Sweet emotions: Aerosmith rocks mightily at Pittsburgh farewell show

PITTSBURGH ― Rising from a platform Wednesday to take a Pittsburgh concert stage for the first time in 14 years − and supposedly the last time − Steven Tyler made the most of the moment.

"I'm baaaack" he screamed triumphantly, as in days of yore, while his Aerosmith bandmates grinded through the muscular and menacing-as-ever "Back in The Saddle." A demonstrative way to start a show that would prove one of America's all-time greatest rock bands still performs at a top-tier level, two nights into its Peace Out tour billed as a farewell excursion.

For two solid hours in an essentially sold-out PPG Paints Arena, Tyler, guitar hero Joe Perry and the rest of the gang sounded strong and motivated.

Their song order varied widely from opening night in Philadelphia, including the addition of "Same Old Song and Dance," the band's second selection, embellished with sax, followed by "Rag Doll" with Perry playing pedal steel as Tyler did a lap around the large stage, pausing to smooch a blonde in a VIP area of the fully occupied behind-stage seats.

Onward through "Livin' on The Edge" and 1975's "No More No More," Tyler sang as good as ever, and showed nobody looks more at ease lugging and swinging a scarves-adorned microphone stand wherever he roams.

There'd be a few minor flubs this early on the tour. Tyler and Perry blindly bumped into each other at the A-shaped tip of the stage on the opening number. They'll soon get their timing and stage awareness down pat.

Perry started to talk about how good it felt to be back in Philly, before a smattering of boos reminded him this was a different Pennsylvania city, and he corrected himself.

Musically, there was little to quibble about, though.

Perry unleashed fiery riffs that elevated "Jamie's Got a Gun." Tyler added harmonica seasoning to several songs, beginning with "Cryin'," after which he tossed his night's first harmonica into the crowd. Earlier, he gave away his purply jacket to a super lucky fan.

Aerosmith's other original guitarist, Brad Whitford, got moments to shine, too, like on the bendy notes he plucked on "Love in an Elevator."

Original bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer John Douglas − the band's former drum tech filling Joey Kramer's seat − attained perfect precision on a stop-then-start dramatic part of "Adam's Apple."

Taking a seat near the edge of the A-shaped stage extension, the "Toxic Twins," Tyler and Perry, achieved a stompy, swampy excellence on "Hangman Jury," one of the night's finest selections. Tyler seemed to be peering at one of the stage-view karaoke screens ready to provide help if any lyrics escaped his brain.

Perry explained a pearl-colored guitar he was holding had been owned previously by the esteemed Jeff Beck, whose widow bequeathed it to him with the instructions, "Keep playing it." That guitar sounded mighty good on the bluesy rocker "Movin' Out," a deep cut from Aerosmith's debut album.

Fans who discovered Aerosmith in the 1990s cheered loudly for "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Those whose Aerosmith memories trace to the 1970s, or any fan appreciative of a bluesy full throttle raveup, savored "Rats in the Cellar."

Hamilton took the spotlight for a nifty psych-rock bass intro segueing into the famed opening notes of the groundbreaking, earth-shaking "Sweet Emotion." Perry stood and faced a stack of Marshall amps, waving his outstretched guitar at them to get more squelchy feedback.

Oversized stuffed animals − an elephant, bear and frog − lowered from the rafters to replicate the cover of 1975's "Toys in The Attic" album. Nearing the end of the show, the band still sounded supercharged ripping through that gem of an album's title track.

The encore began with Tyler at a piano, sporting a Beatles tie, plunking the notes and hitting the vocal highs for the grandaddy of all power ballads, "Dream On."

You didn't sense a finality; the moment felt more like a thrilling reminder of the enduring grandeur of arena rock, as Aerosmith followed with the bouncy and brazen "Walk This Way," the song that historically bridged the gap between rock and hip-hop. You bet the Baby Boomer/Gen X dominated audience danced and mouthed along to the words.

Are we sure this is the Aerosmith farewell tour? It'll be a shame to see them go.

One of the countless bands Aerosmith inspired, the Black Crowes, handled its role well by warming the audience with an hour of boisterous, bluesy rock.

I thought the mid-range sound was a bit muddy for at least the first half of the band's set, but the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson sang with fervor and the twin guitars, including the fretwork of his brother Rich, held fans' attention.

Piano twinkling emerged to juice up the fleet finishing "Thick N' Thin." Chris Robinson hit his ever-so-soulful apex on "Sometimes Salvation." "Thorn in My Pride" turned into a jam that seemed influenced by "Midnight Rambler" by the Rolling Stones − the band that inspired the Black Crowes and Aerosmith, and inspirationally released a new song earlier that same day.

The Black Crowes amped up the party mood with their trusty Otis Redding cover "Hard to Handle," and ended heartily with "She Talks to Angels" and the irresistible chugging-and-churning "Remedy."

More: Didn't move the needle, but Morgan Wallen gives a packed PNC Park crowd what it craved

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Aerosmith rocks mightily at Pittsburgh farewell show