Listen to Aerosmith Perform in NYC’s Central Park on This Day in 1975

All-American classic rock band Aerosmith sprung onto the scene in the ’70s and they’ve invaded radio stations, stadiums and the stereo speakers of dads everywhere ever since. Taking cues from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Yardbirds, Aerosmith’s blend of rhythm and blues and hard rock had an undeniable influence on many bands to follow, including Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue and Skid Row. The Boston group was led by frontman Steven Tyler, known for his onstage acrobatics, piercing vocal range and notable scarf affinity.

By 1975, the band had released their third studio album, Toys In The Attic, which featured hits like “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way.” While critics were divided at the time of its release, the album has been praised overwhelmingly by modern critics as Aerosmith’s finest album due to their improved songwriting and blues-rock riffs, as well as Tyler’s sleazy lyrics, uncompromising persona and undeniable spirit.

On this day in 1975, Aerosmith performed a big show in Central Park and Wolfgang’s Vault writer Alan Bershaw commented on the band’s infamous ramshackle performance style and notable songs from the show:

Due to the excessive consumption of whatever came their way off-stage, the band’s reputation for erratic performances grew steadily throughout the ’70s, though none of that is evident in this Central Park set. Steven Tyler’s unique talent for thinly veiled sexual innuendo is on full display during opener medley “Walking the Dog / S.O.S. / Somebody” in which Perry and Whitford’s one-two guitar punch propels “Somebody.” Up next is “Big Ten Inch” before the mandatory “Sweet Emotion” and then the Bic-flicker opus “Dream On.” They end the hour-long set with “Toys In The Attic.”

Listen to Aerosmith’s full Central Park performance circa 1975 below.