Aerosmith's Path, Led Zeppelin's Road

[Weiser <weiser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've seen Aerosmith live only once, the infamous Bicentennial concert 
in
Indianapolis
on July 4th 1976.

It was a standing room general admission venue and the entire affair 
had
gotten completely out of control.
I received a hell of a fright that night, from nearly being crushed 
against
the stage as there were no seats on the floor. Luckily, I was saved 
by the
strong arms of a guy named Tim Anderson, 6'4" or something who pushed
against the front of the stage with all his might to keep himself and 
me
from being crushed flat!
Thanks again Tim. That heroic effort put Hercules to shame.

Steven Tyler got a firecracker thrown in his face! There was a 
concern that
his eye was going to require medical care.
He couldn't see for a while and from ten feet away you could see that 
he
had just had the living daylights scared out of him!
The whole band was giving each other nervous glances that said they
realized there was an entire psychological powder keg waiting to 
explode if
they didn't handle the conflict with the most aplomb they could ever 
hope
to muster.
So what transpired was nearly unbelievable.
With more than the patience of Job, Tyler and Perry worked with the 
crowd
to get everyone to work together instead of against each other.

Steven was about ready to stop the concert and naturally he waxed 
really
stern with the audience, who finally got the hint and calmed down and
loosened up. 
After literally commanding the audience to get its act together, 
Tyler and
Perry managed to rally themselves and the other members of the band 
after
the terrifying disturbances and Aerosmith gave an incredible 
performance
that evening at Market Square Arena.
They were fabulous, magnanimous and nearly flawless even after coming 
close
to flirting with a genuine disaster that could have been on the scale 
of
the tragic Who concert in Cincinnati. It was only due to their spur 
of the
moment quick thinking that the show was saved and turned into a grand
experience.

Let's switch to say the half-time performance at the Super Bowl this 
year.
Aerosmith gave an incredible performance again.
The parameters were all different and they basically had a very easy 
time
of it .
It was a whole different type of situation, with its own limitations,
and a breeze in comparision with the harrowing night in Indianapolis.
But who would have imagined that a merely popular group from the 
seventies
would transform themselves into a long lived rock music phenomenon 
that
hails as still being enjoyable and listenable?
They beat the odds with spunk and determination.
The members of Aerosmith know in their heart of hearts that they 
perform
music for a living, they treat it as though it's their duty to give 
it the
best they've got. They've quit worrying about whether or not certain
projects should be tackled and they've ventured into performance 
areas that
rock purists might be aghast with, yet they have managed to find a 
regimine
that enhances their endurance and longevity against the ravages of 
time.
They've challenged themselves with their latest project.
I think they could use some inspiration from traveling elsewhere than
Boston to 
do the next album. But they met the additional challenges of being 
husbands
and fathers and rock stars in an ingenious fashion.
That's an incredible feat in itself.
I am observing that Aerosmith's members are managing to stay clean as 
far
as the drugs go, even though the temptation to indulge is bound to be
presenting itself to them even to this day.
They have not disappointed themselves.
They didn't worry about whether or not the image of a band named 
Aerosmith
was going to swallow them up alive as individuals and reduce them to 
media
puppets or caricatures of themselves.
Instead they've gone out there on the road and really kicked ass with
tightly performed music and still had fun doing it as well.
In April of '77 I saw Led Zeppelin live for the fourth and last time 
together.
It was obvious that Robert had nearly recovered from his tragic 
accident
but that his health still suffered because he needed to sit and it 
looked
like it pained him to bear weight on his right ankle for extended 
periods
of time.
Robert however let "some people" know he remembered his adventures 
from
their previous visit and actually asked if "they" remembered.
I don't think anyone would ever forget.
Jimmy looked gaunt and paper thin as though he were a Ringwraith.
He seemed really fragile and nearly ethereal as though the physical 
realm
barely had a hold on him at all. I was sad and worried, because I 
couldn't
do anything to genuinely just simply help him find a way out of his 
problem.
Only Jonesey looked liked he was essentially none the worse for wear.
Bonzo looked as though he were fighting the beginnings of a real 
problem
with drinking, he was pudged. But his demeanor was tip top and he was 
a
powerhouse regardless.
Let's switch to Cleveland Page and Plant '98.
Jimmy's on fire and even with a tum tum on him is wailing away at a 
level
that literally surpasses his effort from '70. Robert is obviously not
totally thrilled but is happy that Ann Marie, Connie and Rita as the
Ledheads are still there show after show after show! Robert's singing 
is
still grand. But there's a big hole in the whole situation.
The fact that Jonesey is missing is very noticeable. And it's 
painfully
apparent that he's needed and that he should have been there whether 
Robert
thought so or not.
Charlie just doesn't evoke the same sentiment, even though his 
playing is
more than reasonably competent it's was not exhilarating as Jonesey's
musicianship always is.
And of course Michael Lee was no Jason, but then there were bound to 
have
been other considerations bearing upon Lee's inclusion as opposed to 
Jason,
for reasons best left unexplored.
So when I see how Aerosmith overcame adversity I think to myself this 
is
what I wish that Led Zeppelin could have done. Aerosmith suceeded in 
terms
of healing themselves after loss and found a sustaining means of 
renewal
and regeneration as though their very lives depended on it.
The members of Led Zeppelin did not allow themselves that burden or 
luxury
depending on how one looks at it.
Just the same,
I think we're just lucky that we still have the remaining members of 
Led
Zeppelin amongst us in any way, shape or form, rather than the 
alternative.
Shar