The one musician that blew Aerosmith off the stage: “He kicked our ass”
There was never a crowd in all of rock and roll that Aerosmith couldn’t devour whenever they went on tour.
They were the ultimate road dogs from the minute that they began touring for their debut album, and when the fans didn’t end up buying their first records, they were willing to travel everywhere they could to make their legacy one fan at a time. All of that hard work seemed to pay off when making classics like Toys in the Attic, but even ‘The Bad Boys From Boston’ had more than a few instances when their opening act gave them a run for their money as well.
At the same time, it’s not like the band ever lost the fire once they got to the top of the rock and roll world. Steven Tyler was never willing to take any prisoners whenever he started performing, and even with years of wear and tear on his voice, he still manages to sound as great as he did in his prime whenever he’s singing along to ‘Walk This Way’ or doing his own rendition of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’.
That’s not to say that the band didn’t know how to play dirty, either. Tyler famously despised working with Kiss when they first went out on tour, and since both of their crews nearly got into a knifefight with each other before a show, it was clear he was willing to bleed to be the best musician onstage every night. It’s a good tactic to have, but it did lead to a few bruised egos along the way as well.
Even when Joe Perry left the band for a little while, he got humbled a few times over when he was opening for Rush. Aerosmith usually had zero tolerance for when opening acts could upstage them, and Geddy Lee knew to kill the guitarist with kindness when he first opened for them rather than be the assholes who didn’t give him a soundcheck or sabotaged him halfway through his performance.
A lot of Aerosmith’s work may have been cold-blooded, but sometimes an artist like Rory Gallagher comes along that is immune to any kind of musical sabotage. He was truly at one with his instrument every single time he played, and he ended up leaving a few emotional scars on the rock and roll heavyweights when he first opened up for them.
Despite them being at the top of their game, Aerosmith were quickly shown the kind of power that Gallagher had over any crowd, with Perry recalling, “He kicked our ass. We headlined. He went on first, and he kicked our ass.” Guitarist Brad Whitford wasn’t afraid to say that the band were fighting for the crowd afterward, saying, “We got on the stage, and I just remember watching people walk away before we even started playing. It was like the show’s over, and who are these guys? They didn’t care.”
But if you look at what Gallagher was like on a good night, there’s no reason to think that he didn’t bring the house down every single time. He was among the finest players in the scene, and during one infamous show when fans rushed the stage, you can barely see him break a sweat as he climbs up on the amplifiers and keeps playing the most blistering rock and roll anyone had ever heard.
Being able to eat that kind of humble pie was never going to be easy for Aerosmith, but that’s part of why every rock and roll band should be watching their back every time they play. Because the moment that someone gets too comfortable onstage, it’s only a matter of time before they get knocked on their ass.
