Whoa, just getting to the point where I can look back at the launch of the game last weekend. We met up in New York, after weeks and months of conference calls, faxes, emails , telegrams and carrier pigeons, and all got in the same room. Everybody looks great considering some of the wounds we're still healing. Joe's eyes are deep and the fires are burning. His leg is sore but you can feel his ship is plowing through the breakers. Sorry, didn't want to get all literary there. It just felt good to join in the energy.
I've been seeing a lot of awesome bands lately. Saturday night we went to the Pearl Jam show at Comcast. It used to be the Tweeter Center nee Great Woods. It's impossible to keep up with the naming rights activity at these places. Almost every place we play on tour has had three or four names by now. What's next? Preparation H Center for the Performing Arts? Tampax Arena? Imagine the iconic branding graphics! Hey, we should make a corporate naming rights deal! We could be Kraft Macaroni Aerosmith for a tour! Think of the cash flow!
So I was talking about the Pearl Jam show. Those guys are the real deal. They run on inspiration. Mike and Jeff came out and said Hi before they went on. A few minutes later they were blasting it out there. Terry and I saw two songs from the side of the stage and then went out to the mix position for the rest. A lot of people like to stay on the side to get the close-up view but you just can't hear what's going on. If you want to see and hear everything you have to go out front. Backstage is overrated.
Photo by: Kevin Mazur
Man Steven was a needle in the groove last week. He showed up in a nasty dark brown striped suit and took the helm. Not only did the band get to hang together but we also got to see all the faces we love that keep the machine running while we get to have musical daydreams.
Photo by: Kevin Mazur
Speaking of daydreams, this Guitar Hero: Aerosmith thing is right out of daydreams we didn't even know to have when we started. I mean this thing is fun. When I learned that they use the original multi-track tapes to make all the guitar and bass parts I had to pinch myself. I thought, here's a big company that's committed to the authenticity and the spirit. They could have made a pretty cool game and saved some money by having experts write parts that were interpretations of the originals but they went for the real stuff. When there was a delay in locating the multi’s from the first album, they encouraged us to try cutting new versions on their dime. We had a great time. We've been thinking for a long time about going into the studio and re-cutting some of our old material with present day recording technology. We've always been technology freaks even back in the days when there wasn't any. Anyway we re-cut “Mama Kin,” “Dream On,” “Movin' Out” and “Make-It.”
So the point last week was to do the proverbial promo blitz. We went over o the Hard Rock in Times Square and were led inside through numerous elevators, hallways, alcoves, foyers and stairways of varying height until we popped out into the dressing room area. In our early years we could tell which room in any given building was our dressing room by just finding the deli tray. It's still that way but the food has gotten a lot better - much better. There are so many chefs now they have their own dressing room. (no, not really).
While we were inside getting ready for the press stuff, footage of the game with our animated characters was blazing away on the giant screens outside in Times Square. I hope there was somebody out there with a video camera because I want to see what it looked like. Anybody know anybody who...?
The club has a pretty decent size stage and concert area and that's where we held the press conference. As soon as we came out, the curtain went up and there were all the journalists and photographers. We barely said hello before zillions of camera strobes started blazing away. Have you ever driven in a snowstorm? That's what it looks like except the snowflakes are freakin' nuclear. For the next three minutes or so the flashes flashed and blinded us. Somewhere beyond the cameras in the darkness voices called out: "Over here! To the left! Joey! Down here you guys!" It's really funny but you have to laugh to yourself so you can maintain your camera face. When there's that big a spray of cameras going off you have to be careful or you'll get caught with one of those in-between faces that doesn't even look like you. Or worse: You're tongue will be out. It's a wicked buzz kill when you hurry to see the latest band photos in the paper the next day and you're tongue is sticking out.
You know what? It would be really funny if everybody scoured the net for pictures of band members who got caught with their tongue out. Maybe we could post 'em....
What the hell am I saying? What an idiotic idea. Don't do it.
It was pretty cool that mixed in with the paparazzi pros were people from various video gaming sites snapping casual shots to post later. It was nice seeing the grass roots thing. Most of the sites are well established but there were also a lot of people who looked like they were just starting out.
For the next 20 minutes we answered questions about the usual stuff but there were also a few random outlandish ones. I love that. I will never lose my love of the ridiculous.
So I hope everybody likes the game. When I got my copy I was nervous that I'd have to unlearn all the arrangements in order to play the game. Not true. The practicing has paid off.
TH
