Just Push Play Tour

The Just Push Play Tour was a concert tour by Aerosmith that took the band across North America and Japan. Supporting their 2001 album Just Push Play, it ran from June 2001 to February 2002.

Just Push Play Tour

Tour by Aerosmith
Cover of tour programme
Associated album	Just Push Play
Start date	June 1, 2001 (2001-06-01)
End date	February 3, 2002 (2002-02-03)
Legs	5
No. of shows	70 in North America 6 in Asia 76 total
Aerosmith concert chronology

The tour was successful, despite several cancellations due in part to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The tour earned $46.5 million from 56 shows in North America.^[1]

Background

The tour came on the heels of the band's platinum album Just Push Play.^[2] Aerosmith was riding a wave of popularity, having played the Super Bowl XXXV Halftime Show,^[3] been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,^[4] and scored a Top 10 hit,^[5] all within the first half of the year.

Just prior to the start of the tour, the band performed a brief promo tour in Germany.^[6] They also performed at many radio festivals in the United States, including: "River Rave",^[7] "Zootopia"^[8] and the "Kiss Concert".^[9]

Tyler sang the National Anthem at the Indianapolis 500, and the team sponsored a car in the race.^[10]

As a result, many shows sold out and the band added arena dates through the fall and winter, even after a successful summer amphitheater tour. "If we couldn't get an audience[...]having made a record we truly believe in, then I guess we probably would turn around and say, 'It's been fun, but see ya.' But I tell you this: we wouldn't go without a big fucking fight."^[11]

United We Stand

The band played the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 2001, alongside Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and other pop stars.^[12] The band had been uncertain whether to play the show due to scheduling conflicts and made the decision almost at the last minute. They took the stage in the afternoon, played four songs, then flew to Indianapolis for a concert that same night.

Cancellations

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the band canceled the three shows after that (Virginia Beach, Camden, New Jersey, and Columbia, Maryland); all on the Eastern Seaboard, where the attacks had occurred. These shows were rescheduled. The band canceled a second show at Irvine, California earlier in the tour, due to a scheduling conflict with the filming of the video for "Sunshine."

Stage setup

The stage for the tour had a modern look, reflecting the aesthetic of Just Push Play and its cover. Most striking were the silver and white colors, as well as two curving staircases that met at a platform at the top. There, some of the most exciting moments took place, including the entrance of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry at the beginning of the show, as well as Tyler singing the eerie lyrics that open "Seasons of Wither"

The band set up a second smaller stage in the rear of outdoor pavilions to play for those in the lawn section. During the middle of the show, the band members would walk under heavy security to this stage to do a three-song set.

Tyler jokingly referred to this tour as the "Back on the Grass Tour": a reference to this auxiliary stage and a jab at those who claimed Aerosmith was using drugs again. Tyler especially targeted former manager Tim Collins, who had accused Aerosmith of relapsing before the band fired him in 1996. However, "Back On The Grass" was not an official name for the tour – just a joke Tyler repeated in interviews.

Song selection

The setlist featured as many as 25 songs. It varied show to show, as most Aerosmith setlists do, but usually included about half a dozen songs from Just Push Play as well a fair balance between their 70s classics and 80s and 90s hits.

Broadcasts and recordings

Main article: Rockin' the Joint

In January 2002, the band played The Joint, a 2,000 seat venue within the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This show was recorded and parts of it were released as the band's fifth live album, a Dual Disc CD/DVD entitled Rockin' the Joint, released in 2005.

Opening acts

• Fuel (North America, select dates)^[13]
• The Cult (North America, select dates)^[14]

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on June 26, 2001, at the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts.^[15] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

1. "Beyond Beautiful"
2. "Love in an Elevator"
3. "Jaded"
4. "Just Push Play"
5. "Big Ten Inch Record"
6. "Fly Away from Here"
7. "Pink"
8. "Mama Kin"
9. "Same Old Song and Dance"
10. "Dream On"
11. "Toys in the Attic"
12. "Angel's Eye"
13. "Draw the Line"
14. "Under My Skin"
15. "Seasons of Wither"
16. "Cryin'"
17. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
18. "Walk This Way"
19. "Sweet Emotion"

Encore

20. "Livin' on the Edge"
21. "What It Takes"
22. "Train Kept A-Rollin'"

Tour dates

List of 2001 concerts

Date[16]	City	Country	Venue
June 6, 2001	Hartford	United States	ctnow.com Meadows Music Theatre
June 8, 2001	Saratoga Springs		Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 10, 2001	Holmdel Township		PNC Bank Arts Center
June 12, 2001
June 16, 2001	Wantagh		Jones Beach Theater
June 17, 2001[A]	Los Angeles		Dodger Stadium
June 18, 2001	Wantagh		Jones Beach Theater
June 20, 2001
June 22, 2001	Hershey		Hersheypark Stadium
June 24, 2001	Bristow		Nissan Pavilion
June 26, 2001	Mansfield		Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
June 28, 2001
June 30, 2001	Burgettstown		Post-Gazette Pavilion
July 2, 2001	Toronto	Canada	Molson Amphitheatre
July 5, 2001	Tinley Park	United States	Tweeter Center
July 7, 2001	East Troy		Alpine Valley Music Theatre
July 9, 2001	Noblesville		Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 11, 2001	Columbus		Polaris Amphitheater
July 13, 2001	Clarkston		DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 15, 2001	Darien		Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 17, 2001	Cuyahoga Falls		Blossom Music Center
July 19. 2001	Maryland Heights		Riverport Amphitheatre
July 21, 2001	Bonner Springs		Sandstone Amphitheater
July 23, 2001	Greenwood Village		Coors Amphitheatre
August 8, 2001	Mountain View		Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 10, 2001	George		The Gorge Amphitheatre
August 12, 2001	Sacramento		Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre
August 14. 2001	Concord		Chronicle Pavilion
August 16, 2001	Chula Vista		Coors Amphitheatre
August 18, 2001	Las Vegas		MGM Grand Garden Arena
August 20, 2001	Irvine		Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 24, 2001	San Bernardino		Blockbuster Pavilion
August 26, 2001	Phoenix		Cricket Pavilion
August 28, 2001	Selma		Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
August 30, 2001	The Woodlands		Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
September 1, 2001	Dallas		Smirnoff Music Centre
September 3, 2001	New Orleans		New Orleans Arena
September 5, 2001	Memphis		Pyramid Arena
September 7, 2001	Cincinnati		Riverbend Music Center
September 9, 2001	Charlotte		Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
September 17, 2001	Atlanta		HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
September 19, 2001	Nashville		AmSouth Amphitheatre
September 21, 2001	Raleigh		Alltel Pavilion
September 23, 2001	West Palm Beach		Mars Music Amphitheatre
September 25, 2001	Bristow		Nissan Pavilion
September 27, 2001	Camden		Tweeter Center
October 11, 2001	Calgary	Canada	Pengrowth Saddledome
October 13, 2001	Edmonton		Skyreach Centre
October 15, 2001	Minneapolis	United States	Target Center
October 17, 2001	Grand Forks		Alerus Center
October 19, 2001	Ames		Hilton Coliseum
October 21, 2001	Indianapolis		Conseco Fieldhouse
October 23, 2001	Rosemont		Allstate Arena
October 25, 2001	Auburn Hills		The Palace of Auburn Hills
October 31, 2001	Montreal, Canada		Molson Centre
November 12, 2001	New York City		Madison Square Garden
November 15, 2001	East Rutherford		Continental Airlines Arena
November 17, 2001	Manchester		Verizon Wireless Arena
November 19, 2001	Uncasville		Mohegan Sun Arena
November 27, 2001	Tampa		Ice Palace
November 29, 2001	Sunrise		National Car Rental Center
December 3, 2001	Champaign		Assembly Hall
December 5, 2001	Dallas		Reunion Arena
December 7, 2001	North Little Rock		Alltel Arena
December 9, 2001	Oklahoma City		Myriad Convention Center Arena

List of 2002 concerts

Date	City	Country	Venue
January 5, 2002	Denver	United States	Pepsi Center
January 7, 2002	Salt Lake City		Delta Center
January 9, 2002	San Jose		Compaq Center
January 11, 2002	Las Vegas		The Joint
January 13, 2002	Inglewood		Great Western Forum
January 15, 2002	Fresno		Selland Arena
January 17, 2002	San Diego		San Diego Sports Arena
January 25, 2002	Osaka	Japan	Osaka Dome
January 27, 2002
January 29, 2002	Fukuoka		Fukuoka Dome
January 31, 2002	Nagoya		Nagoya Dome
February 2, 2002	Tokyo		Tokyo Dome
February 3, 2002

Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

^A This concert was a part of "Wango Tango"^[17]

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

June 20, 2001	Camden, New Jersey	Tweeter Center	Rescheduled to July 15, 2001
July 2, 2001	Cincinnati, Ohio	Riverbend Music Center	Rescheduled to September 7, 2001
July 15, 2001	Camden, New Jersey	Tweeter Center	Rescheduled to September 13, 2001
August 8, 2001	Bend, Oregon	Les Schwab Amphitheater	Cancelled
August 22, 2001	Irvine, California	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Cancelled
September 11, 2001	Virginia Beach, Virginia	GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater	September 11 attacks
September 13, 2001	Camden, New Jersey	Tweeter Center	Rescheduled to September 27, 2001
September 15, 2001	Columbia, Maryland	Merriweather Post Pavilion	Rescheduled to September 25, 2001, and moved to the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia
October 9, 2001	Vancouver, Canada	General Motors Place	Cancelled
October 27, 2001	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Mellon Arena	Cancelled[18]
October 29, 2001	Toronto, Canada	Air Canada Centre	Cancelled[18]
November 2, 2001	Columbus, Ohio	Nationwide Arena	Moved to the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio[18]
November 2, 2001	Fairborn, Ohio	Nutter Center	Cancelled[19]
November 4, 2001	Boston, Massachusetts	FleetCenter	Cancelled[20]
November 6, 2001	Providence, Rhode Island	Dunkin' Donuts Center	Cancelled[20]
November 8, 2001	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	First Union Center	Cancelled[20]
November 10, 2001	Lexington, Kentucky	Rupp Arena	Cancelled
November 25, 2001	Greensboro, North Carolina	Greensboro Coliseum	Cancelled[19]
December 1, 2001	Birmingham, Alabama	BJCC Arena	Cancelled[21]
December 11, 2001	St. Louis, Missouri	Savvis Center	Cancelled
December 13, 2001	Kansas City, Missouri	Kemper Arena	Cancelled[21]
December 15, 2001	Moline, Illinois	The Mark of the Quad Cities	Cancelled[21]
December 17, 2001	Cleveland, Ohio	Gund Arena	Cancelled[21]

Box office score data

Venue	City	Tickets sold / Available	Gross revenue
PNC Bank Arts Center	Holmdel Township	29,727 / 33,665 (88%)	$1,599,348[22]
Hersheypark Stadium	Hershey	28,871 / 29,208 (99%)	$1,328,204[22]
Nissan Pavilion	Bristow	36,302 / 45,067 (81%)	$1,657,585[22][23]
Post-Gazette Pavilion	Burgettstown	23,050 / 23,188 (99%)	$851,196[24]
Tweeter Center	Tinley Park	24,216 / 28,589 (85%)	$1,118,793[25]
The Gorge Amphitheatre	George	20,000 / 20,000 (100%)	$942,010[26]
MGM Grand Garden Arena	Las Vegas	13,235 / 13,235 (100%)	$921,155[27]
New Orleans Arena	New Orleans	14,983 / 16,434 (91%)	$850,570[26]
Riverbend Music Center	Cincinnati	20,479 / 20,500 (~100%)	$764,470[28]
AmSouth Amphitheatre	Nashville	15,720 / 17,209 (91%)	$732,567[23]
Alltel Pavilion	Raleigh	17,542 / 20,000 (88%)	$788,536[23]
Mars Music Amphitheatre	West Palm Beach	18,645 / 19,706 (95%)	$770,940[23]
Tweeter Center	Camden	23,497 / 24,930 (94%)	$890,921[23]
Skyreach Centre	Edmonton	12,031 / 16,778 (72%)	$742,569[29]
The Palace of Auburn Hills	Auburn Hills	16,309 / 16,309 (100%)	$855,069[30]
Ice Palace	Tampa	15,086 / 16,299 (93%)	$855,577[31]
Reunion Arena	Dallas	11,520 / 12,427 (93%)	$674,425[32]
Pepsi Center	Denver	11,476 / 20,441 (56%)	$603,936[33]
Delta Center	Salt Lake City	11,798 / 18,168 (65%)	$562,515[34]
Compaq Center	San Jose	12,502 / 17,116 (73%)	$700,515[34]
The Joint	Las Vegas	1,933 / 1,933 (100%)	$369,525[33]
Great Western Forum	Inglewood	14,668 / 17,116 (86%)	$821,342[34]
Selland Arena	Fresno	10,103 / 10,103 (100%)	$528,129[34]
San Diego Sports Arena	San Diego	9,069 / 15,059 (60%)	$432,420[34]
TOTAL		412,762 / 473,480 (87%)	$20,362,317