AEROSMITH and MÖTLEY CRÜE kicked off their Route Of All Evil tour at the Germain Amphitheatre in Columbus, Ohio, yesterday (Tuesday, September 5th). A review courtesy of Aaron Beck from The Columbus Dispatch follows:

Tommy Lee and Joe Perry always have stood out in bands with no shortage of colorful personas. Based on their performances and presences last night in Germain Amphitheater, the 43-year-old Mötley Crüe drummer and 55-year-old Aerosmith guitarist now are their long-lived group's stars.

On opening night of the hard-rock acts' 33-city Route Of All Evil tour, Lee - a shirtless, illustrated man in command via headset microphone - and Perry - bare-chested and in full-on guitar-god mode on stage and on the 70-foot catwalk into the lower pavilion - provided many boosts during 150 minutes of hits.

Each band, which was coming off lengthy breaks from the road, played 75 or so minutes and neither played new songs. Aerosmith fired on all cylinders, delivering reinvigorated '70s chestnuts (Sweet Emotion; Draw the Line; Mama Kin; Walk This Way; Dream On) and enlivened its post-drugs and drink/MTV-friendly fare (Rag Doll; Cryin'; F.I.N.E.).

Motley Crue culled from its '80s heyday ('Too Fast For Love'; 'Live Wire'; 'Shout At The Devil'; 'Kickstart My Heart') and latter-day catalog ('Primal Scream' and 'Sick Love Song'). Along the way the quartet shook loose first-night cobwebs.

For Motley Crue, the Evil trek is scaled-back production from its blockbuster Carnival of Sins tour, which last brought the band to central Ohio in March 2005.

Yes, last night there was a mock slaughter of a rooster by writhing lasses wearing strategically-placed white cloth. Yes, there were flaming wrought-iron bird cages - abeit underused flaming wrought-iron bird cages. Yes, during Girls, Girls, Girls Vince Neil rode a chopper on stage.

But did Lee and his drum set top previous tours' drum set tricks?

No matter. No one in rock these days seems to have more fun than Lee, part-time star reality-TV hero (Rockstar: Supernova) and in-demand chat-show guest (Friday on Live With Regis & Kelly and Tuesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show ), and his energy infected the audience.

As columns of fire shot toward the rafters and sparks rained down on wrought-iron set straight out of a Victorian horror story, Lee was an impeccable timekeeper and simply ferocious behind a set of drums atop of pedestal of fake bones and skulls. His greatest contribution, however, was imploring the audience to "go (expletive) crazy, you (expletives)!" until smile after smile stretched across his face.

He most likely had more fun than 45-year-old singer Neil. When Neil wasn't singing pieces of syllables from lyrics in a dry, nasal yelp, he was gesturing and shooting exasperated looks at roadies for various untold reasons.

He probably even had a laugh at bassist Nikki Sixx's expense when the 47-year-old post-apocalyptic biker character caught his moon boot on something on the stage, slipped and performed an involuntary and perfect backward summersault, recovered and then smashed his guitar to conclude 'Kickstart My Heart'.

Lee - heck, most in attendance - surely had more fun than guitarist Mick Mars, whose every move requires much concentration. Mars, 55, takes his sir name from the Roman god of war but some day mortals will know him as the Hoosier-born god of rock-star longevity.

A long-time sufferer of a degenerative bone disease , the skeletal Mars moved like a 98-pound scarecrow. The guitar in Mars' hands seemed to be attached to his belt as he stiffly cranked out the familiar riffs.

As for Steven Tyler, still the main face of Aerosmith, he sounded strong all night even if his pants these days might do well with some pleats. The 58-year-old, whose throat ailment derailed his band's tour in February, was his former self, though, scatting his banshee scat, blowing a bit of harmonica and, in general, singing with force and projection.

Still, it was Perry, channeling Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Peter Green (literally when he sang and played FLEETWOOD MAC's 'Stop Messin'' Around) between multiple wardrobe and six-string changes, who commanded the most attention.

The guitarist, dedicating 'Stop Messin' Around' to bassist Tom Hamilton, who is recovering from throat cancer treatment, raced all night about a stage accentuated with the occasional laser light show. Perry was all over the place, shoulder-length locks blowing in the wind, his head toward heaven and eyes closed during many a Les Paul solo.

During 'Sweet Emotion' the guy even managed a Theremin solo. Talk about fun, a Theremin manipulated by a shirtless dude in leather pants center stage, a fellow born in 1950? That's some top-drawer Tuesday-night fun.