Aerosmith Rocks Vegas: Park Theater’s sound, timeless radio Hits make fans go ‘Wild”

With more than 150 million albums sold and concerts performed worldwide, it seems like Aerosmith has little left to achieve. But their first-ever residency, at Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas, allows America’s top-selling rock ‘n’ rollers to explore their storied history with a state-of-the-art stage show unmatched in their 50-year career.

“I don’t think there’s been a band that’s gone in [to Vegas] with this kind of production,” said Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. “So that was exciting: to be one of the first, if not the first, hardcore rock band that’s built a Las Vegas-type extravaganza.”

The residency, opened this spring, has allowed Aerosmith to create a staggering, multi-sensory stage production that simply wouldn’t be viable on tour. Dubbed “Deuces Are Wild,” demand was so high that they added 17 additional dates this fall.

Perry, with frontman Steven Tyler, guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970. After a string of multiplatinum albums through the 70s, they achieved widespread fame with 1986’s genre-blending reworking of their classic “Walk This Way” single with hip-hop group Run-D.M.C.

“Deuces Are Wild” marries Aerosmith’s radio staples and a reputation as one of the world’s greatest live bands to a jaw-dropping audio and video experience created by Grammy Award-winning producer Giles Martin, who also created stage productions for Cirque du Soliel. It’s the band’s first foray into 360-degree sound and the world’s first THX Certified live performance presented in L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound.

With some 230 speakers specially installed for Aerosmith’s residency, “Deuces Are Wild” delivers hits clearly like “Dream On,” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to every seat in the house. And with a capacity of just 5,200, the Park Theater offers a rare opportunity to witness this arena-filling act up-close, with fans at the front even being treated to high-fives and mic dunks from Tyler. “To have it be this big in such a small place, it really takes over the whole building,” said Perry.

“[Park] is designed for shows, for music, and for a Las Vegas-type spectacle. So that’s probably one of the best things about the Park — the acoustics are incredible.”

In addition to the sound, fans are treated to a pre-show documenting everything from the band’s first shared apartment to career landmarks like appearing on “The Simpsons.”

The concert is fan-centric, changing to suit the night’s crowd. “Steven and I find ourselves being a lot looser and interacting more with each other and more with the audience,” said Perry. “I wanted it to feel like… you could take everything else away and still have a great rock ‘n’ roll show.”

And it’s not just the hits. Aerosmith is playing more of their classic songs than “on any other tour in recent memory,” according to Perry.

He also hints that the residency just might plant the seeds for the band’s first new music in nearly a decade.

“Steven and I, we live next to each other in the same hotel. So we’re a lot closer, like actually physically, and we talk more,” Perry said.

“Maybe the idea of doin’ some new music, that closeness might be an inspiration for that.”

With many other top-tier acts also playing imminent Vegas engagements — including Journey, Foreigner, Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, and Tony Bennett — fall is the season for lovers of all music genres to visit.