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By Joe Martin

Aerosmith/Motley Crue December, 13th 2006 GM Place We all know the old maxim ?It?s better to burn out than to fade away.? So what happens, when a rocknroller, despite years of alcohol, drug abuse and one night stands fails to fall apart at the height of success and instead finds himself a sober 40 something with no job skills beyond drumstick twirling and mic stand spinning? Well, the choices are: stay healthy, adjust the wardrobe accordingly and age gracefully in the public eye, or, become brutal parodies of their younger selves, desperately scraping at any last bit of marketability and credibility. Last Wednesday, a near sold out GM Place witnessed near perfect examples of both options. Opening the night were infamous LA sleaze rockers Motley Crue. Once the poster boys for badboy, hard partying rock music, the band is now a motley mess of criminal records, rehab bills, bad reality television shows and expensive divorces. None of which has helped them put together a decent record in the last ten years or maintain what was once a legendary arena show. Singer Vince Neil, obviously struggling to recapture the razorblade wail he patented on the Crue?s first record ?Too Fast for Love? sang maybe 60% of his lyrics. Relying heavily on any audience participation he could get he handily avoided singing nearly every high note and vocal break in the hour and thirty minute set. Long breaks between songs gave drummer turned rapper turned pornstar turned reality TV star Tommy Lee ample time to lead the crowd in redundant chants and meandering rants. The show culminated in a confused mess of a drum solo with Lee eventually smashing a bass guitar and handing it to a girl in the front row. Only to have a roadie promptly run to the front of the stage and take it out of her hands. So thank the Rock God that Aerosmith have obviously taken the other route and delivered a blistering set of classic songs and blues covers that will likely put them on more than a few Best Shows of 2006 lists. The once notoriously drug and alcohol riddled group have emerged as formidable veterans rivaling even the Rolling Stones. Reaching all the way back to their eponymous 1973 debut, vocalist Steven Tyler sang their first single ?Dream On? like the band had written it that week. Guitarist Joe Perry led the group through incendiary jams that weaved through classic hits like Sweet Emotion and blues covers off of their 2004 release Honkin? on Bobo. Although the Boston group has a combined age of over 250, they had more power and conviction behind their playing than bands half their age. The only possible glitch in the night was the absence of bassist Tom Hamilton, but his duties were easily covered by fill-in David Hall. I suppose the moral of the story should be: If you want to ?live fast and die young? don?t forget to follow through. But if you do forget, kick the Marlboro?s get a gym membership and for gawdsake ease up on the hairspray and eyeliner.

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