Aerosmith's power leaves Kiss behind

By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 8/26/2003

MANSFIELD -- Kiss had the gimmicky, arena-style pyrotechnics, but Aerosmith had the true heat at this entertaining matchup of so-called rock superpowers last night at the Tweeter Center.

As Kiss singer Paul Stanley told the sold-out crowd, "We got two major superpowers -- the Aerosmith Aeroforce and the Kiss Army." But as we've all learned from modern military maneuvers, a good air force is hard to beat and that was the case last night.

While Kiss bassist Gene Simmons spewed fake blood during his band's opening set, Aerosmith played with real guts during its megadecibel, mop-up operation. The Boston bad boys didn't play as long as many fans would have liked (90 minutes), but they still blew past the 11 p.m. curfew by 15 minutes.

"Tonight there is no curfew," Aerosmith's Steven Tyler announced to the crowd early on. "All I want to hear you say is, `All night long! All night long!' " The crowd complied, though the band did finish earlier than this summer's neighborhood-peeving 11:30 p.m. show by Pearl Jam.

Aerosmith jumped out of the blocks with a torrid trio of tunes in "Mama Kin" (with Tyler scampering down a specially built 60-foot ramp into the audience), the metallic "Toys in the Attic," and "Love in an Elevator," with guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford playing interweaving crescendos.

The band slowed down for MTV hits "Pink" and "Jaded," but hit some new highs with a blues medley. "The blues done Boston-style," Perry said of the funkier adaptations of the classics "Stop Messin' Round" and "Baby Please Don't Go," with Tyler ripping into a harmonica solo that Jerry Portnoy would have admired. New stage neon was also unveiled, including a massively lit Aerosmith "Wings" logo, a "Honkin' on Bobo" sign (the tentative title of next year's planned blues album) and, of course, a naked neon stripper or two.

With Joey Kramer pounding on a bass drum that had the words "Rocksimus Maximus" on it, and bassist Tom Hamilton further girding the rhythm section, Aerosmith flew home with such classics as "Same Old Song and Dance," "Walk This Way," and "Sweet Emotion." Kiss wound up the crowd up with a much more stock, show-bizzy set, proving that time has stood still for them during the last 20 years. It was effects-heavy (with Simmons's fake blood and his walk in the rafters), but anthems such as "Shout it Out Loud," "God of Thunder," and "Firehouse" (with red lights swirling like emergency beacons) connected with the faithful (Simmons also was presented with a birthday cake from buxom members of the Kiss Army).

Perhaps responding to the challenge of touring with Aerosmith, Kiss played more crisply than usual and showcased new guitarist Tommy Thayer.

Look for this same double bill to play the FleetCenter later this year.

Oh yes, Saliva opened up early with a a promising set of radio-friendly rock keyed by the recent hit "Your Disease."