TERRE HAUTE —
The improbability reminded me of George Carlin playing a conductor on the 1990s kids show “Shining Time Station.”
Teenagers who only recognize Tyler as the long-haired, edgy judge to the right of Jennifer Lopez have no clue how many car speakers he and his Aerosmith bandmates were responsible for blowing up in the 1970s. Their “Toys in the Attic” and “Rocks” albums helped shatter my Panasonics.
Yes, I’ve always considered myself an Aerosmith “fan,” but now I’m questioning whether I’m worthy of that label.
There are loyal fans. There are diehard fans. And then there’s Johnathan Gasser.
Thirty-seven years ago, a bunch of his Vincennes Lincoln High School buddies asked if he wanted to ride up to Terre Haute to watch an Aerosmith concert. Gasser didn’t know a lot about that rising, young rock band from Boston, but he said, “Sure.”
A momentous decision, indeed. A total of 7,508 people heard singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer rattle the brand-new walls of Hulman Center that night — March 21, 1975. Nobody enjoyed the show more than Gasser. Since then, he’s seen Aerosmith perform live 58 times, from Terre Haute to Indianapolis; Evansville; Chicago; Peoria, Ill.; St. Louis; Cincinnati; Nashville, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Washington, D.C.; Hartford, Conn., Boston; New York’s Madison Square Garden; Toronto; and, last Saturday night, Minneapolis, Minn.
When it comes to Aerosmith, clearly, Gasser doesn’t want to miss a thing. He’s stuck by the band through peaks and valleys of popularity, platinum albums, personal and health struggles, and internal disagreements. The original five members are still together, and Gasser still enjoys their live performances.
“If I liked it as a youth, why wouldn’t I like it now?” he said.
Gasser is now 54 years old. The ages of the guys in the band range from 64 to 60. (Today is Kramer’s 62nd birthday.)
Those are just numbers, though. The enthusiasm remains intact, nearly four decades after that gig in ’75 at Hulman Center. Gasser remembers it well, even among all the others he’s witnessed.
“I was completely blown away,” he said, during a short break at the Terre Haute UPS Store, which he owns and operates. “I’d never heard any of their music before, and they were so intense, and they still are.”
His 58th Aerosmith concert validated that opinion. Gasser and his girlfriend, Laurie Van Horn of Terre Haute, joined a sellout crowd of 14,000 inside Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. The concert kicked off the group’s 18-city Global Warming Tour, and St. Paul Pioneer Press critic Ross Raihala wrote that “Saturday night’s raucous, entertaining show proved the guys still have some fire left in them.”
They impressed Gasser, too. Along with their hits everybody knows, Aerosmith treated savvy fans at Minneapolis with rarely heard album cuts like “Mama Kin” from 1973, “S.O.S.” from ’74, and “Combination” from ’75. “I was like, ‘Wow, they really dug in,’” Gasser said. This time, the set list didn’t include his favorite song, “Back in the Saddle,” from his favorite album, “Rocks.”
Still, of course, Tyler, Perry and Co. did play their stadium anthems: “Walk This Way,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” and “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”
“If they don’t play those songs, they won’t get out of the arena alive,” Gasser said, laughing.
The roster of songs, though, is never the same, he explained. Each show is a little, or a lot, different. Some moments stand out in Gasser’s memories. That includes Aerosmith’s 1975 concert at Roberts Stadium in Evansville. Gasser and his friends decided to celebrate their high school graduation by journeying from Vincennes to the Pocket City to catch the band again, just months after the Hulman Center stop. Gasser and the others stopped in at the Executive Inn restaurant for lunch, and moments later Aerosmith’s tour bus pulled up and unloaded.
Gasser's friend Tony Turan snapped some pictures, as the band prepared to eat. Gasser kept copies of the photos, just as he does his ticket stubs and other memorabilia.
Twenty-two years later, Gasser — through his longtime membership in the official fan club, AeroForceOne — met the musicians backstage at a concert in Hartford, Conn., and showed them a photo from their 1975 visit to Executive Inn. One by one, Tyler and the others instantly recognized a deceased roadie in the corner of the picture, who caught their attention.
Last Saturday, Gasser again got to chat with three band members — Hamilton, Whitford and Kramer — backstage at Minneapolis. They talked and played a few riffs on their instruments for the lucky fans. “They’re just normal guys who love to play music, and they still blow me away, just like that first time I saw them here in March 1975,” Gasser said.
The meet-and-greet opportunity at Minneapolis came through Gasser’s AeroForceOne membership, which a few years ago was the second-longest of any member, he was told. That connection also allows him to get concert seats in the first five rows. His girlfriend, Laurie, loved the pre-concert experience and the show. She called it “the fastest two hours of my life” and photographed the highlights. “It made me feel like I was 20 again,” said Van Horn, who’s 51. “We were just as silly as the kids.”
Like many of those kids in that crowd, last Saturday was Van Horn’s first chance to see Aerosmith. As manager of two Starbucks outlets in Terre Haute, she met Gasser, “a once-a-day latte drinker,” when he came into those coffee shops on breaks from his UPS Store, which he opened upon moving to Terre Haute 10 years ago. Her rock ’n’ roll history isn’t as extensive as his, but Van Horn is the first-cousin of Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars.
Gasser plans to accommodate Van Horn’s musical tastes by taking her to see one of her favorites at this summer’s Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis.
“It’ll be his first Barry Manilow concert,” she said.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com
Mark Bennett B-Sides
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett
Discussion
B-SIDES: After 37 years, Aerosmith still rockin’ his world
- Mark Bennett B-Sides
-
-
MARK BENNETT: After running for 28 hours straight, what’s another 5 miles?
Some phrases can only be uttered by a few people, or none at all.
-
MARK BENNETT: Glitches show limitations of high-stakes testing concept
The dog ate my homework. That age-old excuse — based on a shockingly unforeseen complication — rarely works for a kid who didn’t finish yesterday’s math assignment. Yet, in a role reversal, Indiana school children, along with their teachers and administrators, are left to accept an explanation for a disruption best described as the mother of all ironies.
-
MARK BENNETT: One step at a time to save lives
Joan Brown.
Remember that name. -
MARK BENNETT: Sometimes, the mere posing of questions is significant
The era seems quaint now, almost like a fable. When people left their house doors unlocked. When the sight of a police officer in a school meant it was Career Day.
-
MARK BENNETT: New reality steers Nashville singer to Crossroads for Historical Society concert
People pass through the Crossroads of America for lots of reasons.
Business trips. College campus events. Federal prison sentences. Visits with relatives. Gas pitstops.
Or maybe a career change and a twist of fate.
Ty Brown makes his first stop in downtown Terre Haute as the headliner of a multi-band Sweet Sensations Country Jam concert May 4 in the Ohio Building — a fundraiser for the Vigo County Historical Society. -
MARK BENNETT: Terre Haute barber ‘sharpens up’ customers for 50 years
People streamed through this section of downtown Terre Haute in those days.
“You could hardly walk by here,” John Hochhalter said, pointing toward the sidewalk outside the window.
The bustle has faded since the early 1960s. Hochhalter remains. He’s still barbering in the same shop he and late business partner Kenny Thomas opened a half-century ago this week. -
MARK BENNETT: Memories, emotions rush back with announcement of new pope
I saw a pope once.Read quickly, that sentence sounds too casual, almost as if we’d crossed paths at Home Depot. Say it slowly, though, and the significance comes through.
-
MARK BENNETT: Reflections of grid success stir with Brent Anderson’s passing
A few hundred miles away, and nearly 40 years gone by, a special game ball still occupies a fond place in Rudy Bohinc’s memories.
-
Lent meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute
Initially, the concept might conjure images of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman jumping out of an airplane or sitting atop the Pyramids. Instead, think “Lent Meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute.”
-
MARK BENNETT: Never truer: Knowledge vital to narrowing ‘skills gap’
The pillar at the gates of Faber College in the movie “Animal House” bore a wise motto, despite its tongue-in-cheek intent …
-
MARK BENNETT: Great-niece to re-enact Paul Dresser’s musical legacy in Terre Haute show
People can be forgotten. Their lives end, time passes and memories fade.
Often, the only keepers of their legacies are family and friends, who tell and retell their stories, generation to generation.
For Paul Dresser, his fame burned strong enough as a turn-of-the-century, million-seller songwriter to preserve bits of his public notoriety. -
MARK BENNETT: An Olympic takedown
Imagine an iconic image of American sports history erased.
-
MARK BENNETT: Indiana’s ‘skills gap’
A problem lasting decades ceases to be a “problem.” By then, the situation becomes “part of the culture.”
-
MARK BENNETT: America’s best quality of life? Indiana must address flaws, set priorities
Just as the job interview seems smooth, the interviewer drops the question.
“So, where do you see yourself in five years?” -
MARK BENNETT: Pondering what is meant by ‘quality of life’ to Hoosiers
Sometimes it’s sincere. Other times, it’s sarcasm.
You cross paths with a friend, ask how they’re doing, and they say, “Ah, just livin’ the dream.”
Livin’ the dream. What exactly does that involve? Can it be defined? -
MARK BENNETT: By whatever name, stomach virus still a sick story
It’s the ugly side of the cold-and-flu season.
-
MARK BENNETT: Living on the banks
We are the Wabash.
Really. -
MARK BENNETT: Rising young producer lands spot in Sundance Film Festival
When a project clicks, the moment is clear.
-
MARK BENNETT: Remember the 20 children lost
Their names were listed on the screen at the front of the church on Sunday.
Our pastor asked us to choose one and pray for their family. I selected Noah Pozner, just by chance. -
MARK BENNETT: Tasting panel to help find Champagne Velvet’s ‘million-dollar flavor’
Rounding up enough volunteers to serve on a committee can be a struggle.
-
MARK BENNETT: Thanksgiving’s feast can be defined by either the presence of family or the family’s quest for presents
The best gift deals will be gone by 12:01 a.m. Nov. 23.
-
MARK BENNETT: Salvation Army touches many lives
Sometimes, the unexpected happens.
-
MARK BENNETT: Election excellence: 30 out of 32 is pretty darn good
Detroit car makers unveil the latest Mustangs and Corvettes on Wabash Avenue.
-
MARK BENNETT: Climbing the rungs of Lincoln’s Ladder
One crucial quality helped Abraham Lincoln become America’s greatest president.
Courage? Political savvy? Wisdom? Moral character? -
MARK BENNETT: Drop the needle
Over time, excellence and nostalgia inappropriately merge in our minds.
-
No matter the age, voting’s a part of American fabric
The electoral karma seemed, well, unfair.
-
MARK BENNETT: A moment on the brink
Ominous, but distant.
-
MARK BENNETT: Valley-born filmmaker influenced by roots
Real-life stories inspire Laura Brownson.
Even those vastly unlike her own. -
MARK BENNETT: No debating it: Candidates have it easier than ‘forensics’ specialists
Nightmares can jolt us awake, just before we fall off a cliff or show up for work or school unprepared.
-
MARK BENNETT: Landmark win propels Sycamores to Hall
There’s a thin line between the possible and the impossible.
- More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines
-
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
America's Cup Officials Say Race Will Continue
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
RAW: Xbox One debuts
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
