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Sunday
Apr212013

Aerosmith Live at the Stone Festival

Aerosmith played the Stone Festival in Sydney, Australia on April 20. Video clips of the performance are just now starting to pop up on YouTube. I followed along on Twitter during the show a little. The consensus seems to be that Van Halen sounded lousy due to a poor sound mix and Aerosmith should have headlined. I could have told you that, but I'm biased. I think I read awhile back that Aerosmith and Van Halen got three million bucks to do the fest. Not a bad payday for 90 minutes of work each!




Reader Comments (13)

Van Halen would never take a non-headlining slot. Ed's ego is just too big for that. As headliner, VH would have had all the time they required for soundcheck. So if they sucked, blame Eddie Van Halen. He's running the show. Even DLR is nothing more than a paid employee these days. Just out of respect, Aerosmith should have been the headliner. They were playing stadiums when Van Halen were playing bars. In fact, I actually saw Van Halen as a bar band, covering Aerosmith's "Last Child" way back in '76 at the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk California. They were opening a show for UFO. Maybe 400 people were there.

Looks like Aerosmith rented gear for this gig, rather than ship their own. Those are not the usual eclectic collection of vintage & boutique amps that Joe & Brad favor.
April 21, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAce Steele
Sound quality was bad for VH when I saw them last year too. Couldn't understand what DLR was saying at all. Maybe they need a new sound guy.

And I saw them both last year and Aerosmith was much better, hands down. VH was a let down, especially since the last time I saw them was 1984.
April 21, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterRita
VH & Aerosmith desperately need to call it a day. Neither have really been relevent since the 90s. Yes, they may've sold some albums since then...but so does the Biebster.
April 21, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterbkallday
Im a huge fan of both bands i never seen em live so i cant really give my opinion therr. But both bands kick ass in their own way
April 21, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterdj
Whoa, Ace. You got to see Van Halen when they were a cover band? That is LARGE! Do you remember some of the other songs off their set list?

The first time of only 2 I saw Van Halen (Regretably) was opening for Ted Nugent at CapitalCentre in D.C. two weeks after their first album came out. It was 1978 and I was 4th Row on Eddie's side. Even better is me and the boys wore Orange T-shirts and posed as maintenance crew.

I knew to do this having worked at the place for about a month sweeping the floors of the arena (which, at the time, was home to their NBA Basketball team, The Washington Bullets, and their NHL team, The Capitals) after concerts and sporting events. It sounds ridiculous but the side benefits were amazing.

After the concerts, we would find everything you could imagine under those seats -- nearly every kind of contraband plus cash of all denominations. I also got to see George Clinton play "Foxy Lady" and "Crosstown Traffic" by Hendrix during a soundcheck with Parliament Funkadelic. However those benefits did not outweigh the tedium of the job. Ugh, you try sweeping every row of a 22,000 seat arena with one other person!

My buddy and I quit after about a month and celebrated by stealing his old man's 50 ft. Cigarette boat 70 mph with a case of Budweiser and a huge bag of Cheese Popcorn (The orange kind before Smartfood). Remember, this was 1978. The land was virtually lawless, especially in suburban Maryland. Kids, DO NOT do this now!

Oh, yeah, we were talkin' 'bout Van Halen. They literally left Ted Nugent swingin' in the breeze, actually swingin' on a mock vine in a loin cloth during "Wango Tango " or some sh*t! The audience had arrived totally stoked to see VH, primed from local radio playing the sh*t out of "You Really Got Me", which was rapidly climbing the charts, plus "Jamie's Crying". Nugent was a has-been by then and Van Halen let everybody know. Eddie literally destroyed the place, plus everybody's mind in the wake of solo after bludgeoning solo.

The first time of the 5 I saw Aerosmith (Sorry, I skipped 'em in the 80's -- that stuff just didn't and doesn't do it for me though I DO wish I saw 'em off "Done With Mirrors" in '85 featuring Joe Perry's triumphant return) was headlining Monsters of Rock in '75 off "Get Your Wings" at JFK Stadium with Terrible Ted (when he was still a badass) off his first album, Nazareth (riding high off their #1 Hit, "Love Hurts") and good ol' Frank Marino & Mahogony Rush (Man, it seemed like that guy opened for every one of those Multi-headlining shows back then).

Needless to say, Aerosmith destroyed the place. Then I saw 'em off "Toys in the Attic" at CapCentre. Don't think Aerosmith are Metal. At the time, their shows had the highest decibel rating of anyone, including Black Sabbath! Aerosmith tore the roof off the place! I even forget who opened for 'em, they were so amazing!

Then I saw 'em at RFK again off "ROCKS". They opened for a pre-plane crash Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were just unbeatable. How ya gonna touch "Freebird" live, especially with Perry and Tyler wasted on heroin by then. Aerosmith were a shambles with Tyler spitting on the audience, even throwing an electric fan off the stage. Perry was playing like he was in another band in another state.

That's how bad he sounded. Still, he looked great for being so trashed out, donning a head-to-toe shinyl-vinyl black outfit of motorcycle jacket and corresponding bell bottoms and matching patent leather black stack heeled boots with no shirt. Oh, and let's not forget the black Les Paul. Badass!

Oh, and Nazareth was there but had to resort to stunts like having the guitarist shave his head bald to still garner attention. Still, gotta say, they were badass! And, of course, let's not Forget Frank Marino & Mahogony Rush! No show would be complete without him. Not.

DJ! Go see Aerosmith AND Van Halen! Aerosmith sound better than ever and are still the original line-up. Van Halen ain't what they used to be but Eddie can still blaze more than ANY other guitarist alive today! Gotta see him! You'll be hearing a legend live, something you'll never forget as long as you live. I know I won't!
April 22, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMetalboy!
Metalboy, Yeah I saw VH a bunch as a bar band, they opened for the Runaways, they opened for George Lynch's band, "The Boyz", and gigs like that one where they played opening for UFO at Golden West. (which was like 25 miles outside of Hollywood, but closer to VH's San Gabriel Valley home-base stronghold, which is how they probably got this gig)

The best night of guitar ever occurred outside of the clubs, but when some brilliant local promoter put Pasadena's Van Halen on the same bill with Burbank's Quiet Riot at Glendale City College. How do you get better than Randy Rhoads & Eddie Van Halen on the same show? IF ONLY there was video of that!

However, I went "Googling" for the Golden West Ballroom's set list, & found out there's a board mix (!)of the VH show on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHyK7ppoDhM

God bless the Internet!

Set list was:
1)On Fire
2)Show Your Love
3)Last Child
4)Tush
5)The Rover
6)The Fool And Me
7)Let's Get Rockin'
8)Ice Cream Man
9)Last Night
10)Eruption
11)We Die Bold
12)Somebody Get Me A Doctor
13)Babe Don't Leave Me Alone
14)Let Me Swim In Your Ocean
15)She's The Woman

One thing listening to this again (!) makes perfectly clear...

Van Halen is definitely a lesser band without the unmistakable background vocals of Micheal Anthony!
Get him back, & have a REAL Van Halen reunion, before it's too late!
April 22, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAce Steele
Saw VH on the Diver down and 1984 tours. They blew the roof off of the old Philadelphia Spectrum both times. Was 4th row in front of Eddie on the Diver tour. Swear to God I learned more "tricks" for the guitar in those 90 minutes than I did in 3 years of lessons! Saw Aero on the Rocks tour. Was hit and miss mainly due to The Toxic Twins living up to their nicknames. Lol
If I had to pick between the 2 today it'd hands down be Aero. Refuse to do VH for what Ed the douchenozzle did to Mikey Anthony. Get him back and do a real reunion....
April 22, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterGary
i am jelous of every single one of you, so many amazing shows, van halen as a bar band? damn that would have been amazing, and just seeing eruption live alone is just mindblowing
April 22, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterdj
Yeah, DJ, for all our grousin' on here, you should still go see VH to witness Eddie tearin' it up. No question, he's still got it even if Roth doesn't and they're sorely missing Michael Anthony.

Also, go see Aerosmith! Still the original line-up and firing on all pistons! How do they do it? If ever their was a deal made with the Devil in Rock & Roll, these guys made it. Especially, Joey Kramer! How old is he? And still drumming like that?! Tyler's voice is still nailing it and Joe Perry's a total monster, as well. Same with Whitford and Hamilton. Amazing!

Go see 'em DJ, before they're gone and all you got left is Fall Out Boy in the fall out shelter! Ugh!
April 23, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMetalboy!
Wha? VH opening for The Runaways? Man, you really have seen it all, Ace!

p.s. I was thinkin' that might have been one of the few cases where VH, even with all of Eddie's Guitar Pyrotechnics, might not have topped the headliner. I mean, could you compete with Cherie Currie's bustier? And Gary, you are so right about the loss of Michael Anthony, but let's not forget, according to Roth, had Wolfgang not convinced his Dad, the reunion never would have happened. So what can you do. Hey, Ace! Forgot to mention, I actually got that soundboard recording of VH on cassette years ago at a flea market in NYC, but this sounds much better. Like you said, God Bless the Internet!
April 23, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMetalboy!
Thanx, MB !

Yeah, I wouldn't trade the shows I've seen for anything!
A lot of it comes from living where I have, & and the right point in time. The upside of being 52 years old!

Now that I've found that one, I've gone back & found some of the other incredible shows that, like you, I had on cassette years ago. Look for VH at the Pasadena Civic Center. Ed is ON FIRE! Probably the best he ever was. Eruption is so incredible, it makes even I, the most jaded guitarist & guitar fan sit back say "Whoa!"... And... it's all glorious board mixes! Love the sound of Eddie's hissy Variac'ed Marshall & cobbled together homemade guitar & pedalboard!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIvH3C82OhQ
April 23, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAce Steele
P.S. Speaking of Cherie Currie, I get the joy of seeing my dear friend play her first gig in years next Friday... I'll bring my video camera for ya... She still looks And sounds fabulous. "Somebody" should do a topic on THAT pioneering rock goddess! (Hint Hint...)
April 23, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAce Steele
For sure! Thanx, Ace!

p.s. Say "Hi!" To Cherie for me! Tell her the way she sings "Cherry Bomb" is one of THE most BADASS things I've ever heard and THE most BADASS Female vocal performance in Rock & Roll History!
April 24, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMetalboy!

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