Steven Tyler has loyal fans. Loyal enough to fill every possible seat at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday night for a stop on his current “Out On A Limb” solo tour…and loyal enough to erupt into a frenzied ovation once his trademark microphone stand draped in colorful scarves was brought out onto the stage before he made his appearance.
The large stage, designed in part to look like a mock country roadside outpost, was the perfect visually stunning backdrop for the always charismatic and lively front man. After a short mini-documentary chronicling the long career of the Aerosmith lead vocalist prepared the already rowdy audience for the main attraction, Tyler emerged and was greeted with a deafening roar.
Donning ripped jeans, a flowing stars and stripes blouse, vest and running shoes, the ageless Tyler looked fit and healthy in his finest gypsy chic gear. Fronting the six-piece Country/Rock band Loving Mary, Tyler looked and felt right at home as he and the band ripped into a scorching version of the Aerosmith classic “Sweet Emotion”.
Any doubts or misgivings from anyone in the crowd who might have feared this would be a night of traditional twangy Country music were quickly dashed; in what might have arguably been the loudest show Ruth Eckerd has ever hosted, Tyler and the band got off to a rousing, rollicking, ripping start and never really let up for the duration of the program.
Reminiscing on his rise to fame and his long-standing love affair with music while injecting humorous anecdotes between songs, Tyler, the consummate showman, made his stories and yarns almost as entertaining as his varied set list.
Taking time to kiss girls and slap high fives with front row attendees, Tyler showed off the impeccable front man skills he’s honed over his many decades of performing. His unmistakable voice, still boasting those screams and shrieks and its soulful rasp, was in fine form on Monday night as he sailed effortlessly through Aerosmith hits like “Cryin’” and “Jaded”. But, always one to proudly wear his influences and his inspirations on his sleeve, Tyler gave props to the bands that nudged him towards pursing a living as a rocker. Mentioning the impact The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles had on him during his coming of age, Tyler immediately dove head first into a jaw dropping medley of the Fab Four’s “I’m Down”, “Oh! Darling” and “Come Together”…and made them all his own
Thrusting, grinding, butt-shaking and shimmying, Tyler, now 68, showed no signs of slowing down or letting up for the duration of the nearly two-hour show. A spillover of fans who paid top dollar for VIP packages got to stand on the wings of the stage for the duration of the show and Tyler made sure to engage and involve them in the fun. Tyler thrives on the love and adulation of an audience; he blossoms and gets looser and more animated as his fans react and respond to his antics…and he had plenty to offer to the raucous crowd. From bawdy homages to cowgirls who “sleep with their boots on” to brutally honest admissions of his ongoing sobriety, Tyler did plenty to add a personal, human element to his non-stop barrage of fun and music.
Delving into the material from his current Country-tinged solo album We’re All Somebody From Somewhere, Tyler delivered a spirited version of the album’s title track that boasted more of a Memphis Blues feel than a Nashville twang.
Pouring every ounce of his mojo into every tune from his current material to Aerosmith nuggets to smoking covers (including a smoking version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rattlesnake Shake” that led off with a loving tribute to his longtime songwriting partner and “Toxic Twin”, Joe Perry), Tyler held court all night and reminded everyone in the house why he’s one of the very best at what he does.
Channeling another hero of his, Tyler delivered a faithful version of Blues classic “Piece Of My Heart” in true Janis Joplin spirit and in the process, showed off the vocal prowess of bassist Rebecca Lynn Howard who giddily indulged his request to have her show off her pipes.
One of the evening’s most notable highlights found Tyler taking his place at a white baby grand piano at the rear of the stage to tinker with a few verses of another Beatles classic, “If I Fell” before diving into Aerosmith’s signature song, the moody rocker, “Dream On”. In similar fashion, the set closing “Walk This Way” (on which Tyler banged away on an African djembe drum during the intro) gave way to a few chugging bars of Led Zeppelin’s classic “Whole Lotta Love” which drove the audience into a spirited frenzy.
Well-deserved encores included a brooding, dark take on Aerosmith’s tale of sexual abuse “Janie’s Got A Gun” and a set-closing, rollicking version of another Blues classic that was a Aerosmith set list staple for years, “Train Kept A-Rollin’ “.
Ending the night with some words of inspiration, the exhilarated showman left the audience with a parting thought: “The light at the end of the tunnel is you”. But for every fan in attendance, this otherwise mundane Monday night was made a little brighter by the infectious, always engaging aura Steven Tyler emanates.
Set List:
Sweet Emotion
Cryin'
We're All Somebody From Somewhere
I'm Down/Oh! Darling/Come Together
Piece of My Heart
Rattlesnake Shake
Jaded
Love Is Your Name
I Make My Own Sunshine
What It Takes
Red, White & You
My Own Worst Enemy
Dream On
Walk This Way
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Encore:
Janie's Got a Gun
Only Heaven
Train Kept A-Rollin'
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 1, 2016.