Steven Tyler Brings the Hits & Soul to WE Fest 2016
Before Tim McGraw took the stage to close out WE Fest 2016 Saturday night (Aug. 6), Steven Tyler served as opener for the country superstar in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
"I may wear more makeup than Tim McGraw and sometimes Faith Hill," Tyler joked several songs into his set.
While this fact may be true, it didn't deter Tyler's 75-minute performance in the slightest as the Aerosmith frontman played hit after hit with his country backing band Loving Mary. Frequently running around the stage with his scarf-adorned microphone stand, the 68-year-old's energy never wavered as fans screamed along to nearly every song.
Aerosmith staples "Sweet Emotion," "Cryin'" and "Jaded" were remade with country instrumentation, while popular covers like a snippet of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" and "Piece of My Heart" were played as well as the Beatles' "Come Together."
One highlight during his set included the popular "Walk This Way" complete with a dance segment from the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders as Tyler joined in on the choreographed moves. Meanwhile, before Tyler sat down to perform "Dream On" on a white piano, fan Garrett Peterson approached the stage with a poster made out of Skittles like the commercial Tyler recently starred in.
While Tyler's set included many classics, he also took some time to perform several songs off his recently released debut country album We're All Somebody From Somewhere. After telling the story behind his first country single "Love Is Your Name," which he first heard while performing at Nashville's famed the Bluebird Cafe, he played the Eric Paslay and Lindsey Lee penned tune as well as "Red, White and You" and the album's title track.
Earlier in the evening, Tyler prefaced "I'm Down" by saying that "there were some skeptics that didn't think I could ride the bull or write a country song." He proved them all wrong as Tyler's album went No. 1 on the country charts upon its release last month. Still rocking well into his 60s, Tyler is one artist each of the performers at WE Fest continue to admire as he remains a unique showman no matter the band he's fronting.
WE Fest 2016 closed Saturday night (Aug. 6) in Detroit Lakes, Minn., with superstar Tim McGraw headlining. Next year's headliners include Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band.
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