Review

Aerosmith and Kiss aren't too old to rock

TAMPA - Can you ever be too old to rock?

With bands as long in the tooth as Kiss and Aerosmith, it's a question worth pondering.

For about maybe two seconds.

If there was anything these geezers seemed determined to do Wednesday night during their twin bill at the St. Pete Times Forum, it was to show that they've still got plenty of gas in the tank. That they're still relevant. And that they can still rawwwwk

That task would seem to be most daunting for Kiss. Let's face it: If there were ever a band that was easy to laugh off, it would have to this one. That idiotic face paint. Those absurd platform shoes. The ridiculous costumes. The caterwauling vocals of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley wailing excruciating anthems about Strutters, Love Guns and Gods of Thunder.

But when confronted with the jaw-dropping spectacle of Kiss on stage, pretty much all critical faculties go out the window. Wednesday's show literally started with a bang as the black curtain surrounding the stage suddenly dropped away amid sparks and billowing smoke as the band descended to the stage on a platform, peeling off the opening chords to Detroit Rock City.

From there, Simmons, Stanley, drummer Peter Kriss and Ace Frehley impersonator (and ex-Kiss tour manager) Tommy Thayer offered pummeling versions of their tried and true fan favorites - Deuce, Shout It Out Loud, Lick It Up, Black Diamond and more on a silver-and-black stage setup that fairly screamed 1974 (and belched smoke, flames and sparks throughout).

The concession stands were stocked with $80 Kiss hockey jerseys and $35 tour T-shirts but the band would have also done brisk business peddling a video showing the exercise regimen followed by the 54-year-old Simmons and the 51-year-old Stanley, who showed off impressively flat middle-aged stomachs.

Stanley preened for the cameras. Simmons spit blood and breathed fire. Criss sang Beth. The Kiss fans in the house headed for their restroom breaks satisfied.

Next up, Boston Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Aerosmith. If Kiss looked surprisingly fit, wiry 55-year-old Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler and 53-year-old lead guitarist Joe Perry were positively Dorian Gray-like, with Tyler in particular looking as though he had stepped through a time warp.

After the opening blast of Toys in the Attic, it quickly became clear, as if any reminder were needed, that their tough-as-nails early material wipes the floor with the power balladry of their unlikely late '80s comeback.

But the band also showed that they're still in it for the long haul when Perry took over lead vocal duties for a tasty slice of Chicago blues from their next album, accompanied by Tyler doing his best Little Walter imitation on harmonica. Of course, the band also made sure to play the songs that all 12,982 in the audience showed up to hear, including Dream On, Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion.

So much time has passed since the chart-dominating heyday of Kiss and Aerosmith that these erstwhile dinosaurs of the music scene have now been elevated to the status of Grand Old Masters of their craft by the young bands of today.

Yeah, the spirit of rock 'n' roll will always be rooted in teen lust and alienation. But it's also the music that's played by the Viagra generation.

You think these guys should act their age?

Dude, they are acting their age.

Louis Hau can be reached at hau@sptimes.com or 813 226-3404