1988.09.03 - St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, USA

Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses Right On Target At Arena

By David Surkamp

THE ROCK GROUP Aerosmith, with special guests Guns N’ Roses, performed at the Arena on Saturday evening. The Boston-based quintet’s career has gotten a real boost since the release of its latest album, “Permanent Vacation.

With a couple hit singles under its belt in the past year, Aerosmith has gathered a new generation of fans to add to its already huge following. The band still has one of the hardest-hitting shows around, and singer Steve Tyler and the rest of the band seemed to be enjoying themselves to the fullest on the Arena’s stage.

Tyler has one of the most recognizable vocal styles around and uses it to deliver the gritty lyrical ideas of songs such as “Back In The Saddle” and "Toys In The Attic” with the same unrestrained enthusiasm he did a decade ago. His whirling dervish moves and fast-talking stage patter have been copied by many of the current breed of rockers but seldom equaled.

Probably one of the biggest factors in Aerosmith’s resurgence in popularity is due to the return of the
band’s charismatic lead guitarist, Joe Perry. Aerosmith without Perry is comparable to the Rolling Stones sans Keith Richard; it just doesn’t make sense. Perry is a gut-level guitarist and certainly no virtuoso, but he has the street smarts to keep the band on track and deliver the group’s power-house riffs with all the finesse of a bulldozer.

Highlights of Aerosmith’s set included “Rag Doll,” “Angel” and “Dream On.”

Guns N’ Roses is riding high with one of the hottest records in the nation currently and could count on a large share of the crowd in its corner. The band owes an obvious stylistic debt to Aerosmith, but Guns N’ Roses has enough of its own musical ideas to keep things fresh.

This will certainly be Guns N’ Roses last time through town as an opening act, judging from the audience reaction. The band held the crowd spellbound with songs including “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and "Welcome To The Jungle” and produced the most chillingly heavy version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” that is likely to ever be heard within the Arena’s walls again.