TOKYO, JAPAN -- Aerosmith's legendary guitarists,
Joe Perry and Brad Whitford made a rare two hour personal appearance at a music
school in Tokyo recently, while the band was on tour in Japan. Gibson
USA and Yamano Music sponsored this exclusive event, in which guests were
able to meet their guitar heroes and watch them perform. More than 500 people
attended, including both Japanese music instrument dealers and devoted Aerosmith
fans, who entered a national radio contest to win a place at the event.
Held at the Avilak Community Music Hall, in the center of the capital, the appearance kicked off with a blinding impromptu jam, during which Perry and Whitford played instrumental versions of a number of Aerosmith hits, including "Walk This Way" and "Pink." Wrapping up this twenty-minute session, Perry stepped up to the microphone to take the vocals on a rocking rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Red House."
Immediately after the performance, Brad and Joe took the opportunity to get to know their fans better, opening up the proceedings for a question and answer session with the capacity crowd. The topics they touched upon ranged from the equipment that they use -- both on stage and in the studio -- to how they were enjoying their prestigious sold-out Dome tour. This was followed by the presentation of various raffle prizes, including copies of the Japanese Limited Edition Nine Lives CD, Gibson USA merchandise, a pair of tickets to one of Aerosmith's Tokyo Dome shows, copies of the band's new autobiography and a Gibson USA Joe Perry Signature Series Les Paul. The event concluded with two hours of autograph signing, during which Brad and Joe talked one-on-one with their fans.
More than 189,000 people saw the band during their electrifying, sold-out dome tour of Japan -- the first ever to be completed by an international artist. Amongst Joe's featured Gibson guitars on stage were his Signature Model Les Paul, a Firebird VII, and a natural ES 355 from Gibson's Custom Shop. Brad Whitford relied heavily on his various Les Pauls, including a blue sparkle top with P-94s and a vintage red Custom Shop model with a Bigsby.
Aerosmith continue their spectacular Nine Lives World Tour with a North American spring run, set to commence on April 18 in Salt Lake City, UT and conclude on June 4 in Quebec City, Quebec. After this time, the band will return to Europe for a run of summer dates.
Special thanks to Aeroforce One, Columbia/Sony Music, J-Wave radio, Magus Entertainment, UDO Productions, and Yamano Music.
