Aerosmith's Reunion

"Aerosmith's first post-reunion rehearsals. staged at the Glen Ellen Country Club an hour south of Boston, were rough going. “I had to come back to the house and wash down about six Valiums the size of manhole covers with a six-pack of beer just to calm down,” Perry told Pond. Still firmly ensconced in a drug-and—booze haze, the members had trouble recalling how to play their own songs, no one more so than Tyler. According to Collins, at a get together at WBCN Boston radio disc jockey Mark Parenteau's apartment one evening revealed just how dire the situation was. Parenteau began spinning old Aerosmith records, and, hearing the Toys in the Attic cut “You See Me Crying," Tyler commented. “‘ Hey! That’s great! We should cover this. Who is it?’ Joe [said] , 'It's us, fuckhead.'" The manager was shocked. “Steven hadn’t recognized it," Collins continued. “He’d never sung it in concert, so he’d forgotten it"...

Financially at least. the jaunt was an undeniable success. Ticket and T-shirt prices had increased exponentially since Aerosmith's ’70s heyday, and even with playing considerably smaller halls, the band grossed $5 million in receipts, which, through a bit of fancy accounting work, they were able to shield from Leber-Krebs. “We set up a different legal entity each night for each concert so we could stay one step ahead of the sheriff." Kramer explained in Hit Hard. “Some nights we were performing under the auspices of Large Penis. Inc. Other nights it was Big Belly Productions. After a while Krebs gave up and left us alone.""

--- Aerosmith / Richard Bienstock