Aerosmith rocks out for free outside old Boston apartment
Fans came out in droves on Monday to see Aerosmith perform a free show outside an Allston neighborhood apartment building at 1325 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston, the same city where the band got its start. People could be seen standing on fire escapes and poking their heads out of apartment building windows to hear the gig.
The band arrived in Duck Boats for the concert, which included a ceremony and a plaque dedication outside the apartment building where Aerosmith's members once lived from 1970-1972 and recorded some music.
Boston Mayor Tom Menino, along with a New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and other players, were on hand to introduce Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joe Perry.
"[Aerosmith is] a rock and roll band that showed Americans that great blues based rock could be made right here in the United States, and the five men who did it were just like the pilgrims that came here," said Patriots owner Jonathan Kraft. "They created rock and roll for America."
"Since we bought the team 19-years ago, Aerosmith has been very close to the Patriots," added co-owner Robert Kraft. "Steven Tyler sang the National Anthem in 1994, our first year. He came back and sang it at the championship game before the Super Bowl. He flew across the country and back. We hope the whole band can do it this year before our championship game at home...'Dream On.'"
Tyler then took the mic and joked, "Hi Mom. I'm home!" before telling the crowd, "When we lived here, we were never up this early. What are you doing here?"
"Thank you for coming out to where we once came from," the frontman added. "And as you know we've been trying to come ever since. So here's one from us to you."
Aerosmith, standing on flat bed, played the hits "Walk this Way" and "Sweet Emotion," along with songs from its 15th studio album "Music From Another Dimension!" -- due out Tuesday.
After the show, Tyler tweeted a thank you to Boston and fans:
The hour-long Boston performance, which streamed live online, can be seen its entirety here.