the difference between leading his own band to being a part of Aerosmith. "The audience can be judge and jury . . . and the executioner sometimes.
"It's a lot of work, no doubt about it," he continues. "I didn't know a lot about the music business when Aerosmith started but by the time the Joe Perry Project started I knew to look for different things. After I got the band together, I cut the musicians loose. I let them bring to the party what they've got."
Which might be a clue to Aerosmith. It was identified with a certain kind of rock. Despite the highs and inevitable lows and the dabbling with outside writers that have led to the accusation of a sell out, the band has remained true to its beginnings. Joe Perry is one thing, Aerosmith another. At least until it gets here. After that?
"It's ironic that we finish in Vancouver," Perry believes. "It's one of the top five places I love. We did two albums there. My kids went to school there. We almost had another kid there. I know the city almost as well as I know Boston.
"We really have a warm, special feeling for Vancouver. It's just an amazing vibe there."
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