On the brisk evening of November 10th, 1995, something remarkable was about to shake up Boston’s music scene. In the intimate confines of the Mama Kin Music Hall, in the shadow of Fenway Park on Lansdowne Street, the legendary rock band Aerosmith was gearing up for a secret performance, unbeknownst to their legion of fans across the world.
Taking the stage under the pseudonym “The G-Spots,” Aerosmith was about to offer an “unsuspecting” crowd a night of music that would cement itself as one of the most desired bootleg recordings in the Aerosmith fan community.
“Everybody was ‘wanded’ as they entered the club,” remembered John Bionelli in a 2003 “Report from the Road”, hinting at the stringent security measures to prevent bootleg recording of the show. The crowd, however, was not deterred; they knew they were in for a special treat.
Before the show, rumors had been swirling about these secret gigs. Adding to the mystique, the band used the Woodstock demon banners from their early 70’s shows, a symbolic gesture indicating harmony within the band, as the demons were facing each other that night.
A bit of context, the band had been off-the-road for almost a year at this point. The ‘Get a Grip’ tour had ended at the same venue on December 19, 1994. They were understandably eager to hit the stage to free some of that energy and try some of the new material they had been writing to trial it in front of an audience before going into the studio.
Tickets were a mere $7, sold exclusively at local record stores. Arriving at the venue fans had to brave the chilly Boston air as they queued outside. Club employees, in a gesture of goodwill, warmed the fans with paper cups filled with hot chocolate for them to endure the cold wait outside.
A sea of fans packed the club beyond its capacity, some 200 to 250 people, all eager to experience the rare performance. There were two opening bands, “Machinery Hall” and one more, after which Aerosmith took the stage. Steven Tyler greeted the crowd with his usual cheeky charm, “Good evening. As you already know, we’re the G-Spots.” The crowd roared, the anticipation palpable. The stage was only about three feet off the ground, making it an up-close and personal affair, a unique experience for Aerosmith’s fanbase used to arena shows.
In a surprising departure from their usual arena setlist, Aerosmith dug deep into their discography, pulling out obscure originals, blues jams, and surprise covers such as Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”. “All those things we usually don’t play out there,” singer Steven Tyler said, ‘We’re gonna play in here.” The band was on fire, playing with an energy and freedom seldom seen. The night was not without its share of fun and memorable moments either, like when Tyler, sporting a huge rip in his jeans revealing lipstick prints on his backside, commandeered Tom Hamilton’s bass during “Sick As A Dog”, while Hamilton shook maracas and sang.
The band premiered four new songs that night, with Tyler wearing “granny glasses” to read his new lyrics off paper notes, adding an unscripted authenticity to the performance. “Trouble“, a bluesy track co-written by Tyler and Perry along with their longtime collaborator Richie Supa, featured a potent mix of gritty guitars and Steven Tyler’s signature wailing vocals. Fans got their first taste of “The Farm“, a song that began with the eerie sound of a baby crying played on a white tape recorder, a feature unique to this version and not present in the official release on their 1997 album “Nine Lives”. The band also premiered “Something“, a hard-rocking Joe Perry composition that wouldn’t see an official release until 2012, and “What Kind of Love Are You On” a flat-out rocker with more gnarly guitar that would eventually be released in the 1998 Armageddon soundtrack. All these were still to be demoed during the 1996 Miami sessions with Glen Ballard.
There were no keyboards, backing vocals, or backing tracks – just five musicians playing their hearts out. The setlist, hand-written by Tyler himself in a “Collins Management” letter head paper, reflected the band’s down-to-earth approach that night. The only change from the previous gig at the Middle East club was the inclusion of Reefer Head Woman replacing Hole in My Soul.
- Make It
- Bone To Bone
- Get The Lead Out
- Trouble
- Remember (Walking In The Sand)
- I’m A Man
- Reefer Head Woman
- Sick As A Dog
- Something
- Last Child
- The Farm
- S.O.S. (Too Bad)
- What Kind of Love Are You On
- Milk Cow Blues
- Mama Kin
- Think About It
- Immigrant Song (encore)
Reflecting on the night, it was clear this wasn’t just another gig. Aerosmith, at the heart of it all, was just another bar band playing for the love of the music, but a bar band that packed an electrifying punch. WZLX’s John Laurenti, who was in attendance, described it as “the best show I’ve ever seen Aerosmith play.”
For many fans lucky enough to witness it, the show was a revelation. Aerosmith, without all the trappings of a big arena show, was a force of nature. And while there might not be an official release of the show, the memories of the night are etched in the minds of those fortunate enough to be there. In an era where every concert is captured on smartphones and shared across social media, it’s refreshing to know that some experiences are still exclusive, the stories and memories shared only by those who were actually there.
While a few fans were left to sneak in small plastic cameras, many got smashed by security. “I guess the club did a great job (with security) because I have never heard of a bootleg of that show” concluded John Bionelli’s “Report from the Road”. Only the handful of pictures above survived from the historic night.
The only known recording of this iconic show lies locked in the Aerosmith “Vindaloo vault”, as confirmed by one of their staff members. “Mama Kin was video taped by the in house camera; no board tapes were made” assured our insider contact in February 2009.
Yet, the chances of this recording ever seeing the light of day are slim, unless a very close friend or a celebrity requests it, and even then, it’s for their eyes only. For the rest of us, we can only imagine the magic of that night, its aura preserved in the anecdotes and memories of the fortunate few, or till the day its released via their current deal with Universal Music Group. Still, fan speculation remains about whether or not a bootleg copy exist in the most exclusive circles of private collectors.
But what do you think? is there a bootleg out there? should the band make that video recording available to fans?
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