The Arizona Central caught up with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry as they gear up to play at this year’s NCAA March Madness Music Festival, taking place March 31st - April 2nd at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix, AZ.

Perry says this is a chance to reintroduce songs back into the setlist they haven’t played in a while. A couple excerpts below:

AZ Central: Is there a song you’re particularly excited about reintroducing to the set?

Perry: “I’m really looking forward to doing ‘Nine Lives’ again. It’s one of my favorites. ‘Let the Music Do the Talking’ is one we haven’t played in a long time. We’ll see which ones it’s eventually going to be. But we went through a lot of old set lists and looked at what was right alongside ‘Crying’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ back then. That’s kind of what we’re using as a guide, and then requests we get from fans, either online or just bumping into people.”

AZ Central: How does it feel to play the songs you “have to” play?

Perry: Well, when you see the audience reaction to the first chords of ‘Dream On’ or ‘Walk This Way’ or ‘Sweet Emotion,’ it unifies us so much with the audience. We’ve tried to play ‘Dream On’ every show we’ve done. Bar five. And I still get off playing it when I see the audience singing along. Steven still hits that high note at the end. I can’t believe that after all these years he can still bang that out. It’s amazing. And now we know the songs in a way that we didn’t when we recorded them, so we get to play them the way we would have recorded them if we had 20 or 30 years under our belt. We don’t step too far off the path to try to make them different. Listen, I’m a fan first. When I’m sitting in the audience, I don’t want to hear the Stones do a reggae version of ‘Honky Tonk Women,’ you know what I mean? I want to hear the song the way I’m used to it. That’s part of the fun of it. So we don’t go too far off the reservation when we play those songs. But seeing the audience reaction that carries the day. That’s why we’re there and that’s why people are still coming out to hear this band, because they want to hear those songs. To leave them out would be wrong.”

Aerosmith are confirmed to perform at this years NCAA March Madness Music Festival, taking place March 31st - April 2nd at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix, AZ.

Aerosmith will perform on Sunday, April 2nd. Complete festival details can be found at this location.

Aerosmith’s “farewell” tour launches this May in Tel Aviv, Israel. For more than 45 years, Aerosmith has been the quintessential rock & roll band, becoming one of the most influential and loved groups in the world, due to their mass appeal, unforgettable songs and groundbreaking live shows.

Tour dates:

May
17 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hayarkon Park
20 - Batumi, Georgia - Black Sea Arena
23 - Moscow, Russia - Olympiski
26 - Munich, Germany - Konigsplatz
30 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbuhne

June
2 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
8 - Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
11 - Donington, UK - Download Festival
14 - Dublin, Ireland - 3 Arena  
17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest  
20 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena  
23 - Florence, Italy - Firenze Rocks Festival
26 - Lisbon, Portugal - Meo Arena
29 - Madrid, Spain - Rivas Auditorio Miguel Rios

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock Fest Barcelona
5 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion