Credit: Entertainment Tonight
Wed 4 March 2026 0:30, UK
Steven Tyler doesn’t really strike people as the most sentimental artist in the world when he first starts singing.
There are countless frontmen who have been able to make you feel their heartache every time they step up to the microphone, but considering the fact that half of Aerosmith’s entire catalogue is about sex to some degree, it’s not like Tyler is the most likely to talk about puppy love or anything like that. But there were always people who tended to touch him in a much more profound way than anyone else whenever he saw them in their element onstage.
Because for Tyler, the performance aspect of rock and roll was about a lot more than a bunch of catchy tunes being played onstage. He wanted to create a spectacle whenever Aerosmith got out there, and while there were more than a few times when he was accused of stealing moves from Mick Jagger, that didn’t matter to him so long as he could still manage to get himself across the stage.
He had already learned the hard way that he wasn’t supposed to be the kind of frontman who sat down on a stool and delivered a song, and when looking at the live footage of them playing, Tyler wouldn’t have had it any other way, either. There were moments where they would bring the piano out for him to play, but the greatest part of any show was seeing him throw every single ounce of himself into the performance whenever playing ‘Walk This Way’ or ‘Love in an Elevator’.
And that sense of dedication to his craft was exactly what Bruce Springsteen was doing whenever he performed as well. The E Street Band are practically a well-oiled machine every single time they put on a concert, and even though ‘The Boss’ is getting up there in rock and roll years, there isn’t a single show that he plays where he doesn’t want to be absolutely drenched in sweat by the end of the night.
But the real testament to Springsteen’s writing was getting to see him in his most natural environment. The thought of having a Springsteen show on Broadway might have felt like a strange combination when he first started fiddling with the idea, but even if he only had an acoustic guitar in his hands, you could feel that sense of intimacy whenever he talked about growing up in New Jersey and writing songs like ‘Growin’ Up’ with that same twinkle in his eye that he has today.
Aerosmith was coming from a much more gritty place, but Tyler could still see the humanity in what ‘The Boss’ was doing, saying, “I’m not the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan but I respect him. I love his music and seeing him sitting there talking to this crowd and singing songs and playing the piano. He said, ‘You know that New Jersey thing? I invented that.’ That won my heart, because it was so real and so true.”
But is anyone really arguing that Springsteen is one of the reigning kings of Jersey at this point? Sure, Frank Sinatra might have more of an iconic stature as one of the greatest presences to come out of the state, but when you’re talking about someone that lives and breathes all things New Jersey, it’s hard not to think of a silhouette of Springsteen with his guitar slung across his back getting ready to burn down any club that he saw.
The old Tyler might have seen Springsteen as another adversary after their label ended up focusing more on his music, but after they both earned their stripes as rock and rollers, there was no need to be snide anymore. For all of their nitpicks, Springsteen was someone being as authentic as possible, and Tyler had to tip his hat to that kind of mentality.