The movie Sing came out late last year, and there is a scene where the Gorilla covers Dream On. This got me thinking. It’s been years since I hit play on one of Aerosmith’s signature songs, recorded prior to 1980. Few realize the song was on the band’s first album, debuting in 1973 (it’s been re-released multiple times). Eminem even stole a few riffs for his work. So, I decided to go back and give the tune a listen. And this version is epic. Full orchestra. Electric guitars. And a young Steven Tyler, forty years removed from the American Idol version. The underappreciated rock god had range.
The rasp. The wail. Seeing someone at the height of their powers, yes, this brings a smile to my face.
Notes:
The header picture is taken from Red Rocks Amphitheater, outside of Denver, Colorado. A quick call-out, Aerosmith was not in attendance. Adding the full image to include the hundreds of phones lighting up the night, in olden times we called those lighters.
