Aerosmith Delivers ‘Sweet Emotions’ To Fans At Times Union Center [REVIEW]

On Friday night the people of New York (and surrounding states) flocked to the Times Union Center in Albany to witness Steven Tyler himself put on one hell of a show with his long-time band Aerosmith. I was privileged enough to be a part of it and found my first live experience with the band to be very entrancing and awe-inspiring. Despite the fact that Steven Tyler is almost a certifiable senior citizen, this did not hinder him in any way whatsoever. The show was simply unforgettable!

The night began with a killer performance by Cheap Trick. I caught the end of their set but heard familiar songs that I never knew they sang, such as "I Want You To Want Me" and "Dream Police," which was performed using a five-necked guitar! I did not even know these existed and I was shocked to see such a thing, but it was bad ass!

After a short intermission the lights went down and the crowd started cheering. After a brief visual time warp and audio introduction warning what fans were about to see was in fact real, his voice appeared. As Steven Tyler began to sing he rose from beneath the stage and appeared in his floor-length red sequined robe and stylish black hat as he and musical soul mate Joe Perry got right into "Draw the Line." The crowd lost it.

The T-shaped stage allowed for full-floor access where Tyler could roam free and perform his songs and musical antics. Wherever he went he took his microphone and stand (which read "Lick Me" on the bottom) with him that was of course adorned with his plethora of colorful scarves and ribbons, which he was very protective of. I chuckled every time the crowd grabbed them because Tyler would suavely rip them out of reach. "Love In the Elevator" and "Livin On the Edge" followed, as the screen behind the drummer showed close-ups of the members. There was also a large circular screen above the stage which produced visions of fire and pyrotechnics, as well as random images of Alicia Silverstone, pink clouds and videos of Aerosmith in their younger days, in addition to backdrops of all their albums. Along both sides of this were sporadic cut-outs of squares that showed bits and pieces of the bigger picture. This is where Tyler also broke out his harmonica and breathed some impressive riffs to go along with the performance. His mic did go out for about 20 seconds, but that didn't stop him or the crowd in any way.

During drummer Joey Kramer's solo, his entire kit was moved up for all to see and Tyler got into excited child mode and sat Indian style in front to watch. He did not stop moving for one second though- where he gets his energy I have not a clue. After soaking up some glory, Kramer threw his sticks out into the crowd and literally played using the backs of his hands as well as his head! Tyler joined in here and there with some new sticks, but I had never seen a drummer play with his hands and head before. It was quite insane to watch and very remarkable. I don't think my mouth closed for the entire time he did it.

After some newer tracks and some stage-humping by Tyler came the classics that everyone was waiting for,

such as "Back In the Saddle," "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," "Walk This Way," "Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On." During the encore Tyler reappeared from below the end of the stage playing his snazzy white piano, which he and Perry eventually stood on top of and played and sang their hearts out to the audience.

It was a nearly sold out show that no doubt left an imprint in every one's mind and soul. Had I not been given the opportunity to attend, I may have missed out on an amazing thing and witnessing the acts of a musical genius and legend.