I feel like we just got to Japan yesterday but we've already done three shows and rung in the new Millennium. Anybody else tired of hearing about the Millennium? Its starting to to be a word you don't want to say anymore because it's so used up.

The flight over actually went pretty quickly. I guess I must be getting used to spending the best part of a day in an aluminum can. We took a day to get our heads together and then it was Showtime. We haven't played since July and here we were getting ready to do our warm-up show in front of thirty thousand people.

We have a completely new production that we designed just for this leg and when we got to the hall and saw it for the first time it was amazing. We had an all new backdrop made up of 3D manic dragons surrounding a huge video screen. There was a special animation of an Aerosmith logo transforming into a screaming evil looking monster that we used to begin the show. We also had four other video screens extending way out from the sides of the stage so that every seat in the massive Dome had a great view. During the show we had scenes from videos combined with real time show footage along with special effects designs. It was exciting and made me wish we had more than six shows in which to use all this stuff.

The first show was the next day on the 29th of December of the last century. Before going over to the Osaka Dome everybody went out exploring the city. We've been there many times before but there's always something new to check out and take pictures of. It was an early show that night. Most concerts start early in Japan and this one was scheduled for seven o'clock. There was no opening act and we hit the stage right on schedule. Everything was dialed in and working great so all we had to do was get up there and have a good time, which we did. There were a few sloppy moments but hopefully we were the only ones that noticed.

The following day was off so it was a day of more exploring and trying to dodge the big groups of fans waiting in the lobby. Actually, they were great and their enthusiasm was infectious so we spent a lot of time signing all kinds of different objects. No body parts however. We also got to see every different snapshot camera known to man as we posed for photo after photo. I have to say, the Japanese fans are the best organized of any. They always have their pens, paper, clothing and whatever else all ready for the big moment.

Our second show in Osaka was on the 31st. The big Millennium show. There's that word again. This time instead of going on early we went on at about 10:15 so the zero hour would come while we were onstage. We also had two opening acts, Buck Cherry and Mr. Big. We got to the hall too late to see Buck Cherry's set but we did hang out with them for a while and they were cool guys. I wish I could have seen them play. Everybody said they put on a great show as did Mr. Big, but we'll have to wait until some time in the future to see them.

Now it was our turn.

After anticipating this gig for months, it was time to actually get it done. At the beginning of the show, that animated dragon I told you about opens his mouth and rushes forward as if to gobble everything up in its path and Steven came up with a neat idea where he would have a special camera he could put in his mouth. Just as it appeared that the dragon's mouth was at its most open, the video guys switched over to the Steven Mouth-cam which he pulled backward revealing that it had transformed into his. Get it? I hope so. You kind of had to be there. It looked really cool though. Plus Steven got really good at making sounds similar to the screaming roar the cartoon dragon made. As soon as all this built to a climax we went into Eat The Rich for the opening song.

We cruised through the set and at about a minute before midnight, the disembodied voice of our monitor guy came through our ear monitors telling us to get ready for the countdown. We had special graphics done for the big moment and the audience and the band chanted the numbers down into the New Year. As soon as it came we let loose with confetti cannons and a massive balloon drop. Pretty soon the confetti-covered audience was holding these big long phallic balloons. It looked like every member of the audience had a giant pink or blue erection. Quite an effect. It also happened to be my birthday and there were fans out there with big Happy Birthday" signs. The next thing I knew Steven had the whole crowd singing Happy Birthday. It was a little embarrassing but a great emotional feeling at the same time and I thank everybody for it.

After the show some of us went over to a club called the Blue Note to see Nile Rogers and Chic play. A bunch of us had gone the night before but a few needed a second hit. They were amazing. Truly pro. They played so many songs I've heard and loved for years without actually knowing who did them. About three that morning I went down to the lobby to see if anybody was hanging out but it was dark and deserted except, of course, for a few fans with stacks of stuff to sign and photos to take. What the hell. I spent the next fifteen minutes signin' and smilin' for those little snapshot cameras and then called it a night.

We played in Nagoya two nights later and it was a rockin' show if I do say so myself. We added in "No More, No More" and "Remember". There was no time to properly go over those songs, which we haven't played in eons. We decided to just go for it and they came out a little weird. A little bit of jazz (as we call it when we screw up an arrangement). They both cooked though and the audience dug 'em. More than anybody else, the Japanese audience loves it when you go off the beaten track. We went off but managed to get it back on in the nick of time.

Next show: Fukuoka. Be very careful how you pronounce that!

By the way, I hope everyone has a great new Millenium and maybe it can be a new beginning for how the human race treats each other. Wouldn't it be great if…

TH

After the second show in Tokyo we were done with our quick soiree in Japan. We've actually been back for a while and sometimes I have to stop and think: Wow, we've already been to Japan and back? It went by so fast it doesn't seem real.

We got on a jumbo jet for the flight home, but we'd have to wait a month or so for all the gear to get back because it goes by boat. Last year we lost a bunch of equipment when the ship it was on broke in half in a storm. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Joey's drums washed up on the coast of Spain.

The equipment finally arrived back home in the States. It was that time when everybody goes down to our warehouse and starts going through their stuff. If there's one thing you accumulate a lot of when you tour its stuff. We have these giant wardrobe cases that for the last two and a half years were a mobile home to our clothes and whatever else found its way in there.

I started by taking all of my hanging stuff out. I couldn't believe how many shirts there were that I hardly wore. It's so hard to get rid of stuff. There were at least two shirts in there that I was saving for that "special gig". The only problem is that I wound up saving them for the whole freakin' tour.

So one by one I took shirts, pants and jackets out and reflected on each piece. It seemed like there was a special vibe or poignant memory for every one. My favorite was the army surplus combat boots that I wore for the whole tour. They were stretched and molded to the shape of my lower legs and feet. The soles were rounded, all the edges mellowed by all those nights on stage. They have zippers on the sides that I used to have to hold up with gaffer's tape. At the top of each one was a telltale rectangle of faded leather where I put the tape on and took it off every night. If I didn't, the zippers would sneak down with all the foot stompin'. Many nights I had to put my foot up on the drum riser and pull the zipper back up. Funny, the little things that make up a night's gig.

All these things seem too valuable to throw away but not useful enough to keep. I stood there with a huge pile of "stuff" on top of my case trying to decide what to do with it all. I felt a little guilty as I decided on the fate of these old friends. What if they could pick up my thoughts about throwing them out after so many shows together? I actually felt a little loyalty to a pair of socks. Hmmm. Sounds like sanity has been avoiding me again.

Well, we're going into the studio this week to try out some new material so I'm pretty excited about that. I've spent the last couple of months woodshedding. That's when a musician goes out to the "woodshed" to work on skills. I'm looking forward to taking all my new wood into the studio to see if it burns.

Okay, enough out of me,

TH

Once again I'm in a quandary over what to say and what not to say. We spent the better part of last week in the studio but I can't really say what for. People probably already know anyway. So what the hell, we... not so fast. I ain't gonna be the one who can't keep his mouth shut. Let's just say that the creative process is well under way up here in the cold, sloppy Northeast. Actually the cold is just about over. This will be the first time in a few years where we'll be home for the transition from winter into spring. I'm ready. People keep saying it was a mild winter. I think that's a friggin' oxymoron.

It's been a good winter for bangin' the strings. No, I don't mean having sex with the violin players. I mean practicing. Woodshedding. Schooling. You're never done. You always want to get it better. Still looking to hear the same thing you wanted to hear when you first started. You catch up, then it pulls away. Luckily it's a blast and you can't get enough.

Speaking of which...

TH

Okay, I know it's past due for a few new words to pop up here on the ol' site. Man, I'm so focused on the new material it's hard to think of anything else. Oh don't worry, you'll always be the one. It's just that I have this need to hear really loud obnoxious music. It doesn't mean I like it better than you. It's just this overwhelming compulsion to... Uh-oh. I forgot I was in public. Never mind.

Anyway, speaking of music, there's definitely a ton of it in the works. We're so psyched that's gonna be all we can do to keep the lid on it until the release date.

We're in full blown production mode and we are aroused, excited and otherwise gushing about what's been coming out of the speakers. I wish I could tell you when it's going to be out but... Well, no I guess I don't mind making you wait after all. Yeah that's it; you're just going to have to WAIT! HA HA. Wait a minute, that means we're going to have to wait too. AWWW, I hate waiting! That reminds me, I better get going. I have a lot of work on my plate and I can't wait to get to it. After all, in order to do it I get to spend the afternoon with a guitar in my lap. Man, a lot of good things seem to happen in that part of the body. I'm noticing a pattern...

TH

Okay, I think I'm awake now.

The record is cruising. We're all feeling really inspired. The vibe of the creative process is really different this time and everybody's just diggin', diggin', diggin', it. It's our first "in-house" record since our first one. One really cool thing is being part of all the cutting edge changes that have come lately in ways to make records. We've pretty much shattered our long held belief that you have to go into the big studios in the big cities to get good sounds and make a proper record. Ain't true no mo'! Don't get me wrong, I love recording studios. The times we have spent as a band locked up together in a really great studio are like pearls on a string. But the way we're doing it this time is much more laid back and dialed in to the creative process. YEAH BABY!

So, the album is on schedule, if there really is such a thing. Whether or not doesn't matter this time simply because the project's just cookin' along. If this were our last album we'd only be halfway through it.

The Museum of Fine Art in Boston has a new thing called the Art of the Guitar. It has guitars made in the Sixteenth Century and all the way up to present day. They had instruments from Hendrix, Clapton, Lennon, and even from that famous Sixteenth century star, Heathcliffe Springsteene. Well, maybe not him butŠ there was one from Joe. He has this ancient Supro he uses for slide guitar. When I saw it I instantly pictured being on the road watching JP play that thing. It took me a minute to get used to it in this genteel, quiet environment.

Meanwhile there wasn't even one bass guitar! What the freakin' frig!! I guess people don't know whether to think of basses as basses or bass guitars. I've always thought of them as guitars. They twang, they chomp, they ring, they wail and they rock. Sounds like a guitar to me. Not only that but us bass players are up to five strings now. Some of the wackos have six strings. Lately I've found four to be plenty. Live simply, I guess.

TH

Can't believe we've already been to the AMA's and back. It seems like two days ago that we were in our little creative cocoon, cruising along just working on the record. Now it's already time to start throwing it out into the street. It's a good one. I'm sure it'll survive just fine.

So we're suddenly making the transition to "do it in public" mode.

We all got our asses to the airport all together for the first time in months. As we took off I got a familiar feeling that I've had on and off since the very beginning. It feels great to be together with your fellow comrades in arms and just dig that "WE BAAD" feeling. The first order of business was rehearsal. We had decided to use a really weird circus look including snakes, contortionists, and acrobats. There's a word you don't use that often. Acrobats. "Excuse me, are the acrobats here yet?" "Which way to the acrobats". I wonder if it says acrobat on their driver's license. It's a dilemma for us too. Putting "bass player" or "singer"doesn't really say it. Maybe next time we'll try "guy in a band" or "dancing bear".

So rehearsing was great. It was our first time hearing 'Jaded' live and I could start to imagine what it was going to feel like when we take it on the road.

When we first got to the studio for rehearsal it was one of those situations where we're eyeing them and they're sizing us up but before too long we started to interact and go through the song. It was cool watching the whole thing come together. In back, there were four silk strips hanging down from the ceiling. On each one was a person hanging there and on cue doing a tumbling maneuver down to the bottom. It was a little scary because you always imagine someone falling. Dangerous makes it cool. There's no two ways about it. On stage left near Joe were two women on stilts who would sneak up behind him and steal his cigar. In front of them were two girls with Boa Constrictors. Funny, but just a few days before that I happened to be looking at pictures of a snake killing and eating a rat. What a way to go. I wonder if maybe they're still alive..a bit..and down in there..y'know...buggin'. BOGUS!

Okay back to the subject. There was a girl with a long piece of gold cloth simulating a whip. She would make these snarling faces and spin it around and snap it. The torn black stockings helped make it look EXTRA special. I looked around the room to see if anybody was staring a little extra long. Over near me and Brad was a girl who could..uh...how do I describe this..Well, imagine a girl lying on a table the way someone would look, say, lying on the floor watching TV. Then imagine her feet coming up off the floor backwards and coming to rest in front of her face. What a spine. There were also a couple of people to generally hang out and look beautiful and arrogant.

Rehearsal was pretty much framed in by meetings with video directors and art directors. I'll tell you, the real work on a project comes when you have to make zillions of little detailed decisions on the booklet, which picture to use and the endless work of getting the special thanks list together.

I just realized I don't have time to finish this in one piece. I have to get to a meeting to decide which pictures to use... More later,

TH

I think I was talking about rehearsals for the AMA's... So we rehearsed a couple of days and then we played. That's all I can remember at the moment -- Except the photo session.

We slithered into the cars the next morning and rode over to a big photo studio to get our pictures taken. The photographer, Mark Seliger, had the place rigged with about five different cool environments. One was like a giant spider web. One was all rusted metal. Another was a deep blue background with an inch of water on the floor. The last one of the day was in front of amps and drums doing a "live" shot for the booklet. We've since gotten the pictures back and they look great. Now we have to go through the excruciating process of looking at piles of contact sheets and hundreds of little mini photos of the band and then getting everybody to agree on the same ones. Have you ever been in a group of hungry people trying to pick a restaurant? Multiply it.

So, then we played the AMA's and flew home.

But wait! There's more! We're working on a new website that will completely replace the one we have now. It's going to have a section that will be 3-D. I don't mean like when you put on those funny glasses. It's an environment where you move around in this really cool virtual world, like in a computer game. When you get there you go into a room and choose your avatar. Your avatar is a graphic you choose to represent you as you make your way around the Aerosmith world. You can be male or female, human or animal, robot, whatever. As you approach others who are in the "world", you can walk up and talk to them. You can even get everybody to come together as a group and do stand up. "Hey did you hear the one about the avatar with a wooden leg...?" Anyway, we went to this amazing computerized studio to have our movements mapped. Sounds like something my mother wishes she could have had done when I was a kid. You put on a skin tight suit with little stems sticking out all over the place with reflective stuff on the ends. All around the perimeter of the ceiling are bright lights with cameras next to them. The cameras are hooked up to some scary computers. The cameras send the image to the computers, which map out your movements and save them for later. Eventually they can mount a picture of your body and face over these skeletal movement patterns. I guess when we walk around there you'll know its us.

So I think I'll just skip ahead here and just talk about the AMA's. We were there to play the new song but also to receive an award called the International Achievement Award. Pretty nice. There was no one else nominated so we were pretty sure we were gonna win. Before the award presentation there was a film collage about us that we helped put together. There was a scene from "Livin' on the Edge" where Steven was naked and using his hand to cover his "package." The network that aired the show didn't want that image to be on the air so we came up with a solution. We sent someone out to a place called Pink's to get some hot dogs. We took a picture of Steven taking a huge bite and put it in so it blocked the horrible, offensive sight.

It was really cool to watch the whole production come together, especially on the last couple of days. On the day of the show it all just focused. Unfortunately, the weather came apart and it just rained all over the area where all the trailers were set up. Kind of cut down on the celebrity schmoozing. It also eliminated the opening walk down the red carpet where you get hammered with questions and blinded with camera flashes. The joy of chaos!

Going on and doing the song was a blast. We'd drilled on it over and over and it notched up each time. Even when we went on it felt like everybody in the band, the acrobats, dancers, stilt walkers, snake people, whip crackers, contortionists and fall-down from-the-ceilingers got a little tighter.

Hopefully that takes care of the LA part of our story. I'm actually finishing this in my hotel room in Tampa. Why are we here? By God, we're playin' the Superbowl!

TH

I actually wrote most of this the day after the Superbowl gig and never finished it until this morning. Chalk it up to our insane schedule. Chalk it up to the rigors of the showbiz life. Chalk it up to the fact that I did it a week ago and my dog pee'd on it. See? I can make any excuse I want and people believe it 'cause I'm in a band. HA! What a scam.

...We're still in Florida basking in the afterglow of last night. People have been telling us it looked and sounded good and it felt like it went great onstage. We'll always hold off until we see a tape of it but so far it seems OK. We're always the last to know.

We've been down here rehearsing since last Sunday. We started out in a big arena in Lakeland (I should have the name memorized, we've probably played there fifty times.) There was a mock-up of a stage with exactly the dimensions of the real one. We had our amp line set up and right behind it was the 'NSYNC one. Yes they do have a band. (I can hear you wondering). The idea was for them and us to trade back and forth with short fragments of songs until the last bit, which would be all of us together on Walk This Way. We also had parts for a rapper named Nelly and Mary J. Blige. Originally it was just supposed to be us and NSYNC but we decided it was a little on the white side and we needed to address that.

So we had one side of the stage and they had the other and we just got down to it. I can't believe how pro those guys were. I can see a lot of Aerofanatics out there cringing because they need us to be some kind of animal that makes meals out of cute Pop bands. Don't worry, we ain't tradin' in our drums and Danelectros for dance steps.

We practiced "Jaded" for four days. I think we know the song by now. We also got to jam a bit and try out some of the other new songs. Oh, I forgot, you haven't heard them yet. Well it won't be long now; everything's getting closer faster. Jaded is out there making a name for itself so everything around the new album is going to be sooner. The fourth day of rehearsal was the Dress rehearsal, which means just that. You're supposed to have the same clothes on as the night of the gig so wash your socks accordingly.

Round about noon on the last rehearsal day we climbed into some really swank buses with satellite TV, DVD and leather couches to keep ah asses happy. Some of the new songs had been mastered so we listened to CD's of new music. I think it's all great so don't listen to me, but, it's still fun to hear these and imagine which ones we'll be playing live and which ones the crowd's gonna like. An hour later we arrived at th' big news conference. Actually it was really big. They had a giant room set up with a stage at one end and an ocean of cameras, microphones, pens, papers and probably at least a few human beings. We were on one side and the other band was to our right and press people would just yell out questions to either the SYNCS or us. We traded a few one liners and answered a few questions and it was cool. You definitely get in practice with this stuff so we were glad when we all managed to answer in finished sentences. The other guys are old pros at it already. They get more press than a pair of cheap slacks at the dry cleaners. At the end they got us all together and gave us footballs to hold. Steven threw his up into the air. I just naturally put my fingers on the laces where I can get maximum roll speed with minimal yaw rate during the initial phase of flight. That night it was freezing. I don't mean chilly for Florida. I mean freakin' freezing. The wind was blowing so hard I assumed a new personal motto: "The Wind Blows." That would have been my bumper sticker of the day. I'm sure the people setting up the stage were real happy about the wind (which blows). They had come up with a stage and lighting system that had to be rolled onto the field by humans and set up in six minutes. That's including amps, monitors, drums, guitars, harmonicas and scarves. The stadium said it had to be done without machinery, which would have bunged up the grass. Hmmm, maybe it would have been a better game if... Okay, I better finish this thing up. Hopefully you saw the show and hopefully you liked it. When we left the dress rehearsal on Thursday, it was pretty chaotic. We weren't sure what it was going to look like. The only thing we were sure of was that we needed more rehearsal. There were so many things that had to work perfectly. The cameras, the stage, everything. I had to remember to watch where I was when Nelly leapt off the drum riser and ran out onto the ramps. The last thing I needed was to get Nelly in the back of the head. So when Sunday arrived it seemed that all the stars were lined up in our favor because it all worked. One of the coolest things happened out in the audience. A disposable flash camera had been placed in every seat with instructions on when to snap a picture. Right as we went on the whole stadium seemed to explode with flashing lights. All around us people were firing off shot after shot and it looked spectacular. Then the pyro went off and we were on the way. It was awesome. Everybody did what they were supposed to do and it came off great. I didn't even look down Britney's shirt once. (You didn't have to.) I hear the football was entertaining too and I think it's great that they have that for those that are interested.

I just got a call that the new video will be premiered tonight. Meet us at 10:00 on MTV. See you there,

TH

I can’t believe it. We released the record! Or whatever you want to call it. People seem to need to know what to call IT. It used to be “our new album came out yesterday.” Folks seem to want to call it our new “CD.” It don’t really work. It’s too general. CD’s could be records, but they could also be blanks. How about usin’ the business word, “product?” I mean it definitely is “product” but then anything you issue forth could be called “product.” Even bodily fluids. You know what? Let’s just call it our new record. It’s been the operative word over decades of format changes. You know, it’s a record in the sense that it’s a “record” of what we’ve been thinking about musically for the last year and a half. It doesn’t matter that it’s on a CD or just floating around in Cyberspace or even if it was an eight-track. It’s a record. By the way, I’m proud to say that nobody in this band, to the best of my knowledge, has ever owned an eight-track. If you’ve never seen or heard one consider yourself lucky.

So the record is out. So the record is out. It felt so good I had to say it twice. After I write this I’m going to go upstairs and say it to myself until I get sick of it. The weird thing is that I’m totally used to the date, March 6th, being in the future. Here it is and it still feels like it should be about six weeks away.

We were supposed to go to New York and do sort of a stunt in Times Square. We were going to pile into an armored car, follow an army of scantily clad robot girls through the streets and arrive at The Virgin Megastore where hopefully numerous journalists and camera crews would be waiting…for the new record or the robot girls, whichever (as long as they took a picture of it). The idea was that we were “delivering” the new album. Get it? After fielding questions from the press we were going to grab our guitars and play “Jaded.” From there we would go inside to greet the crowd and then whip over to MTV for a live interview about the new album, I mean record.

But it snowed. You know that massive snowstorm that was on TV for three days? If you live in Hawaii you might not have heard about it but it was there. Two days before it started the people at the label were gritting their teeth and finally word came down that the event in Times Square would have to be canceled. SNOW DAYYYY! was my first reaction. My brain went into hibernation thinking about getting all comfy, trapped in my house with the snow falling and the wind blowing with a guitar in one hand, and the master remote in the other. But nay, ‘twas not to be true. Actually, on Monday I started thinking about what a drag it was to lose a day when we could have told the whole world that our album was out. I started feeling a little guilty. Hmmm. I have a sense of responsibility after all. Well, of course, the momentous mind of Steven was cranking the whole time trying to come up with a thing we could do right here in Boston. Between he and the label a whole day’s worth of frosty festivities got dreamed up. Most of the people around us were saying, “What are you crazy, going out in this?” “What about the fans you’re going to invite to all this?” Do you think they should be out driving in a blizzard?” (I still don’t have an answer for that last one.)

Sure enough the phone rang and I got the news that we should show up and be ready to go dogsledding, delivering albums, I mean CD’s, I mean records. We were meeting at a place where we could get a satellite link so we could do a live interview with TRL on MTV. Luckily for me it was only ten minutes from my house even in a blizzard. I still managed to be late.

The first bit was going to be the band delivering the record to a Strawberries Records store right here in Boston. We got over to the parking lot and a few of us went into the store to wait and schmooze as Steven rode up to the front door in front of some camera crews on a dogsled. A real one. Inside the store the rest of us were busy signing autographs and digging the energy. We got a little carried away and forgot to go out and meet ST when he rode up. Oops. Take 1 down the drain. So they got the dogs back to the starting point and we did the take again with all of us hitting our marks. In the dogsled was a big wooden box filled with CD’s and flashing lights that pulsated through slits that were cut into the sides. A couple of us ran out to meet Steven and grab the box filled with CD’s so we could bring it into the store and hand em’ out to the brave, enthusiastic crowd. We gave out tons of free CD’s to the clamoring throngs. I felt like Napster.

After signing autographs with most of the people at Strawberries we boogied back to the studio with the satellite up-link, dried off a little bit and then went back out to a big field to shoot some more dog sledding footage. First Steven and Joe took a few laps and then Joey and I took a spin. The other day I was wondering how you stop a dogsled and this made me think of it again. "Don't worry," was all we heard as we disappeared into the frantic flakes. We took a couple of laps around the field and then as we approached the cameras and the dogsled wranglers we waved our arms to let them know we were ready to stop. The dogsled people crowded out into the path and after a bunch of stuff that happened really fast, we hopped out. One of the guys grabbed the sled and tried to hold it back single - handed. The last thing I saw as I brushed the snow off my coat was the dogs running away with the sled, dragging the trainer through the slush head first. These pups are unbelievable! All they want to do is run! They must be doing too much Ritalin!

We headed back to Satellite Land for the TRL thing. We primped for a few minutes, got wired up with microphones and ear pieces and then crowded into a tiny elevator to go to a roped off area where they had a bunch of rabid fans standing in the snow waiting for our big appearance. We stepped out the door and sure enough, about thirty feet off-camera was the dogsled team. We loaded the big, flashing wooden box of CD’s into the sled and got ready for the “go” signal. The dogs barked and howled, barely being held back by the guy who swam through the slush earlier. Someone was yelling, “Wait, wait,” as another person yelled out a countdown. About ten seconds before the end of the countdown the dogs took off. All of us were either on the sled or running alongside, holding the rope handles of the flashing box. Meanwhile, the snow all around us had been packed hard by people walking on it all day and was so slippery I thought we were going to fall all over the place in front of the TV cameras. Amazingly enough, we all stayed on our feet and did our bit for MTV.

We finished the MTV piece and then signed autographs. These people had been standing out in the middle of this horrendous weather all day and still had smiles on their faces. If this is any indication of the enthusiasm level out there, its going to be a fun tour.

Anyway that was the last event of the day. We never made it to Times Square but we did manage to get a bunch of good stuff to send out over the satellite. Finally, we headed inside and ended our day of Aerosmith Outward Bound. Fifteen minutes later I was in the parking lot signing autographs with one hand as I tried to brush the snow off my windshield with the other. Let’s work on our timing, people!

TH

Yo...Tokyo that is.

We've been in Japan for about a week now. We've been doing interviews up the Yin Yang and playing on TV and Radio and generally getting all up in the public's face over here.

It's Cherry Blossom time but we've only been out of the hotel a few times and that was usually to go to our next bit. Well, no, we've actually been out lurking a few times too. Some of us went down to this cool area called Ameiaka where hundreds of tiny little shops have grown underneath the train tracks. It's full of little places with unbelievably cool stuff from watches to Army surplus gear.

Last night some of us went to a club called the Blue Note. If it sounds familiar it's because the original Blue Note is in New York. We heard some Jazz by Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather. I went in expecting to hear all the notes I don't know but was surprised at how rock the thing was. These two guys go from very aggressive to creamy quiet with some of the most amazing guitar tone I've ever heard live. Same with the Bassist, the drummer and the Keyboard player. I thought I had Jazz figured out as too intellectual for my taste. I went along to be with the boys and expected to be confused. Two bars into their set I was floating and flying on the groovacious, juicy flow of what these guys were putting out.

Hey...what's going on here... the building's shaking... Wow it's an Earthquake. My first one. Well not really. We were here once before but that one was subtle. This one is, well, kinda rude. I guess I should go stand under a doorway. Weird. I can hear the water sloshing around in the toilet.

Okay, its two minutes later and the shaking is fading out. It was kind of entertaining for the first few seconds. I can't really tell if the building is finally holding still or not... Okay I guess it is.

We're psyched and a little humbled at the reception we're getting here. The album is taking off like the Bullet Train. As a matter of fact, the record company came over today and gave us our double platinum award. The best souvenir we could ask for.

Well, I'd love to go on all night but I gotta get some sleep. I have a lot of catching up to do but I don't think I'll get to it tonight. We have a long flight home on Thursday. Maybe then I can finally get caught up.

Sayonara. Wakari mas ka?

TH

Typical. No sooner do I get my computer out and we hit turbulence. Reminds me of the quake in Japan the other day. Joe and I were basically the only ones who felt it. I kept asking people from the band, from Sony, from housekeeping, from everywhere. Nobody noticed. I even asked a guy who spoke no English at all and he shook his head. I knew I wasn’t crazy because Joe called me the minute it stopped and we compared notes. The next day I ripped open the Japan Times and found the report on page two. A 5.3 out of a possible 7 on the scale they use in Japan. It was actually on the news a minute or two after it happened. They had a map with numbers all over it but I couldn’t tell which part was Tokyo. They kept showing that and another scene with the typical security camera footage of people running around an office trying to keep stuff from falling off their desks as overhead light fixtures swing back and forth.

So now I have a way to describe the quake. It was like turbulence only in a building instead of an airplane. Come to think of it the plane we’re on now is as big as a building. Those of you who have been through these things must be rolling your eyes. Gimme a break. Let me have my little experience here. It wasn’t a big one it’s just that it’s basically my first one. I got my Quake cherry popped and I want to talk about it.

So we’re on our way home. We started out in New York a few weeks ago and since then have been to Germany and, obviously, Japan. So I’ll start in New York. Makes sense, doesn’t it? We got down there on the…I can’t remember. It was a Wednesday, I think. I should write this stuff down. The first order of bidness was rehearsal for Saturday Night Live. This was the fourth time we’ve done the show and the vibe still hasn’t faded. The show has been on almost as long as we’ve been making records. It feels cool to walk into these hallowed halls and actually know people and think of them as old friends. Man, the list of people who have hosted there, played there and worked there is huge. My mind is flooding. I won’t even attempt a list.

Rehearsal was good. We decided we’d play “Jaded” and then do “Big 10 Inch” for the second song. We were pretty fluent on “Jaded” and “Big 10 Inch” is part of our DNA. I remember thinking of 10” as a novelty song when we first recorded it but to this day it puts a smile on people’s faces.

The next day we had a photo session for Rolling Stone. We all met up at a studio where Steven and Joe were shooting the cover and then set out wit’ all our make-up, hair, wardrobe and other “make-‘em-look-pretty” peoples. Destination: the Chelsea Hotel down on the lower West Side. Actually, the area is called Chelsea but I thought that might be too obvious. The Chelsea is a notoriously hip place where up and coming and about to be down and out musicians have made their mark; usually on the walls or the floor. The Dolls, the Sex Pistols and countless others have done their best to destroy it or themselves amongst the layered paint and wrought iron. For some reason we never stayed there. We’ve run the gamut between glory and shame in New York but never found ourselves spending time there. Maybe we’re lucky. We crammed into a tiny suite that was jammed with photo equipment and people. On one end was a bed, surrounded with guitar amps and other musical paraphernalia. We wandered around for a minute and found our places. Just as the shooting started Steven jumped up on the bed with his mike stand and the flashes flashed. I couldn’t help wondering who has stayed there. How many famous people have shot up or gotten their rocks off on this very mattress. I wouldn’t want to join them but in a way we all felt the need to rise to the silent intensity of the space. I wish I had a list of all the killer songs that have been written there. Now that I’ve been there I think I might understand them better.

A half-hour later we got in the elevator and aimed for the lobby. I had to stop and gape at all the cool paintings and sculptures before heading out the door and down onto the subway with our photographer, Mark, and the rest of the entourage. Most of them waited as we hurried on to the train and started doing pictures. The other riders seemed to know how they were supposed to act as we snapped away. Leave it to the New Yorkers not to get all impressed with the situation. We mugged for the camera guerrilla style for about fifteen minutes and then got off at the station right under our hotel. Military precision, baby. Mo’ comin’

TH

I can't believe it. We're already four shows into the tour.

The last thing I knew we were getting back from Japan and Germany. We did press tours there and had a great time. We played a club gig in Munich so I guess we might have to say that was the first show of the tour. Then there's the MTV show we did in Japan. Maybe that was the second gig. Oh my God, that means we've been on tour for months! And I don't even have my vitamin deficiency yet.

We actually started rehearsing about a month ago. The official date of the beginning of the tour was June 6th in Hartford, Conn. That happens to be where we started the last one.

Anyway, that date has been carved into the front of our eyeballs for a long time now. I think the day you put your record out you sub-consciously switch headings and aim for the first show. The next thing you know is you're in Hartford and it's the day of. I think we could have used another week of rehearsal. We're improving though. Last tour we could have used another two weeks of rehearsal. One thing that definitely helped was all the radio shows we've been doing. We've been flying around playing at arena shows that local stations put on. They put together a bill of a bunch of people who have new releases out. It goes on all day. You play about four songs and that's it.

So we weren't exactly walking on stage for the first time in a year and a half when we were in Hartford. The first show went pretty well. We definitely had a few hair-raising moments but I think we managed to sneak 'em by the audience. It was definitely a blast. Music is a whole new thing when thousands of people are in the same room sharing it.

We tried out our "B" stage. We had a tiny little stage built at the beginning of the lawn. About halfway through the show we went off stage left and then out into the aisle where we joined up with an army of security guys. We got into a tight group and made out way up. All the way up, people were trying to grope us and give us the high five. It was nuts. By the time we got up to the lawn we were each on about a pint of adrenaline.

We got good feedback on the show and thankfully on the VH-1 live broadcast of the first three songs. We were the last ones to hear it. I got my copy the next day and I thought it went really well. Maybe pretty soon we won't need a week of rehearsal any more.

TH

We is definitely on the road now. We're about six or seven gigs in at this point. I'd tell you exactly but I can't find my itinerary so I can't look it up. It's fun being disorganized. We've been in New York for the last few days playing out on Long Island at a place called Jones Beach. It's a lot like other outdoor amphitheaters but it was built in the water. It's weird. You walk to the backstage area and it's surrounded by the ocean for cryin' out loud.

Our first show there was this past Saturday. We tried a few new things and the crowd seemed to be okay with it. We made a few mistakes here and there but managed to be sneaky about it. After the show we hopped into a Gulfstream jet and flew out to LA. We got in there about 3:00 A.M. and crashed. I mean we went to sleep. The next morning we got up, had a band meeting and then went over to Dodgers Stadium for yet another radio show. The place was packed and I'm just talking about the back stage. We got there just as Lady Marmalade went on to do the song from "Moulin Rouge". We could hear the crowd going nuts and it made us look forward to our turn. Since our equipment was back in New York we were using rental gear. You never know what kind of bugs might pop up when you do that. Luckily we have a crew that could make a cardboard box sound good. So when Lady Marmalade paraded back to their dressing room we knew we'd be going on soon. We were supposed to play four songs, which is kind of cool because we got to pack a show's worth of energy into a short set. The flip side is that if anything goes wrong you only have a few songs to redeem yourself. We like the Yin and Yang of that. Keeps us awake. As we climbed the ramp leading to the stage we got a look at the huge audience in the stadium. It's always a cool feeling. Kind of like going over the first hill on a roller coaster. They introduced us, we checked the monitors and suddenly we were onstage playing the intro to "Jaded". The sound coming out of the monitors was killer. What a rush. The great sound and the great audience just picked us up and flew us like a kite. What a peak. We ended with Walk this Way. Steven spied Pink over on the side of the stage, ran over and in a split second, convinced her to come out and do the song with us. He gave her the mike for the second verse and she hit it right on the beat.

We finished the song and headed back to the dressing room. After a little rapid fire schmoozing we went back to the hotel, got our stuff and took off for the plane which then took off for New York. By the time we got back to the hotel in NYC it was 8:00 A.M. I got to sleep by 9 and then got up at three in the afternoon. A quick shower later we took off in the cars for Jones Beach and played the best show of the tour so far. Nothing like a little fatigue to get you focused.

TH

We GOIN', We GOIN, We GOIN……… That song is such a blast to play on stage. All the new ones are a gas. So far we're doing Beyond Beautiful, Just Push Play, Jaded, Fly Away from Here, and Under My Skin.

The shows are getting nice and tight. The "B" stage bit is a rush. Getting up there is literally, a trip. As in "voyage." Sometimes it's a long walk up there. We did a show the other night and it was like climbin' a friggin' mountain. It was worth it though. The view was great. It was the virtual seventies. A crowd of the sweaty doin' the "hot and heavy" 'round a twelve foot stage. Not to mention the summer night and the moonlight. And the sea of heads to the end of sight.

Speaking of summer nights, it's been kind of buggy up there onstage lately. I don't mean digital device problems, I mean bugs. Sometimes they fly too close to the amps or the drums and get blasted. There's always a couple of beetles or June bugs writhing and spinning around the floor on their backs. Come to think of it, that's the reaction we were trying to get from the audience.

We're pretty much done with the Upper East Coast for a while. We did two shows at home. It was great and, as usual, a major meet and greet. We had so many friends and family there I thought we should turn the stage around backwards and play to the hospitality room.

So now we're in the Midwest. We played our best show so far in Indianapolis the other night.The crowd was so energetic and uninhibited I think they should get the credit. At the end of the night we did a runner -which means we go straight from the stage to the cars to the airport. I had the window down as we cruised along a back road and listened to the sound of the car reflecting off the cornstalks of a giant cornfield. It made me think about how many times we've experienced that same Midwest moment over the eons.

I can't tell you what a gas it's been so far. The band is cookin' and the crowds have been amazing. We know what an effort it is for you guys to get to these places so thanks for doin' it.

Hello Columbus!

TH

We've been out here on the Left Coast for a couple of weeks now. Night after night we've been playing to great crowds. What can we say? I guess don't say nothin', just surf on it.

The "B" stage has been a gas and where ever conditions allow, we'll be doin' it. The walk out there through the audience is pretty insane. It's a grope fest. Even though we've got two lines of beefy security, gropin' still occurs. When we get to the "B" stage it's like we're in a time machine. It feels like Toledo Sports Arena circa who knows when. Hopefully the people way back in the front row don't get too lonely. Don't worry. We'll be back in a few minutes. We'd never desert you.

Speaking of the front row, (the one down by the main stage) it's weird looking at the video screens while we're on the B stage. It's like there's a Drive-In next door. We added Sunshine to the set so the songs we're playing from the new album include Beyond Beautiful, Jaded, Just Push Play, and Sunshine. Maybe there's one more but I can't think of it right now. They're starting to get burned in like the older songs. Takes a while sometimes.

Anyway we ran up and down the west coast like a yo-yo. We went up to San Francisco for a few days. I'd have to describe the audience they're as earthy and exotic. We haven't stayed there in a long time so it was great to bathe in the special weird aura of the place. After that we went up to a place called The Gorge up in Washington. Man I always thought that state was all pine trees but I guess I learned. We landed at a remote airport and rode through the farmlands for a while before winding up in the desert. Just when we were thinking we took a wrong turn at the cow pasture we arrived at the gig. The place is unbelievable! They went out and found a huge canyon and then built the place right on the hillside. The stage faces a cliff and everybody just arranges themselves around it. The view from the audience is right down into the massive gulch. (Hey, I've never used the word "Gulch". It felt pretty good.) I think if the audience rushed the stage the whole place would just roll down the hill into the river. When we got there the temp was about 100+. As soon as the sun went down it turned into the perfect night for a show. We played a good one that night and as we got into the cars right after the set I looked up and saw stars that I never knew existed. They were so bright I couldn't believe it. I stood there staring up into the air until someone with a towel and a flashlight reminded me that if we didn't get in the car right away we'd be campin' out with the snakes and lizards. (Not that they aren't good hosts). We drove through no man's land for a while and found the airport. A few minutes later we took off and headed down to LA, where we had a things- to -do- list a mile long. I'll tell ya bout it…

TH

I'm folded into the couch in my dressing room contemplating the irony of playing Rock and Roll in these weird times. I get caught up in it and then I return to show mode. I feel really fortunate. It's almost too big to taste all at once. We all feel humbled and honored to go onstage and communicate positivity. It flows back and forth between us and the brave crowd. There seem to be many people these days telling us to be scared and yet we all show up.

We just got back from doing two shows in Canada. The show in Calgary was the first with our new indoor stage production. After playing outdoors all summer we're now in indoor mode. The main feature is a 150 foot thrust that goes out from the front of the stage into the audience. We also have ramps that go out into the crowd from the four corners of the stage. We put seats everywhere they would fit in order to get as many people as possible close to us. The production looks huge but actually more intimate. It feels like a giant club gig. The audience in Calgary was so intense it got us used to the new stage in one easy minute. We just rode the crowd and had a blast. The next show was in Edmonton. As we got ready to go on I wondered if the reaction in Calgary was just a fluke. The next thing I knew we were up there and sure enough we were treated to another huge hunk o' love. I guess they liked our thrust. After Edmonton we flew down to Minneapolis. I was wondering what customs would be like considering what's going on these days. Luckily we don't have a problem identifying ourselves. We got through without any of us having to bend over for the rubber glove treatment.

Last week we shot a commercial for Dodge. They've already been running a spot with "Just Push Play" for a few weeks. The next spot will have us actually appearing in it. We played "Under My Skin" and" The Light Inside." It's interesting having this giant corporate entity wanting to use deep rockers from the new album. We'll get our musical message out to the far and wide.

Sunshine is starting to get on the radio. The video has been out for a couple of weeks now so we'll get a chance to see how everybody likes it. It's an excellent song to play live and we look forward to more people in the audience singing along. Let's do our homework people.

TH

Two gigs in one day? Hmmmm. Sounds risky. OK. That was the thought process when we decided to play at the benefit show in Washington's RFK Stadium called United We Stand. The order of battle was to get up early in Chicago, fly to Washington, do some press, do the show, jump back on the plane and get to Indianapolis on time for a regular show. No Problem. What could possibly go wrong?

Luckily, not much did.

We left the hotel in Chicago at 10:00 AM, drove to the airport and humped our carry-ons into the plane. Meanwhile, a detachment from our crew had already gone in the day before to check out all the gear we would be using, none of which was ours. We took off and a little more than an hour later we were in the approach pattern for Dulles Airport. We cruised in and met up with a bunch of Washington's finest who gave us a police escort through the streets of DC we'll never forget. After stopping at a hotel for a brief moment of sanity we were back in the vans. We asked to see the damage at the Pentagon so they drove us right up to it. A good friend of ours is in the Secret Service so it wasn't hard to set up. The devastation is bad enough in pictures but obviously much more intense seeing it up close. I really got the feeling of being a part owner in this place and how important it is and how much we take these things for granted. I looked around at the other people in the van, people who I see everyday and who have become close friends. I realized that the people who rammed the airliner into the Pentagon would just as eagerly try to kill any one or all of us. We looked for a few minutes and then we were rushing through the streets again to get to the show. We passed all the famous monuments on the way. Every once in a while you got a view of the Capitol building looming above the trees and then it would disappear again. I imagined what would have happened if they had hit this building and started feeling really pissed off. It made me feel good that we were about to deliver just the opposite of what the scumbag terrorists would like to see. For a few hours we would play our part as the anti-terrorist.

We knew there would be heavy security at the stadium. We pulled up to a checkpoint and were relieved to see that our people were familiar with some of the venue security. They were all dressed in flak jackets and loaded with weapons. The coolest weapons though were the dogs that started sniffing the van, the bags and us. It's kind of weird because even though none of us had any contraband I got fleeting feelings of wondering if the dog's sensitive nose would pick up something from my distant past. Of course he didn't but I swear the dog winked at me as he went off to sniff Brad's crotch.

From there we went into a tent where we were searched again and then shuffled back into the vans for the trip to the dressing room. Don't laugh, it was pretty far. Every few feet we would see someone we recognized but we were in such a hurry we could only wave. From the van they ran us through a bunch of catacombs and blue tent rooms until we got to our dressing "area." It was pretty nice considering all the logistics they had to handle to make sure the numerous acts on the bill got a place to change. We 'meeted' and we 'greeted' and even had a few seconds to get ready. After a quick trip to the press tent where we got camera flashed for a few minutes we went to yet another tent to do some 'one on ones' with ET, ABC, MTV and several other initials.

Next it was back in the van and over to a holding area. We hung there for a few minutes and then were taken to holding area number two. This time we were truly close to the stage and could see the audience jumping up and down and having a great time. Pink was onstage with her producer, our old buddy Linda from Four Non Blondes who was playing acoustic. They both came off the stage with a look of relief. I could identify with the feeling of having nothing between you and the world but a mike and an acoustic guitar. Gimme a ten foot amp and a nice fat-stringed bass guitar any day.

Ready to go on. We got introduced and wandered out into the fray. What a beautiful fray it was. Steven gave a short but very heartfelt speech and we went into "Livin' on the Edge." Nothing like modern times to take a good song and make it even moiré poignant. The next song was "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" which helped all the non Aero fans remember who we are. And then "Just Push Play" which I'm sure you know is on our new album. It's also getting used for some really cool looking commercials for Dodge Trucks. Winding up the festivities we played "Walk this Way" which had the whole audience bouncing in unison. I don't mean to brag about this stuff, just present the facts as they are and let you, dear reader, decide for yourself. I know you'll do the right thing.

It seemed like we had been onstage for about thirty seconds. We squirmed through the mob onstage and down the stairs back to holding area tent number II. Suddenly we were in the middle of a crowd of people in army fatigues. At first I thought it was more security but then realized it was P. Diddy and his crew looking seriously serious. We had a big handshake moment. Everybody was getting off on being part of the solution. We only had a few minutes to do a little more press and say hi to some of the other people playing that day before we were back in the cars on the way to the airport. We had a police escort again. These guys were bent on getting us to the airport as fast as possible. It's fun but you have to put your trust in the fact that the driver of your car not only has a driver's license but also qualifies to tailgate at eighty five miles per hour. Sometimes the only thing to do is look out the side instead of the front.

A few minutes later we could hear the engines of our jet spooling up as we fell into our seats and got into our airplane rituals. A little ways away the crew guys that came with us were in another plane doing the same thing knowing that they would have leap out at the other end and hustle to their jobs getting ready for the show in Indy. We're touring with the Cult and they helped us out that night by staying onstage longer and keeping the audience entertained while we changed our skivvies and got ready for gig number two. The crowd was lubed up and ready to rock when we got onstage and gave us a great show. At the end we were beat but didn't want the day to end. We dried off, got in the cars headed to the airport and got into the plane once again.

The next thing I knew I was in my room looking out at Chicago's nighttime skyline and squeezing lime juice into a glass of mineral water. My watch said 3:30 but I couldn't sleep. I had to just stand there and stare out the window. What a moment.

TH