AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton has issued the following update:

"It’s a bit like a reunion. Maybe it’s my imagination but there’s quite a “welcome back” vibe from the fans. While we’ve been away we’ve been doing a lot of touring in the US, Canada and Japan so our basic skills have gotten better. There’s a lot of ways that we play the songs that are different and, I hope, better, than the way we did ten years ago or however long it was since we played Europe. We’ve been looking forward whipping ‘em out.

I keep talking about how amazing and ironic it is that we’re playing in the Middle East, India and even in areas that used to be behind the “iron curtain”. Dubai was off the scale. The magnitude of what they’re doing there is staggering. The entire city is under construction. They’ve made it a priority to shoot higher and dream bigger than almost anywhere in the world. I thought the Japanese were into futuristic architecture but I think Dubai is giving them a run for their money. I mean that almost literally because making money is what that city is all about. I mean that in a positive way. It’s like a lot of other areas of the world where people are having a taste of what they’re lives could be like and how much better off they could be and they’re not holding back. They’re gung ho. They’re going for it. One of the main things I liked about Dubai was that all different types of people from around the world could be there and let national, ethnic and religious differences be put on hold in the name of simply getting stuff done.

While we were there we went out for a dune ride in the desert. We piled into big SUVs and headed out of the city. I expected a scenic relaxing taste of the Arabian Desert. We turned off the highway and headed out into an ocean of sand. The dunes were really high and steep. At one point we rode along a ridge that dropped off to the right like a cliff. I thought our driver, Jafar, was cutting it kind of close but I figured he must be experienced enough so that he wouldn’t get too close and fall over. The next thing I know he spins the wheel to the right and suddenly we are diving straight down over the edge. I thought we were going to roll for sure. Next we charged straight up to the crest of another dune flew over the edge and dove. Everybody in the SUV gasped except Jafar who had a big smile on his face as he casually spun the steering wheel cranking it back and forth to counteract what would have had us standing on our heads. Just as we went over the top he whipped the wheel to the right so we were sideways on the slope. Every sphincter in the car tightened up for dear life. After a few minutes it became obvious that we weren’t going over but I had a hard time convincing most of my brain that we would stay upright.

When we finished the dune thing we stopped at a campground where they had tents set up with oriental rugs and hand woven cushions. In the center of the camp were long low tables where we would later have a buffet of freshly grilled food. I sat there looking at the desert, as the sun got lower in the sky and the heat mellowed. I had a moment where I realized how hard it must be for the nomadic desert people to give up this lifestyle. I felt like I could have stayed there staring at the sky all night. It was a deeply moving, soul inspiring taste of the paradise of being at one with the infinite embrace of nature. Plus I got to ride a camel.

The show happened a couple of days later with the desert making it’s presence known in the form of heat, sand and a red full moon. The crowd was a mixture of westerners, Arabs, Indians and Southeast Asians. It was a cool feeling to have our show be part of this new melting pot. We could forget whatever scary stuff was on the news and have an awesome time focusing on music."

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