June 2nd – A Chapter in History

There is this guy called Steven Tyler. Any true Hard Rock or Rock ‘n’ Roll fan would easily know Aerosmith, the legendary rock band which has revolutionized rock music with its unique blend of Rock ‘n’ Roll with variety of other rock genres. Aerosmith rocks! Steven Tyler is the frontman of Aerosmith. They performed for the first time in India in Bangalore on the 2nd of June 2007. Their opening song was ‘Taste of India’, against the backdrop of the Indian Tri-colour on the giant screen.

June 2, 2007.
6:15 PM.
Some seventeen fans were walked and lined up at entrance to the backstage area. I was one of them, all winners of contests from various sponsors. I am meeting with the Demon of Screamin’, I thought, as I stood trying hard to suppress my excitement. I won a contest on a radio network, which gave away tickets to the concert to its daily winners and one extremely lucky winner got to meet Aerosmith backstage. It so happened that I was extremely lucky. I was the luckiest among all winners, as a matter of fact. So, I was handed my letter-pass, which would eventually take to me to the meeting, the moment of a lifetime. Presently, an organizing official led us first to a gate and then, ten minutes later to a place near the Green Room.

‘No cameras, no autographs. You go in batches of five’, we were briefed. The area was huge, busily filled with personnel moving hurriedly in almost all directions. Crew constantly tossed up the stairs, and down, leading to the stage. The floor was carpeted neatly and we stood on it waiting quite patiently. I stood there expecting a ‘let’s go’, due any minute. I had decided what I was going to tell. Meanwhile, sounds of music came from the inside of the Green Room; drums being played accompanied a faint, but melodious voice and an even fainter guitar. ‘Taste of India’, I recognized. It was the first ever time that they performed that song live. Small logos of THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL TOUR were given to us and I put it on my chest. I still waited with bated breath, and then it was finally time. The black curtains flickered my view of the inside as the first batch marched in and it was just enough to give me my first glimpse of the rockstars.

I sometimes wonder if the world’s a small place. I had known Steven Tyler as the lead vocalist of the legendary band Aerosmith. Isn’t he a Hollywood celebrity, with dark inner life, hassles in marriage life, abuse of drugs, and everything else that defines a rockstar? Of all the hundreds of thousands of his fans and admirers, am I not like a tiny, almost invisible star in a huge galaxy? And now was I actually meeting Steven Tyler personally? All this was very, very good to be real, but what followed in the next few minutes was no dream, it was a dream coming true.

The first batch was out in thirty seconds. Thirty seconds, that’s it! Immediately, I found myself floating in, as if being taken in by a force more powerful than the human will. Finally, I was in one of the greatest events of my life. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton stood waiting for us, with warm smiles on their faces. Someone else got to Steven first so I met, shook hands with Joe Perry. After about ten seconds, I was shaking hands with Steven Tyler. “Aerosmith is the greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band ever!” I said, still shaking hands with him tightly and nodding my head to give him a feeling that I was a little emotional. Thirty seconds up, is it over now? Steven shook his head up and down as if to tell me, “it’s okay now, I’m here.” I continued, “this is perhaps the best day of my life.” He was emotionally impressed. I heard him say ‘commo’’ and the next moment I found myself being bear-hugged. He grasped me for about fifteen seconds flat. I was immediately made to squat thereafter for a photograph. There did three others want to meet Steven Tyler but I had taken away most of their time. Steven asked me my name as he posed right next to me. “Vaibhav”, I shouted out amidst loudness. “Sorry?” He apparently wasn’t too sure of the pronunciation and I did not have much time to teach him to say my name. “Call me Vibe,” I shouted back.

We had three snaps taken. “Vibe’s here,” declared Steven to everyone. All smiled for me. This was like being on the top of the world. A huge rockstar from the other side of the world had been so very warm and friendly with me that he made it seem in that moment like he knew me for years. None of the eccentricities that he shows on stage showed up. Nothing was as apparent as his humbleness. Someone handed him a marker and I wasted no time in getting my shirt autographed. He hadn’t finished when one of the organizers tried to end my meet by pulling me out, but Steven chased after and finished the mark on my shirt.
Everything I saw about Steven Tyler backstage was tremendously different and against what I had heard and thought I knew about him. He was totally a different guy backstage. Humbleness terribly overshadowed his rockstar image. He had made two minutes of mine very special. Later at the concert I stood very close to the stage, right next to the ramp. Many times he did seem to make an eye contact with me but didn’t seem to recognize me. He was in his true colours now, performing his traditional stock of rockstar antics.