There really isn’t anything that compares to an outdoor
concert on a hot summer night. There’s something magical in the sultry summer
air. Especially as the sun settles and the anticipation of the night’s events
rises. Thus, expectations were high and anticipation was nigh as I prepared for
an amazing combination of acts in Holmdel, New Jersey at the PNC Bank Arts
Center.
When KISS announced a tour with Aerosmith, I felt like a
12-year old boy looking at his first nudie magazine. I was overjoyed! Ecstatic!
I couldn’t believe that this tour was actually happening. It was the concert of
a lifetime that I could not wait to see. When I heard Saliva was the opening
act, that sealed the deal. I anticipated that this was going to be one of the
best concerts I ever enjoyed.
It would be the first time that I saw Saliva in concert.
They were promoting their latest album, Back
Into Your System which I thought was one of the greatest nu-metal albums
ever released. I was a huge Saliva fan in the early 2000s and when I saw they
would be opening for two of my favorite bands, I just knew that this concert
was a once in a lifetime fanboy’s dream.
I was onboard with Saliva from the moment I heard Every Six Seconds and the monster single
“Your Disease.” My love for Saliva in the early 2000s was similar to my love
for Pop Evil today. I thought that they were the greatest and really felt they would
be the next huge metal band. And I was able to see them develop. Watching a
young band make a name for themselves is exciting because it provides the
opportunity to say, “I knew them when.” Unfortunately, Saliva did not amount to
the expectations I had for them. They had some huge hits and were a modestly
known band, but they were never able to take their act to the next level. In
2012, singer Josey Scott left the band and I pretty much forgot about them
after that. Every so often I will pull
out their discs and listen to some of my favorite songs, but other than that, I
don’t give them much thought. Which is kind of sad. It happens sometimes. Some
of the bands that you love today more than ever, are gone and forgotten by
tomorrow.
The live performance that Saliva put on that night was
absolutely incredible. Stunning may be the best word to use. I was a big fan of
the band when I went into the venue, I was a superfan when I left the venue.
Saliva was the perfect act to open for heavyweight classic artists KISS and
Aerosmith. The opening act had to be a band that could bring a special
performance to the stage and really charge the crowd, electrifying them for
what they were going to witness the rest of the night. Saliva did just that.
Perfect song selection helped as well. Opening with
“Click, Click, Boom” Saliva owned the stage and never relinquished control
until their performance was over. The crowd was into it from song one and
although the venue was less than half full when Saliva started the night, it
was close to capacity when the last song of their set was played. And while
their set was quick (just seven songs) it was powerful. And the last three
songs were exquisite. The power ballad co-written with Nikki Sixx, “Rest In
Pieces,” was magnificent. Hearing this amazing ballad live in concert filled me
with joy and gave me goosebumps! That was followed by their two biggest hits,
“Always” and “Your Disease.” What a way to end the opening set!
KISS was touring with the incarnation of the band that
featured Tommy Thayer on guitar and Peter Criss on drums. I vaguely remember
Ace saying something about how he was invited to join the band for this tour,
but he was offended that KISS was opening for Aerosmith. He believed Aerosmith
should have opened for them and KISS should have been last. And while I respect
that sentiment, I always admired KISS for being willing to go on before
Aerosmith and not making a big deal out of it. I thought it showed a maturity
for the band that they would perform first and then let Aerosmith close the
night. It showed they had removed their ego in that regard and helped further
cement my love of the band.
KISS came out like a house on fire! They were exceptional
as always and after a heart pounding performance by Saliva, KISS really made
the crowd roar. The venue was packed by this point and breathing room on the
lawn was a little hard to come by. I made the most of it though as I was
witnessing my favorite band on stage. And while I loved their performance, the
setlist choices were thin.
Anyone who’s been listening to my podcast (The Psycho Circus Podcast)
knows how I feel about that setlist. It’s the same tired one! Although for the
first night of the tour, this was okay. I wasn’t tired of it yet, because I had
only seen it once. But I will be honest, if not for Aerosmith being on this
tour, I would not have gone to three shows. Aerosmith mixes up their setlist,
so each show is fresh. They make it worthwhile. KISS does not. And it was the
lure of Aerosmith that had me attending three of these shows. KISS was
definitely an added bonus, and a good one at that, but if it was just KISS with
Salvia, I think one show would have been enough for me.
The classic KISS songs were all performed. And the only
difference between this tour and the reunion tour was that Tommy Thayer was on
guitar and the performance time was shorter (due to the double bill, each band
had approximately 80 minutes of stage time). The highlights of their
performance included “Let Me Go Rock N Roll,” which is a live favorite of mine,
and “God of Thunder” which is one song I will never grow tired of in the live
setting. The other choices in the set made sense. KISS wasn’t going to take any
chances on a tour with Aerosmith. They had to play only their hits. Deep cuts
were not going to happen as the band was almost in competition with Aerosmith
for the fan cheers. So, I understand why we got the standard setlist. I was
still disappointed, but understood the logic behind playing only these classic
songs.
Peter Criss was still in the band, so we got to see him
perform “Beth” just like he had for the reunion tour. It was always a nice
touch to see Peter take center stage and sing his most well-known song. He
always appeared so happy onstage singing to the fans and he was sure to tell
them how much he loved them all at the end of the song.
Ace was missed, but Tommy Thayer did a superb job in his
own right and he was a nice fill in. And while I wasn’t crazy about seeing
Tommy in the Space Ace makeup, at that point, what was the band going to do?
They certainly weren’t going to create a new character just for Tommy. Though,
I’ve always felt that he should have worn Vinnie’s makeup and Eric Singer (when
he came back to the band)) should have worn Eric Carr’s makeup. Leave the
classic makeup to the original performers. But alas, that did not happen and
Tommy become the new Space Ace.
KISS ended their portion of the night with the much
expected “Rock And Roll All Nite.” Confetti blasted out onto the audience and
KISS gave a rousing rendition of their signature rock and roll anthem. There
was no other song that was going to close out this concert, because KISS had to
end it with their best and most beloved tune.
Aerosmith was one of my top five favorite bands for many
years. Only recently did they got bumped from that coveted list and replaced
with Dave Matthews Band. Considering that DMB gave KISS a run for their money
at the top spot, it’s understandable that a band got bumped out of the top five
for Dave Matthews Band. Unfortunately for Aerosmith, they were that band. They
are still one of my favorites, but no longer in the coveted top five. There
were a lot of factors that contributed to this decision, but that is a post for
another day. On that warm summer night, Aerosmith was still in my top five and
seeing them perform after KISS was a dream come true.
Aerosmith took the stage not long after KISS had walked
off. I would say less than 30 minutes elapsed before they began. They came out with
the classic “Mama Kin” and never slowed down from there. After witnessing the
predictable setlist that KISS put together, it was a welcomed change of pace to
see Aerosmith mixing it up. That was one of the reasons why I loved the band so
much, you never knew what they were going to play when they took the stage.
Every night was going to be something different than the night before. Sure,
the staple hits were always going to be played (“Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion,”
“Love In An Elevator,”), but Aerosmith didn’t shy away from other songs in
their deep catalog. They weren’t afraid to dust off some deep cuts and perform
some of the lesser known songs. That’s what made me want to see them multiple
times on a tour.
This tour was no different. Unexpected classics like
“Toys In The Attic,” “Nobody’s Fault,” and “Same Old Song And Dance” made this
a very special evening. “Nobody’s Fault” was the real gem of the night. This
deep cut from 1976’s Rocks was a song
I loved for many years and to have the chance to hear it performed live was
just another treat in a tremendous evening. The band played a near perfect
rendition and while some fans were wondering what song it was, I was singing
every word at the top of my lungs. Thank you, Aerosmith! Please teach KISS how
to dust off some classic deep cuts.
Newer hits were also performed (“Jaded,” “Pink”) much to
the delight of the crowd. The oddest part of Aerosmith’s performance came in
the middle of the show. The band decided to play three tracks from their (as of
that night) unreleased album Honkin’ On
Bobo. The album wouldn’t come out for almost another year, but Aerosmith
was performing songs from the record anyway. And while I commend the band for
taking the chance, I think they did a bit too many. One or two songs (at most)
would have been enough given their limited stage time. Remember, each band only
had 80 minutes due to the double bill. So, Aerosmith’s decision to eat up 15 of
those 80 minutes with unheard, brand new material that wouldn’t be released for
another year was an odd one. That’s something they should have saved for when
they had more time to perform.
The night ended with a blistering three pack of timeless
classics. “Walk This Way,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Train Kept A Rollin’” finished
it off and left the crowd roaring for more. It was a spectacular way to close the
night. And Aerosmith had done the unthinkable. They had come out after KISS and
gave a performance that was worthy of the painted masters themselves.
I think these two bands touring together forced each one
to step up their performance game, knowing that there was playful competition
between them for bragging rights, if nothing else. It helped each band really
give their all, which was a win for fans. Ultimately though, I think it helped
Aerosmith the most. The three shows that I saw on this tour were the best three
performances I’ve witnessed from Aerosmith. It was also the last time I saw the
band perform live. And that’s probably for the best, because I got to end their
concert performances on the highest of high notes.
SETLISTS
Saliva
Click Click Boom
Pride
Weight of the World
Holdin On
Rest In Pieces
Always
Your Disease
KISS
Detroit Rock City
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
Do You Love Me
Let Me Go, Rock N Roll
Firehouse
I Love It Loud
I Want You
Bass Solo/God of Thunder
100,000 Years
Black Diamond
Beth
Love Gun
Rock And Roll All Nite
Aerosmith
Mama Kin
Toys in the Attic
Love in an Elevator
Pink
Jaded
What It Takes
I Never Loved A Girl (The Way I Love You)
Stop Messin’ Around
Baby Please Don’t Go
Dream On
Nobody’s Fault
Same Old Song and Dance
Cryin’
Walk This Way
Sweet Emotion
Train Kept A Rollin’
