Live Reviews

The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 24

Aerosmith | Downstairs at the Middle East | November 9, 1995

By PHOENIX STAFF | October 25, 2006

concerts_24

Aerosmith

In the midst of their umpteenth comeback, Aerosmith followed a surprise show at Mama Kin’s with a raw and uncut gig at the Middle East — one of the best of their post-rehab years. Forgoing the usual arena extras of huge keyboard swells and extra backing vocalists, they presaged Honkin’ on Bobo (Columbia) by getting down to the nitty-gritty blues at the heart of their sound, with a set that featured many rarely played oldies, and similarly styled new tunes (the best of which — “What Kind of Love Are You On” — only ever appeared as a B-side). That long-promised Aerosmith blues album seemed just around the corner that night as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry proved they still had one of the leanest, meanest hard-rock bands of their era.

40	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11
			10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

<< Beck + Flaming Lips

The Who >>

Were you there? Wish you were? Seen better? Tell us about it below.

Topics: Live Reviews , Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, More

Comments

The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 24

I was at this Aerosmith show. In fact, they played the very next night at the now defunct club they once partially owned, Mama Kin. I was lucky enough to get into both shows, which they played under two different fake names. The Middle East show in particular was a test for any arena-rock band because it was a stripped-down set with only the core band members and no effects. They mostly played somewhat unknown and newer material, so it wasn't the songs that made such an impression. It was the fact that when you stripped away all the glamour, glitz, and even the hit songs, Aerosmith was simply one of the best bands I'd ever heard. They were really that good. In fact, they were so good that not a single drunken knucklehead shouted "Dream On" through the entire set. Can you believe it? David Avery Powderfinger Promotions

By DMAvery on 10/26/2006 at 2:18:43

Add a Comment

Best Music Poll 2009 winners

Today's Event Picks

[MUSIC] Mia Dyson at Toad

--> -->

ARTICLES BY PHOENIX STAFF

PHOTOS: BOSTON IN THE 70S: PART SIX | August 19, 2009
Photos of Harvard Square from the Boston Phoenix's archives

VIDEO: WATCH PAUL MCCARTNEY AT FENWAY | August 11, 2009
Watch Paul McCartney in concert at Fenway Park

PHOTOS: BEST OF BMP CONCERT 2009 | August 07, 2009
The best shots from the Best Music Poll concert 2009, August 1, 2009.

STUFF HAPPENS | August 05, 2009
Thanks to the July 16 Cambridge break-in that wasn't a break-in — you know, the one that led to a boozy biracial four-way with President Obama — the Boston area fell under the international media microscope.

PHOTOS: BACKSTAGE WITH THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT | August 03, 2009
The Airborne Toxic Event backstage at WFNX and the Boston Phoenix's Best Music Poll Concert at City Hall Plaza in Boston on August 1, 2009.

See all articles by: PHOENIX STAFF

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

WHOLE FOODS HEALTH-CARE BOYCOTT GATHERS MOMENTUM
Unfortunately for Whole Foods Market CEO and founder John Mackey, those who appreciate his store for the healthy, eco-friendly (read: left-leaning, progressive) lifestyle it promotes are the same citizens who support universal health care.

STELLA'S PIZZA
Asked what I thought about Stella's the other day, I went on at some length about the swank South End fine-dining Italian destination.

REVIEW: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
From the beginning, Tarantino's obsessive self-referentiality and movie allusions never let you forget that you're watching a film.

PHOTOS: FLYING MACHINES AT COPPERFIELD'S BAR
Photos of Flying Machines from WFNX's show at Copperfield's Bar

A MIGHTY WIND
This past Earth Day, President Barack Obama, speaking at an Iowa wind-turbine factory, delivered a gusty peroration. "The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy," he said. "America can be that nation. America must be that nation."

IMAGINE THAT
Mister Rogers is dead. Long live Elwood P. Dowd!

CROSSWORD: ''FROM A TO B''
It's a short trip

REVIEW: CHOO CHOO LA ROUGE | BLACK CLOUDS
Choo Choo La Rouge have an affiliation with Boston, but their plaid-shirt-and-jeans rock reaches across the map to warmer climes, maybe to laid-back spots like Athens or Austin.

REVIEW: CHOO CHOO LA ROUGE | BLACK CLOUDS
Choo Choo La Rouge have an affiliation with Boston, but their plaid-shirt-and-jeans rock reaches across the map to warmer climes, maybe to laid-back spots like Athens or Austin.

PHOTOS: GASLIGHT ANTHEM AT BEST MUSIC POLL 2009
Biggest mosh pit of Best Music Poll 2009? That's easy: the Gaslight Anthem's set, which had worried punks milling around City Hall four hours before showtime, like they were gonna miss a parole hearing.

HOT TOPICS

Joni Mitchell , Major League Baseball , Elvis Costello , Benjamin Zander , Britney Spears , Bob Mould , Aerosmith , Kanye West , Gustavo Dudamel , John Coltrane

Live Reviews

The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 24

Photos: Company of Thieves at Copperfield's

Photos: Flying Machines at Copperfield's Bar

Photos + Review: Pretenders, Cat Power at Pavilion

Photos: Bat For Lashes at Paradise

From Sir, with love

40	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11
			10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

40	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11
			10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

40	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11
			10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1