Does longevity breed respect? In the case of Aerosmith, who will appear with Jackyl Tuesday at the United Center, that would seem to be the case. In the ’70s it was easy to write rubber-faced frontman Steven Tyler off as a Mick Jagger wannabe, guitarist Joe Perry as a Keith Richards imitator and the rest of the Boston-based band as Stones clones.
But something funny happened after the group’s original lineup splintered as the ’70s turned into the ’80s and then gravitated back into the same orbit by 1985. Suddenly, a newly detoxed Aerosmith began to be taken seriously as elder statesmen of rock ‘n’ roll, while MTV eagerly awaited each new video. The fans, however, remained loyal all along. Songs like “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Angel,” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Cryin’ ” and “Crazy,” which are all included on the band’s new “Big Ones” collection, became major hits and rejuvenated the band as a live act.
1994 has been a particularly good year for Aerosmith. The band toured America’s outdoor amphitheaters, visited Europe, Japan and Latin America, played at Woodstock ’94, won a Grammy for “Livin’ On the Edge,” collected four MTV Video Music awards and watched “Big Ones” debut at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Whew!
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So when you see Tyler dancing across the stage in his skin-tight pants while guitarists Perry and Brad Whitford bash out nonstop power chords and bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joe Kramer hold down the deep bottom, don’t think of them as just another bunch of aging rockers. Think of them as an American institution.
They’ve earned at least that much.
Other concerts of note
Rusted Root, Friday at the Coronet Theatre in Evanston: Evanston’s Coronet Theatre makes its debut as a concert venue with this performance by Rusted Root. The Pittsburgh-based band plays an interesting blend of world music and rock, not that dissimilar, actually, from the approach of Chicago-based Poi Dog Pondering. Michael Glabicki and Liz Berlin’s intertwined vocals merge with ethnic percussion instruments and woodwinds to create an intoxicating sound that draws you in like a siren’s song. Opening is Peat Moss.
American Music Club, Friday at Lounge Ax: American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel is quite the navel-gazer, but his songs manage to break free of his chronic self-absorption thanks to the rest of the band’s powerful support. Superficially, AMC has much in common with fellow San Franciscan’s Counting Crows, though Eitzel and company have been plying their special brand of rock for seven albums now, most notably on the band’s new “San Francisco” album-a much more interesting listen than the Crows’ 4-million-selling “August & Everything After.” One of our favorite Eitzel lyrics on the album is this snippet from “How Many Six Packs Does It Take To Screw In a Light”: “I never had a lot to bring to the party/But a self-importance far beyond vanity.” You get the idea. Also appearing are the Ass Ponys.
Michael Hill’s Blues Mob, Friday at Buddy Guy’s Legends: Like kindred spirits Larry McCray and the Kinsey Report, Michael Hill and his Blues Mob play a rocked-up brand of blues that may not appeal to blues purists, but ought to reel in plenty of fringe fans. A native of New York’s South Bronx who was initially inspired to play guitar by hearing Jimi Hendrix, Hill breathes fire through his guitar while lyrically tackling such issues as racism, the problems of Vietnam veterans and the plight of young black men in America. This will be the band’s Chicago debut.
Terry Evans and Fruteland Jackson, Friday at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn: With his soul-deep baritone, blues/rock/R&B/gospel vocalist Terry Evans can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention when he sings. He’s a veteran of Ry Cooder’s band, and Cooder returned the favor by producing Evans’ extra-funky recent “Blues For Thought” album on the Pointblank label. Evans is also a fine songwriter, though he’s not above singing songs by such greats as Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley and Johnny Otis. Also appearing is young acoustic bluesman Fruteland Jackson.
“Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar,” Saturday at the Old Town School of Folk Music: If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you’ve probably fallen under the spell of the islands’ enchanting music. One of the most popular types of Hawaiian music is the “slack key” guitar tradition, which dates back to the 1830s, when Spanish and Mexican cowboys working in Hawaii introduced the guitar to the native population. By using open or “slack” tunings and picking with their fingers, the Hawaiian guitarists developed a unique and hypnotic style that has been passed down from one generation to the next. Three of Hawaii’s top slack key masters-Keola Beamer, Ledward Kaapana and Cyril Pahinui-will join together to bring a bit of Hawaii to wintertime Chicago. All three, incidentally, have excellent new albums out on the Dancing Cat record label.
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Saturday at the Coronet Theatre in Evanston: The Coronet’s opening weekend continues with the “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe. Monroe virtually defined the shape of modern bluegrass music, and a host of leading lights of the genre paid their dues as members of his Bluegrass Boys. At age 83, Monroe may not be quite so nimble on his mandolin these days, but his summer appearance at the Chicago Country Music Festival showed the Kentucky native still has plenty of heart. Also appearing are Chicago bluegrass aces Special Consensus.
Gladys Knight, Saturday at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville: 1994 has turned into something of a comeback year for veteran pop-R&B singer Gladys Knight. She’s coming off a hit single, “I Don’t Want to Know,” written and produced by golden boy Babyface, has a recurring role on Fox’s “New York Undercover” and can also be seen on the tube in commercials for Aunt Jemima pancake syrup. Perhaps she should have gotten rid of the Pips a long time ago.
Joe Jackson, Tuesday at the Bismarck Theatre: Fans of Joe Jackson’s past work like “Breaking Us In Two,” “Steppin’ Out” and “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)” may be thrown for a loop by Jackson’s new “Night Music” album. The album’s songs are more impressionistic and free-form than in the past, and the music owes as much to classical and film music as pop. Luckily, Jackson and his small acoustic-based ensemble will be mixing up the old and the new. A word to the wise: Jackson has been known to get huffy with talkative audiences. Opening is the Murmurs.
Shudder To Think and Sunny Day Real Estate, Thursday at Metro: Washington, D.C.’s Shudder To Think plays music that lurches rather than struts. And that’s purely intentional. There are plenty of purposely off-kilter moments on the band’s major label debut album “Pony Express Record,” but an equal number of moments when the discordant mist clears and the band’s ’70s rock roots show: Led Zeppelin, Cheap Trick, even the Carpenters. It’s an approach that may not be totally original, but one that is rarely uninteresting. Opener Sunny Day Real Estate shows a more conventional alternative rock approach on its Chicago-recorded “Diary” album.
The Brothers Johnson, Saturday at the Cubby Bear: In the ’70s, brothers Louis and George Johnson had one of the funkiest bands on the R&B scene. Their bass-poppin’ style, as exemplified on the hits “I’ll Be Good to You,” “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Stomp,” proved highly influential on youngbloods to come like the artist formerly known as Prince-before they faded from the charts in the ’80s. Opening is Lakeside.