Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and Run D.M.C. rock Verizon Music Center

With the rise of several retro-punk bands recently, many critics have come to adopt the slogans "rock still lives" and "the return of rock." \nI think that Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler would have a few qualms with those statements. They haven't left or even begun to slow down. Aerosmith hit the Verizon Music Center in full force Sunday. \nAerosmith is no ordinary band and neither was its opening act. Hip-hop pioneers Run D.M.C. along with rock legends Cheap Trick warmed up the crowd. These two performing giants left the already-primed crowd boiling. \nOpening with the hit that most Aerosmith fans would be familiar with, Run D.M.C. dropped "Walk this Way" much to the fans' delight. Calling out for a "hey" and a "scream" in between songs kept the anxious rockers entertained as they unexpectedly fell into the old-school grooves of "Mary Mary" and "It's Tricky." The rap trio performed a short set but, as expected, they would come back. \nCheap Trick took the stage to transition the crowd from dancing to head banging as they dolled out "I Want You To Want Me," "The Dream Police," and power ballad "The Flame." Cheap Trick was solid rock, but lacked in common ground, until the band played "That 70's Song," the theme from Fox's "That 70's Show." \nSuddenly, this band was cool. The band closed its set with "Surrender," as Rick Nielsen pulled out his infamous five-necked guitar and Steven Tyler came out to punch out the last few choruses with Trick's Robin Zander and the multitude of harmonizers in the stands.\nThen, there was Aerosmith.\nThe band's set list and performance style provided the greatest testament to why Aerosmith is America's quintessential rock band. The band played the classics for long-time fans, the hits for radio listeners and its most recent tracks to show that Aerosmith is still growing and looking ahead.\nThe show started with the title track from Toys in the Attic. Old and still sexy, Tyler vamped up and down the stage with "Dude Looks Like A Lady," buddying up with his instrumentalists for vocal unions on "Sweet Emotion" and bantered with the crowd as if it was full of his high school pals. Song after song, the audience seemed to know every word by heart. Aerosmith's two and a half hour show was not about picking the hits and filling the gaps. It was about finding which hits not to play.\nOne of the highlights was when the band's trekked out into the middle of the lawn to play a few numbers, including the timeless "My Big Ten Inch" and "Livin' on the Edge." Shortly after, the band dared to revamp "Pink" in the style of swinging blues, but returned to the original version after one verse.\nThe band closed out the show after an encore with Run D.M.C. for "Walk this Way." If what Steven Tyler said was true, that the Indiana performance of the song was the last one, it was a treat and a great way to close the show.\nThere is no "return of rock," because Aerosmith has been and is continuing to serve as the working definition of rock and roll. Aerosmith is back in the saddle again and will be for a little while longer.