Aero Force One is the fan club for American hard rock band Aerosmith.
Aero Force One is the fan club for American hard rock band Aerosmith.
The origins of the fan club were rooted in the mid-1970s, when the band first broke through with their album Toys in the Attic . The band became a popular act with a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the "Blue Army". [1] Former Aerosmith guitarist and band friend Ray Tabano got the idea of printing simple T-shirts with the classic Aerosmith "wings" logo. 100 of these T-shirts were printed and sold out within a matter of minutes at an Aerosmith concert. [2] As a result, the band decided to form an official fan club with member dues. Its main source of revenue was T-shirt sales, and Ray Tabano would also write up newsletters and send them to members. The fan club was run by Tabano out of the band's headquarters, the Wherehouse, in Waltham, Massachusetts. [3]
As the band's popularity grew and things within the band began to change, Tabano was fired by band managers Steve Leber and David Krebs with little severance. [3] When the band resurrected in the mid-late 1980s and band management changed, the fan club adopted a more professional look and its headquarters was moved out to San Francisco.
Sometime in the late 1990s, the fan club moved back to Boston and has since been operated by a variety of outside agencies. The fan club is currently operated by BubbleUp in The Woodlands, Texas.
Aero Force One is a significant part of Aerosmith. Being over 25 years old, some fan club members have seniority of 10 years or more. The associated website, AeroForceOne.com, is the primary source of news, information, and media relating to the band, and is the most frequently updated of the band's three official websites. The fan club is also the point-of-purchase for official Aerosmith merchandise. The band's merchandise collection, which offers new items all the time, includes everything from T-shirts and sweatshirts, to coffee mugs and hats, to doormats and blankets, as well as jewelry designed by a fan and worn by Steven Tyler. The fan club offers premium concert ticket seating and a variety of special packages to members, based on seniority and the price levels members are willing to pay. The club's Premium tickets are the same price as public onsale tickets and include a collectible tour pin. The Aero Force One VIP packages cost as much as $1300 each; these typically include a seat in the first five rows, gift bag, pre-show party, and meet and greet with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. [4]
The new All-Access Level 2015 membership package includes Access to Aerosmith Presale Tickets and VIP Packages (4 ticket limit), Official 2015 Aero Force One Membership T-shirt, Official 2015 Aero Force One Collectible Membership Pin, and Official 2015 Aero Force One Limited Edition Bandana. It also includes Contests, Prizes, Giveaways and 10% Off All Items in the AF1 Store. The price of All-Access Membership is $39.99 + shipping and handling ($12.99 US/$17.99 International). [5]
Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop rock, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. They are sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". As a partnership, the primary songwriting team of Tyler and Perry is often collectively known as the "Toxic Twins".
Toys in the Attic is the third studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1975 by Columbia Records. Its first single, "Sweet Emotion," was released on May 19 and "Walk This Way" followed on August 28 in the same year. The album is the band's most commercially successful studio LP in the United States, with eight million copies sold, according to the RIAA. The album was ranked No. 229 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album's title track and Run–D.M.C.'s version of "Walk This Way" are included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
Draw the Line is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in December 1977. It was recorded in an abandoned convent near New York City. The portrait of the band on the album cover was drawn by the celebrity caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
Night in the Ruts is the sixth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in November 1979, by Columbia Records. Guitarist Joe Perry left the band midway through its recording. The album was initially produced at the band's Warehouse rehearsal space by Jack Douglas, who had produced Aerosmith's previous four albums, but later Columbia Records brought in Gary Lyons to replace Douglas as the producer.
Steven Victor Tallarico, better known as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and former television personality. He is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'" due to his high screams and his wide vocal range. He is also known for his on-stage acrobatics. During his high-energy performances, Tyler usually dresses in bright, colorful outfits with his trademark scarves hanging from his microphone stand.
Thomas William Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He has regularly co-written songs for Aerosmith, including two of the band's biggest hits: "Sweet Emotion" (1975) and "Janie's Got a Gun" (1989). Hamilton occasionally plays guitar, sings backing vocals and on rare occasions, lead vocals.
Ray Tabano is a musician who was a founding member of Aerosmith in 1970.
Aerosmith is the eponymous debut studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on January 5, 1973 by Columbia Records. "Dream On", originally released as a single in 1973, became an American top ten hit when re-released in December 1975. The album peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard 200 album chart in 1976.
Get Your Wings is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in March 1974. The album is their first to be produced by Jack Douglas, who also was responsible for the band's next four albums. Three singles were released from the album, but none of them reached the singles charts.
The Rockin' the Joint Tour was a North American concert tour headlined by Aerosmith, that ran from 2005–2006. The tour was put on in support of their live album titled Rockin' the Joint which was released in the fall of 2005. The first leg ran from October 30 to February 24 hitting most major U.S. markets; shows on this leg were opened by Lenny Kravitz. The second leg was scheduled to run from March to April 2006, reaching some of the smaller U.S. markets and opened by Cheap Trick. It was, however, cut short when lead singer Steven Tyler required throat surgery.
The Route of All Evil Tour was a North American concert tour co-headlined by American hard rock band Aerosmith and heavy metal/glam metal band Mötley Crüe that took the bands to 40 amphitheaters and arenas from September to December 2006. The tour was put on as a hard rock spectacle that was designed to prep both bands, and tide their fans over, for new album releases, as well as in support of recent compilations by both bands. After November 24, the 2nd leg of about 10 arena dates were added, half of which were co-headlining shows and half of which featured Aerosmith only. Additionally, Mötley Crüe performed several solo shows at smaller venues during the course of the tour during days off.
Live! Bootleg is a double live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in October 1978. While most of the performances were drawn from concerts in 1977 and 1978, "I Ain't Got You" and "Mother Popcorn" were taken from a radio broadcast of a Boston performance on March 20, 1973.
The Rocksimus Maximus Tour/World Domination Tour was a North American concert tour co-headlined by Aerosmith and Kiss. The tour was referred to as the World Domination Tour by Kiss and was called the Rocksimus Maximus Tour by Aerosmith. It is sometimes referred to informally as the "AeroKiss Tour", incorporating the names of both headlining bands, as well as "Lips 'n' Tongue Tour", emphasizing on the fact that Gene Simmons has a long tongue and Steven Tyler has full pouting lips. The tour occurred in the latter half of 2003 and took both bands to amphitheaters across the United States in late summer and early fall, and to arenas in late fall and early winter.
The Wherehouse, officially titled A. Wherehouse, is a warehouse located at 55 Pond Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States.
Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith (ISBN 0-380-97594-7) is a book written by Stephen Davis, published by HarperCollins and released in October 1997. The book was co-written with the members of Aerosmith themselves. This biography contains the story of the band's life, legends, women, drugs and partying that nearly killed the Toxic Twins and split the band. The book ends with the release of the Nine Lives album.
The Permanent Vacation Tour, by American hard rock band Aerosmith, lasted from October 1987 to September 1988. It supported the band's commercially successful comeback album Permanent Vacation, released in September 1987.
The Pump Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that lasted twelve months, from mid-October 1989 to mid-October 1990. The tour was put on in support of the band's second consecutive multi-platinum album Pump, released in September 1989.
The Get a Grip Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that lasted over eighteen months, from early June 1993 to mid-December 1994. The tour was put on in support of the band's third consecutive multi-platinum album Get a Grip, released in April 1993.
The Back in the Saddle Tour was a comeback concert tour by American rock group Aerosmith, which had been relatively inactive for several years. The tour began on June 22, 1984, in Concord, New Hampshire and ended on January 18, 1985, in Columbus, Ohio.
Aerosmith's Blue Army is the American hard rock band's nickname for their loyal fanbase. The term was coined by the band around 1975. "Blue" referred to the blue denim jeans and jean jackets as well as the blue collar demographic of their fans. "Army" referred to their loyalty, youthfulness, and tough demeanor. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry describes the Blue Army: "We drove up to the gig and the line went around the building, long-haired teenage boys wearing blue denim jackets and jeans. An army of blue jeans. Our people." He also describes them as being predominantly male: "Aerosmith back then was definitely a guy thing. It used to be the only girls at Aerosmith shows were the ones hoping to blow us on the bus."
