"Sweet Emotion"

Blaisdell Stomp. Plastic cupped beer. Overpriced alcohol. Red bandannas as far as the eye could see. Aerosmith concert. The classic rock band from the '70s was at the Neal S. Blaisdell center and Sarah and I were there for the party. The last concert that Sarah and I went to was the young, energetic, fun Gwen Stefani with "No Doubt". Last nights concert was a departure from that...as we were informed several times by lead singer Steven Tyler---"It's been thirty years since we've performed in Hawaii". Hawaii has been waiting thirty years and I've been waiting for about twenty years. My first, fond memories of blasting Aersomith were in high school, circa 1990--grunge was just making the scene, bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were just beginning to make their mark on a younger, skinnier, nerdier me. The last vestiges of the '80s were on their way out...I was happy to say good-bye to the evil hair claw (you know the girls with the can of Aqua Net and hair that made them a good two or three inches taller), good-bye to bubble gum pop music (New Kids On The Block), and ready to say hello to a whole new world of serious guitar and angst. In comes Aersomith (along with Led Zepplin, Rush, Allman Brothers, Lynard Skinard)...it was a '70s revival in my room---no albums, but I did jam to a slew of cassette tapes...rewinding over and over to the best song on my Aerosmith tape--- "Sweet Emotion". A couple years later the band made a resurgence with a trilogy of MTV videos starring Alicia Silverstone, a sappy tune that all girls (except one---me) love from the Ben Afflec/Liv Tyler movie "Armeggedon", and a re-debut in the movie "Dazed and Confused"---THE HIGH SCHOOL MOVIE for me and my friends. Aerosmith is classic and I had to see them. I bought the tickets over the phone (weird, I know) and was happy that there were even any left---it was a sold out show. Of course it was---with hits like "Dream On", "Rag Doll", "Livin on the Edge", "Cryin", and "Walk this Way"---three generations of "high schoolers" were rockin out last night. It was definitely a bitter sweet concert---I'm bitter that I couldn't have seen these guys in their true prime thirty years ago (most of the band is pushing 60 and unfortunately it really showed in the lack of energy, gray hair, and short sets), but sweet that I was lucky enough to see Steven Tyler in his crazy tight pants and scarfed microphone while Joe Perry wailed on his guitar (truly majestic).