Review Summary: "You like the new shit or the old shit?"
Following the release of Honkin' on Bobo, Aerosmith would take 8 years to release another album of new material and during that time many compilations were released, including this new live album. Rockin' the Joint was recorded on Jan 7, 2002 at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, NV during their Just Push Play Tour. The show was in a more intimate setting and the band would play deeper cuts, some that don't end up on the record but I'll get to that, and the audience was clearly into the show. The band has always been great live and it shows here. My biggest complaint is that the band should have released the entire show, as the band would play 22 songs during their set yet only half appear on the record and easily could have been put on 2 CDs...
1) Beyond Beautiful - The album kicks off with the best song from Just Push Play and it rocks just like the studio version. The song is one of few that actually rock from JPP and is a great opener that hasn't hardly seen the light of day since the supporting tour. 4.5/5
2) Same Old Song and Dance - While I love this song and know it's always going to sound killer live, how many versions do we need? I believe this to be the 4th live version released and with the show already cut in half, a song that hasn't been released a lot already like Sick as a Dog would have been a better choice here. However, the song still rocks, just not as much as the version found on A Little South of Sanity. 4/5
3) No More No More - This marks the first live version of this song and boy does it rock. The band sounds fantastic on this song and Tyler employs great vocals as usual. Perry's outro guitar solo is also amazing and really shows how underrated of a guitarist he is. 5/5
4) Seasons of Wither - I LOVE THIS SONG! One of my favorite Aero tunes ever finally is released live and sounds absolutely amazing! Tyler's vocals are beautiful yet haunting at the same time and gives me the chills every time I hear it. 5/5
5) Light Inside - Boring song from a boring album...Next! 1/5
6) Draw the Line - After that minor hiccup the band breaks into a classic, DTL. The band has always been great at jamming out and it shows here with an extended breakdown with great soloing by Perry and Tyler slays his screaming part bringing the song back full circle...pun definitely intended. 5/5
7) I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - You knew that this song would be released live sometime...and it's actually better than the original! The song has a more rock feel as its played live by the band, as the original sounds like Tyler with studio players, and sounds decent. Not great but definitely not terrible either. 3.5/5
8) Big Ten Inch Record - Any Aero song with Tyler on harmonica is a great song and Big Ten Inch happens to be one of them. This version is my favorite as the studio version leaves much to be desired compared to this, as the band rocks here and Tyler gives great vocals, even when he forgets them... 5/5
9) Rattlesnake Shake - The song starts out with a little Aero history about the Jam Band before kicking into another fantastic jamming song. This cover of Fleetwood Mac leads back all the way to Aerosmiths beginning and still kicks ass after all these years. Unfortunately this song isn't played live often but it's great to find it here, as it just rocks. Perry and Whitford shine here with their dualing guitars found on the entire track. 5/5
10) Walk This Way - What Aero live album would be complete without WTW? Nothing new here and ALSOS has a better version... 4/5
11) Train Kept A-Rollin' - One of the best live cuts by Aero has always been Train and it shows here. The band is on fire and the guitars sound fantastic. My only complaint is the Star Spanged Banner outro that isn't complete...why start it but not finish? Either way, this song rocks. 5/5
Rockin' the Joint is not for the average fan. The album does feature some hits like I Don't Want to Miss a Thing and Walk This Way, but is mostly ruled by deeper cuts such as No More No More and Seasons of Wither. The average fan should go for A Little South of Sanity as a starter live album.
Rockin' the Joint would have been perfect had the entire show been released. However, special and deluxe editions do feature bonus tracks depending on the country such as Livin' on the Edge and What it Takes, however, I won't review these songs as they aren't on the standard release. RTJ, while being a great live album, falls to the bottom in terms of Aero live albums because of this and the fact of little hits on the album.
