Aerosmith, Johnny Depp rock as Steven Tyler is Vegas Strong again
Steven Tyler was reunited with his famous Vegas Strong T-shirt, and Joe Perry was reunited with his Hollywood Vampires bandmate (and Hollywood superstar) Johnny Depp on Tuesday night.
Otherwise, nothing else to see here, folks.
Aerosmith made yet another memorable night Tuesday at its “Deuces Are Wild” rock extravaganza at Park Theater. Before the performance, Barbie Dahl, the toy-fully named fan who snared Tyler’s T-shirt on Oct. 1, handed back the sleeveless black shirt with its glittering golden lettering during a meet-and-greet with Tyler and Perry.
Tyler playfully asked Dahl and her husband, Air Force serviceman Kris Dahl, to re-enact the moment when Tyler tossed the shirt to the crowd after performing “Come Together.”
The band performed The Beatles classic to honor the memories of those lost in the Oct. 1 shootings at the Route 91 Harvest festival.
A day after that onstage tribute, Tyler and his manager Larry Rudolph read a suggestion in this space that the shirt be displayed at the band’s museum at Park Theater, which is part of the “Deuces” VIP tour package. Tyler then offered two meet-and-greets prior to any Aerosmith show in Vegas for the return of the shirt, through an open request that was posted Friday.
Here is more footage of #JohnnyDepp, soaring as an #UnbilledGuest @Aerosmith @IamStevenT #DeucesAreWild #HollywoodVampires pic.twitter.com/azfppViYeZ
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) October 9, 2019
Saturday morning the Dahls answered that they had actually nabbed the shirt and were happy to swap the item for another chance to see Aerosmith — for free — at Park Theater.
The couple had snatched up tickets to the Oct. 1 site on the Vettix brokerage outlet, which offers free tickets to select shows for members of the military.
“We are blessed,” Barbie Dahl said after handing off the item. “I don’t know what else to say.”
She also handed Tyler a necklace with the bible verse Deuteronomy 3:22, which reads, “You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.” The necklace is a cross-and-arrow design.
Dahl said, “I told him I wanted him to have that necklace to remind him all the time that God is with him and fighting his battles, no matter how small.”
The timeline for how and where to display the Vegas Strong shirt is to be determined.
In the backdrop of the shirt exchange, Depp showed up Park Theater and hung backstage for his own unbilled appearance. The film star and rock ‘n’ roll devotee also performed unscheduled Monday night with Stone Temple Pilots on Sunday night at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
ONLY. IN. VEGAS.
Last night, #JohnnyDepp shared the stage with @STPBand and it was the collaboration we never knew we needed! 🤘🎸 pic.twitter.com/3A9iqvPuRy
— The Joint (@TheJointLV) October 7, 2019
Tyler was almost casual in summoning Depp to the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, joining us on guitar, Johnny Depp!” Tyler called out near the end of the show. The crowd responded tepidly, as if in disbelief, as Depp walked out, guitar in tow.
“What, did you think I was (expletive) kidding!?” Tyler continued. “It’s Johnny Depp!”
It was Depp indeed who sauntered out and slammed through “Toys In The Attic,” feeling at home as he and Perry are members of the Hollywood Vampires super group headed up by Alice Cooper (the band played the Joint on May 10).
Depp, looking very much like a full-time member of the band, hugged it out with Tyler and Perry. The Dahls hugged too, enjoying their own spirited Las Vegas residency.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.