Isn’t it wild when there’s an event where an aging rocker or group of rockers come out and play with the most unexpected hodgepodge group of other famous musicians? You can look to practically any performance at any of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductions of the last 20 years for numerous examples.
Just one example off the top of my head is Ozzy’s tribute in the 2024 ceremony. I mean, you have Chad Smith of the Chili Peppers on drums, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zack Wylde, and like four other random guitar players, Robert Trujillo of Metallica on bass, and then Manard on vocals at first, before handing the mic off to Billy Idol. Crazy Train? More like Crazy Trainwreck because that was hard to watch.
Best we move on to a better example. A friend sent me a video from 2014 of a performance from the one and only Howard Stern’s birthday. It starts off with a fun little toast from Steven Tyler on stage as he stands by an all white grand piano.
Stumbling over a word or two, he says, “Howard, what a long and strange trip this has been. Here’s to you. And here’s to Hell. May we have as much fun……there as we had gettin’ there.” Feels fitting for the occasion. He sits down on the bench and bangs out some blues chords, does a couple of his classic “Whoa ooh whoa” belting vocal sounds as a warm-up, before falling into the famous opening piano line for “Dream On.”
Before we get into this epic performance of an epic song, let’s chat about the song a bit. “Dream On” was the first major hit for Aerosmith, coming from their 1973 self-titled debut album. It was written by singer Steven Tyler and showcased his unexpected ability, for me at least, to write and perform such an interesting and powerful rock ballad.
Seeing as Tyler grew up listening to his Julliar-trained father play classical music on their piano, maybe it makes sense that he would have developed an ear and feel for writing some interesting changes and melodies. He began writing the song as a teenager, years before Aerosmith even existed, so it makes sense that it would be a bit of a standout when compared to a lot of their other hard rock tracks from the 1970s and on.
The song was generally well-received, but it took some time before it really made its mark on the band’s discography. It was re-released as a single a few years later in ‘76 to even more praise. A retrospective take on the song from music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that there was really nothing like it in 1973, and it would be the blueprint for all power ballads that came after it.
Back to 2014 and Howard’s birthday. “Every time I look in the mirror….” Steven delivers emotion from the start. His voice is raspier after 40 years, but he’s still got it.
We get through the first section of the verse, and an unseen band starts the classic build-up into the “meat and potatoes” of the song. Who do we have here accompanying the famous dude that looks like a lady? Why, it’s Slash and the band Train, of Drops in Jupiter fame, of course!
What a world. What a fever dream of a life to be living in, because as odd or out of left field as this trifecta may seem, my initial reaction is, “Yeah, that makes sense.” They’re rockin’ the dang tune as well, Slash obviously making his presence known with that fully cranked guitar, embellishing every riff to a maximalist extent.
Steven shines, shifting from crooning to scatting as only he can. He’s a little silly, a little corny, but undeniably a showman and a true musical talent at that.
As that final big build-up is cresting that wave, Steven stands up to announce Slash to everyone. Then, he obviously jumps up to grab his scarf-wrapped microphone stand, swings around, and high kicks next to it while he and Slash trade solos, vocal screeches, and guitar, respectively. It’s a hell of a performance, and even though I would have probably never searched for something like this, I thank the internet gods that this silly, grandiose rock show is easily accessible to us today. It’s just a good ol’ time, and no amount of old rock star cheese ruins that.