Aerosmith fans, you can thank Steven Tyler for that new CD/DVD combo, “Rockin' the Joint (Live at The Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas),” to stuff into Christmas stockings this year. According to guitarist Brad Whitford, the hyperactive frontman got bored during the band's year-long hiatus and suggested putting together a live album. “We started listening to a bunch of shows,” Whitford says. “This particular show in Las Vegas, everybody agreed, was just one of those special nights.” He adds that the group wasn't even planning on having a disc to release when they first laid the groundwork for their current tour, which stopped at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in December.
“We would love to be touring around some new music,” he admits. “It's always nice to promote a new album. But I guess we're just not ready yet.”
Whitford spent the downtime that he did get producing a very special solo project with fiancée Kim: a son, Aidan, now five months old. “We're just having a great time with him,” he raves. The 53-year-old father of four concedes that raising a child probably won't be the same old song and dance this time around. “You have the energy to chase them when you're in your 30s and 40s,” he says. “The older you get, you may not have that energy.” Dad is definitely feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. The band has been commuting from their Boston-area homes to a string of East-Coast dates, which means he hasn't been indulging in nights of uninterrupted slumber at four-star hotels.
“You'll find me napping in the backs of cars and on airplanes,” he chuckles.
The weary Whitford hasn't lost his sense of humor, though. Footage of the freshly showered guitarist, clad only in a towel and wielding a blow dryer backstage, was recently posted on Aerosmith.com with his blessing. He explains that he was innocently drying the sweat-soaked tube socks he had worn onstage (he forgot to pack extras) in a way that produced, uh, a very interesting result when bassist Tom Hamilton pulled out a video camera.
“That went into his archives for a while,” Whitford says of the tape. “Then somebody called me up and said, “Do you remember this video? Do you care if we put it on the Web site?' I have no shame, so I said, 'Go ahead.' ”
Aerosmith fans, you can thank Steven Tyler for that new CD/DVD combo, “Rockin' the Joint (Live at The Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas),” to stuff into Christmas stockings this year. According to guitarist Brad Whitford, the hyperactive frontman got bored during the band's year-long hiatus and suggested putting together a live album. “We started listening to a bunch of shows,” Whitford says. “This particular show in Las Vegas, everybody agreed, was just one of those special nights.” He adds that the group wasn't even planning on having a disc to release when they first laid the groundwork for their current tour, which stopped at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in December.
