The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, April 4, 1978-Page 7 Aerosmith electrifies Masonic - U. - By TIM YAGLE IN WHAT was termed a "special per- formance" by the promoter one of tye best bands in the world, Aerosmith sent a capacity crowd at Detroit's Masonic Auditorium (yes, Masonic) in- to a frenzy Sunday night. It was advertised that the band wan- ted to play to a "small gathering in in- timate surroundings" before they em- bark on their U.S. tour later this month. A five-man band from Boston (Aerosmith's home base, and what they were formerly known as), Street, opened the wild evening with a lot of high-energy but very unoriginal rock 'n' roll. Their last number was so loud, you couldn't hear the drums or the cymbals. The spotlighting was off during their entire set. But they did a decent job of getting us ready for one of Detroit's favorite rockers - Aerosmith. MOST OF THE audience was already on their feet as the five-man powerhouse came out and broke into a pulsating rendition of "Rats In The Cellar." A tune from Aerosmith's latest album Draw the Line, "I Wanna Know Why", followed. Lead guitarist Joe Perry then showed off llis talk-box talents on the powerful "Walk This Way." But Perry wasn't so great during his solo - we couldn't really hear a lot of it, and what we could hear didn't have any feeling. A well-played but not really exciting "Sight For Sore Eyes" came next and this song marked the beginning of some vocal problems with flamboyant vocalist Steven Tyler. His vocals weren't very intelligible and weren't audible. It seemed as if the guitar amps were overloaded and the strident sound overpowered the vocals. "SEASONS OF Wither" from Get Your Wings was next and things were just about right here. Aerosmith recently headlined "California Jam II" and they played the intense rocker "Chip Away the Stone", a single to be released from that album. Perry again "mouthed" his talk box during a decent "Sweet Emotion". While Tyler and Perry shared the spotlight here, guitarist Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton had the rest of the dark stage to themselves. They just stood around and played. When the spotlight wasn't on Perry, he was cam- ped in front of drummer Joey Kramer with his back to us some of the time. During much of the period they were on stage, it was as if each member was in his own cylinder while Tyler flew around the stage, waving his mike stand around with multi-colored scar- ves dangling from it. THEN THE one-two punch from Draw The Line - "Get It Up" and "Draw The Line" hit us. Both sounded clear and the guitars were crisp. It was practically non-stop rock from "Sweet Emotion" to "Draw The Line." The opening chords of "Dream On" were played but the band instead played "Same Old Song and Dance". It was here that all hell broke loose. The crowd rushed the stage and it was one big mob scene up front. Then Tyler, apparently spotting someone in the crowd not clapping yelled, "Whatsa matter? Ya got hemorrhoids?" The scorching "Toys In The Attic" ensued. Here, the crowd got even fur- ther into the act, yelling "toys!" on Tyler's cue. This ended their set but the crowd noise was so loud (and I mean LOUD) that Aerosmith came back and started about a third of the way into one of their biggest hits, the driving "Train Kept A Rollin' ", with the crowd yelling "All night long!" It became so loud and intense at the end that I figured everyone in Ann Arbor could hear it. "Train" provided a fitting ending to a good evening of frenzied Aerosmith music. " " . i 0 9I'lI"j Join the Arts Staff Styx gives Detroit a dazzling rock display INSTANT WE'RE PAYING $1 -$2 PER DISC FOR YOUR ALBUMS IN GOOD SHAPE. "RECORDS OPEN MON.-SAT. 10-6 209 S. STATE 769-7075 February 2-4 SIDESIDESONDHEIM StEicat1 HUnErtaiMnuet MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM October 6-8 The, Sound of Music starring Susan Watson Vincent Edwards Theodore Bikel November 3-5 0 0-- a .0 ' By TIM YAGLE STYX IS probably America's hottest band right now due to the phenomenal success of their latest album Grand Illusion. They gave sold- out Cobo Arena a taste of their success Friday night in a show that not many will soon forget. Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush began the show with a fair reproduction of their latest LP Live - a mediocre live album. The Hendrix classic "Pur- ple Haze" preceded an incredible finish with "World Anthem" in which Marino showed his mastery of the guitar, producing some unbelievably harsh bass-like sounds. During the intermission a Detroit radio station (WWWW) personality came out and gave away a beautiful white sunfish sailboat courtesy of the show's promoter, W4 and Brass Ring Productions. STYX BEGAN their long Detroit appearance with an exubierAn; "Grand Illusion", and a Grand Illusion album cover backdrop. Both got the night off to a great start. . "Lorelei" followed but was too loud, and except for the beginning, I had a 'bard time figuring out it was "Lorelei". well-played 'Mademoiselle" from Crystal Ball came next, except the uitars weren't loud enough in the spots to make the tune sound really good. Lead guitarist Tommy Shaw donned the 12-string guitar and strummed a lively "Foolin' Yourself". The background vocals, so integral to the tune, were just loud enough. Then Shaw began to talk about looking into the future and said, "Come look with me in- to the crystal ball." You guessed it - the mellow "Crystal Ball" ensued. STYX SHOWED me a lot of good things about themselves on stage. Each member knew exactly what the others were doing at all times. Their timing and choreographed movements are flawless. They know how to conduct themselves and move around the stage. Shaw and guitarist James Young would frequently saunter to either side of the stage simultaneously, and energize the crowd with brilliant guitarwork. I was also very impressed with Styx's song selections: a pleasant mixture of old favorites ("Lady", "Lorelei", "Mademoiselle") and new material from Grand Illusion. An exciting "Light Up Everybody" came next and got the audience buz- zing. Keyboardist Dennis DeYoung sat down at his white grand piano and fooled around for a bit, and then we suddenly recognized "Lady." It was totally unexpected, which made the song sound that much better. PERHAPS what everyone was waiting for came at last. The crowd was captivated during "Come Sail Away," which was accompanied by white blot- ches (resembling clouds) projected on a screen at the rear of the stage. An older hard rocking' arrangement, "Midnight Ride," about a girl who ac- cepted a ride from a stranger, followed. Shaw and Young here traded screeching solos. Unfortunately, the melody was practically unintelligible so it sounded like one long, loud noise. Styx's regular set ended then but the crowd noise approached the deafening level, so the band reappeared and per- formed another hard-rocker crowd- pleaser - "Miss America." The fren- zied Styx fans rushed the stage while the group glidedthrough "Americas. Even after that, the crowd still wouldn't leave. The band came back again and played another precise hard rocker about a king, in which the con- fident keyboardist DeYoung had a sword fight with a roadie, and then the curtain closed. I've complimented other bands on fine performances and stage shows, but Styx is truly the best I've seen. They have a great stage manner, and they know what they're doing. This is one band that knows how to mix a great sounding synthesizer and masterful guitars. It was a treat to watch them. The'Department of Transportation has tested a streamlined locomotive with jet engines and a linear induction electric motor along a six-mile test track at speeds up to 255 miles an hour. DISCO. Lessons at DAINCE SPA CE 314/2 S. State CALL 995-.4242 for schedule and registration information. F G Co~4~sS wKui .Th±1aR84 C March1l-18 or April 20-22 ANNOUNCES AN EVENING WITH The 1978-79 Best of Broadway Series in the Power Center SUBSCRIBE NOW to receive these special benefits: " Best choice of tickets! Savings of up to 20% " No waiting in line! Guaranteed seats to all plays! " Exchange privileges! " Insurance against ticket loss! The Sound of Music -October6;7,8 SIIAWN PHILLIPS California Suite November 3, 4, 5 Tuesday, April 11 th 8 p.m. Michigan Theatre I' NEWS FROM THE MAJOR EVENTS OFFICE l1 TICKETS $7.50 - $6.50 Reserved Available at Michigan Theatre Box Office, Ann Arbor Music Mart, Bonzo Records and all Hudson's stores. A Son of Bamboo Production/Full Moon Production Al Jarreau will appear, in concert, on Wednesday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m. in Hill Auditorium. Jarreau, a jazz-pop artist, drew wide acclaim for his last album, "Look to the Rainbow-Live in Europe." Tickets for the concert are $6.50, $5.50 and $4.50. On another subject, the Major Events Office is very proud to announce that the upcoming John Denver, concert will set a new, all-time attendance record at Crisler Arena, with a capacity crowd of 14,820. Because of Denver's revolving stage, allow- ing more main floor seating, and also the huge numbers of vendors and ushers needed for such a massive throng, this crowd will be larger than any other in the history of this arena. When you consider that past events have included appearances by the Russian gymnasts, President Ford, the Moody Blues and Bob Dylan, John Denver is in pretty good company. Tidbits: Wings' new album London Town," was released wa -wide last Fri- day . . . the opening act on Steve Martin's Midwest tour is Ann Arbor's favorite son, Steve Goodman . . . Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" has just gone platinum . . . to fight Canada's tax on albums, the Rutles have legally avoided it by giving you a free record whenever you purchase . their record iacket .. RISINIG STAR the U-M Poety and Translation. Journal ON SALE NOW in the Fishbowl, Michigan Union and Hopwood,Room Side by Side by Sondheim February 2, 3,4 For Colored Girls who March 16, 17, 18 have Considered Suicide or April 20, 21, 22 when the Rainbow is Enuf SERIES DATES Series A (Friday evenings, 8:00 p.m.); Series C (Sunday matinees, 2:00 pm.): Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Feb. 2, Mar. 16 or April 20 Oct. 8, Nov. 5, Feb. 4, Mar. 18 or April 22 Series B (Saturday evenings, 8:00 p.m.): Series D (Sunday evenings, 8:00 p.m.): Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Feb. 3, Mar. 17 or April 21 Oct. 8, Nov. 5, Feb. 4, Mar. 18 or April 22 SERIES A or B SUBSCRIPTIONS SERIES C or D SUBSCRIPTIONS FULL U-M STUDENT FULL U-M STUDENT VALUE (20 % off) VALUE (20 % off) Orchestra Center 4.0 $35.20 Orchestra Center 6.0 $28.80 Orchestra Side . 30.40 Orchestra Side 0 24.00 Front Balcony Center 4 00 32.00 Front Balcony Center 3 00 25.60 Middle Balcony Center 3A. 0 27.20 Middle Balcony Center A .k0 20.80 Side & Rear Balcony 8.O 22.40 Side & Rear Balcony 0.0 16.00 IMPORTANT INFORMATION 1. 1977-78 Best of Broadway renewal subscribers are eligible for the 20% discount until July 1, 197. 2. Full season subscriptions only are on sale now. The Box Office will be open for individual shows on October 2, 1978. 3. Subscriptions are available by mail order until August 27, 1978. Beginning August 28, the Ticket Office in the Mendelssohn Theatre lobby will be open for sub- scription sales, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. For further information call (313) 764-0450. 4. Master Charge and VISA accepted on mail orders only. 5. Mail orders will be filled in order of receipt. Subscribers tickets for all plays will be mailed on September 22, 1978. If a self-addressed, stamped return envelope is not enclosed, tickets will be held for pick-up at the Ticket Office. 6. If your September address is uncertain, let us hold your tickets for pick-up to avoid loss. 7. Note curtain times: All evenings at 8:00 p.m., matinees at 2:00 p.m. Latecomers will not be seated until a suitable interval or scene break. 8. We regret that no refunds can be made. We will assist you in exchanging tickets when possible. No tickets exchanged on days of -performance. No exchanges are possible until idividual sales begin. BEST of BROADWAY SERIES Subscription Mail Order Form Date U-M ID No. (please print) Name Telephone ( ) Address Q Stamped, self-addressed envelope enclosed Be sure to indicate which series you wish Q If order cannot be filled as requested, please (WE CANNOT MIX SERIES) substitute best available tickets remaining. Series desired_ _ No. of Subscriptions The No. 1 Rock-n-Roll Disco 737 N. Huron (at Lowell, just east of the E.M.U. Campus)