‘Sing this like you are in Good Will Hunting’: Arkells cover Aerosmith, talk Boston at Paradise Rock Club

Arkells, Paradise Rock Club, Oct. 3

No strangers to Boston, Arkells have returned over the years to frequent a variety of venues across the city and continue to grow the momentum of their full-spirited live show. To that end, their show at Paradise Rock Club Tuesday had no shortage of Hub Easter eggs for the faithful loyal following.

As radio mainstays and creative masterminds, Arkells have remained ever present throughout their decades-long career, building awareness and personal community experiences around their shows. The band’s most recognizable material aims to be lively and anthemic, and their laundromat-style takeover of Paradise was a prime example of that. 

After recounting the memorable way in which they traveled down the East Coast via Penske truck when their rental tour bus failed to arrive, Arkells seemed to feel a warm welcome to The Hub as frontman Max Kerman addressed the crowd with a kindly forgone accent and a changed lyric to “Airplane, bus, Penske truck, we’re getting to Boston.”

Prior to the show, Kerman fondly recalled to Boston.com that the producer of their albums “Blink Once” and “Blink Twice” was a fellow Bostonian named Ryan Spraker, as was the mixer of their last few records, Pat DiCenso.

On the band’s latest project, “Laundry Pile,” the lead single “Skin” subtly references a beloved rock classic by the Bad Boys From Boston. “I’ve always loved the lyrics ‘I don’t want to miss a thing.’ The top of our chorus in ‘Skin’ is ‘I don’t want to miss a thing, I don’t want to miss another day.’ That’s an Aerosmith tribute. If they see us one day, I’d love nothing more,” gushed Kerman. 

Later in the show, Kerman prompted the audience, “What are the best Boston bands of all time?” Fans were eager to scream their favorites like Boston, The Cars, Dropkick Murphys, and even modern options like Lake Street Dive, before settling on Aerosmith — resulting in Kerman’s on-the-spot rendition of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

Instantly winning the crowd over, he continued, “I watched a lot of ‘The Town’ and every other Ben Affleck movie in preparation for this show,” further saying their harmonies would be in a perfect Boston accent. 

Arkells, who hail from Hamilton, Ontario, embraced the full-Boston experience and immersed fans in their charisma. Before launching into the chorus of the fan-requested song “Never Thought That This Would Happen,” Kerman grinned, “Sing this like you are in ‘Good Will Hunting.’ I don’t really know what that means.”