Rock this way, Aerosmith is finally coming over in May. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Aerosmith Facebook account
MANILA, Philippines—The bad boys from Boston, otherwise known as Aerosmith, will finally perform in Manila, on May 8 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena—concert promoter Pulp Live Productions announced Tuesday night, March 5, on its YouTube channel.
The news was confirmed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Arnel Gonzales, MOA Arena general manager, although the band’s official website, aerosmith.com, has yet to add the Manila date to three coming shows in May: Brisbane (May 1), Melbourne (May 4), and Jakarta (May 11). Gonzales added that he’s dealing directly with Vernon Go of Pulp Productions.
Rumors that Aerosmith will play in the Philippines first surfaced in February 2011, which was later denied by the band’s drummer, Joey Kramer.
The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, guitarist Ray Tabano and Kramer, and called the new group Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford.
Aerosmith has gone through a series of breakups and reunions; the breakups were caused mainly by the band members’ drug problems especially Tyler’s. Feuding had also erupted between Tyler and Perry, but they have patched up their differences lately and agreed that the band should keep on playing.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Aerosmith in 2001, has this to say about the band:
“Aerosmith was America’s feisty retort to hard-rocking British groups like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Who, Cream, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Almost alone among American bands, Aerosmith matched those British legends in power, intensity, and notoriety.
Moreover, it has long since surpassed many of its influences in terms of longevity and popularity. In the words of vocalist Steven Tyler, “We weren’t too ambitious when we started out. We just wanted to be the biggest thing that ever walked the planet, the greatest rock band that ever was.
“We were America’s band,” Joe Perry proclaimed with no false modesty. “We were the garage band that made it really big – the ultimate party band.”
No less an authority than Jimmy Page has called them “the ideal rock and roll band.” Thirty years after forming, the “bad boys from Boston” remain a vital, ongoing force whose unshakable spirit and boundless energy virtually define rock and roll.
Surviving shifting tastes and trends in popular music, Aerosmith has solidly epitomized the bedrock virtues and raucous magic that comes from a simple yet combustible recipe of guitars, bass, drums, vocals and attitude.
“Aerosmith’s philosophy is best expressed by the flamboyant Tyler: “Kick ass and leave a footprint.”
The group has left indelible footprints on the rock and roll landscape with such milestone albums as “Toys in the Attic,” “Rocks” and “Pump” and classic songs like “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” to name only a few.
“Aerosmith is built around the Jagger/Richards-style chemistry between singer Tyler and guitarist Perry, but group is a solid five-way proposition whose success would have been unthinkable without the solid musicianship of guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer.”