Aerosmith Bring Out Run-DMC, Alice in Chains Members, and More Friends to Rock Night Two at Hollywood Bowl: Review + Setlist

Aerosmith wrapped up their two-night return to the stage on Sunday, November 1st, at the Hollywood Bowl, and the band left the door open for more. Billed as “California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends,” the shows were the legendary rock act’s first since a 2023 vocal injury to Steven Tyler derailed their farewell tour and led to their retirement from the road.

Comedian Bill Burr emceed both nights, and Night Two followed the same blueprint as Thursday’s opener: a long run of notable artists covering Aerosmith songs, then a headlining set by Aerosmith themselves. But the guest list and the mood shifted in ways worth noting, with the night’s 30 song setlist running three longer than Thursday’s.

The evening’s best moment was a reply to the host. Burr had remarked on Thursday that these were Aerosmith’s final two shows ever, and Tyler answered him on Sunday: “Doesn’t he know that you can’t get rid of Aerosmith?” Tyler said. “In fact, at the end of the fucking world there will only be cockroaches, Aerosmith, and, I guess, Bill Burr!”

The biggest difference on stage came from the guests. Where night one of Aerosmith’s set featured an appearance by Johnny Depp, Sunday featured Run-DMC, who came out for “Walk This Way,” recreating their groundbreaking ’80s collaboration. As he had on Thursday, classic Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer joined touring drummer John Douglas for that song, but Douglas played on all the other Aerosmith songs as well, unlike night one when Dave Grohl handled drum duties

Heart, The Black Crowes, Guns N’ Roses, and Billy Idol with Steve Stevens returned from Thursday, but Sully Erna, Warren Haynes, Sammy Hagar, and Eric Church were replaced by Marcus King, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez with Ritchie Kotzen, Lzzy Hale and Tom Morello, Grace Potter, and Train’s Pat Monahan.

The early evening started rocky. Cantrell, Inez, and Kotzen hit technical difficulties twice, with a false start on “Draw the Line” and more trouble on “Nobody’s Fault.” “This is live rock and roll,” Cantrell joked. Lzzy Hale was the early standout, a vocal powerhouse whose performance of “Kings and Queens” was mesmerizing. The crowd erupted in cheers as she held her notes, each one pushed past the point where you’d expect it to end, and she followed it with an equally commanding “Round and Round” with Tom Morello shredding beside her.

Billy Idol and Steve Stevens’ “Livin’ on the Edge” was another high point for the crowd before the first intermission. Burr, reminiscing about the 1980s, introduced the pair with a nod to the era (“And there was no Flock cameras. Remember to vote”), and with the election days away, the song felt moodier. Idol’s delivery of the opening line landed differently, and the whole performance took on an extra edge.

Monahan and Potter took on the band’s ballads, with Potter belting “What It Takes” before Monahan followed with “You See Me Crying” and “Angel.” He then called Potter back out for a duet on “Cryin’,” a ’90s classic that suits the Train frontman’s voice especially well. Heart then followed by reprising “Janie’s Got a Gun” from Thursday, but then swapped “Never Loved a Man” for their own “Barracuda.”

The Black Crowes were the right band to bring the Bowl back from the first of the night’s three intermissions, and their set was nearly identical to Thursday’s, with “Get the Lead Out” standing in for “Write Me a Letter.” Chris Robinson’s stage presence was a show in itself, as he performed in a long red duster-style coat, with dance moves to match. They also told the story of how a manager who saw them in a New York bar didn’t care for their original songs but signed them after hearing a cover of “No More No More.”

Guns N’ Roses, meanwhile, changed everything from night one: The bass shook the Bowl, and they swapped Thursday’s Aerosmith covers for “Mama Kin,” “S.O.S. (Too Bad),” “Rats in the Cellar,” and “Sick as a Dog,” and then brought out their own “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” (they’d done “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Nightrain” the previous night).

Aerosmith played seven songs to Thursday’s six. After Liv Tyler’s introduction, they opened with “Toys in the Attic” and “Back in the Saddle,” on which Tyler sang with so much power that it’s hard to believe this could be the band’s last performance. The set continued through “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On,” and “Come Together,” before Run-DMC joined for “Walk This Way,” with Kramer sitting in alongside Douglas. “The Train Kept A-Rollin’” capped the night.

It was hard to say that this was the end. Burr had said these were the last two shows, and Tyler’s reply made it clear the band didn’t see it that way. Aerosmith never closed the door on more, and after two nights at the Bowl, it was hard to imagine they would.

Review by Nika Clelland

“California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends” Night Two Setlist:
Same Old Song and Dance (Marcus King)
Draw the Line (Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez with Ritchie Kotzen)
Nobody’s Fault (Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez with Ritchie Kotzen)
Kings and Queens (Lzzy Hale and Tom Morello)
Round and Round (Lzzy Hale and Tom Morello)
Livin’ on the Edge (Billy Idol and Steve Stevens)
What It Takes (Grace Potter)
You See Me Crying (Pat Monahan)
Angel (Pat Monahan)
Cryin’ (Pat Monahan and Grace Potter)
Janie’s Got a Gun (Heart)
Barracuda (Heart)
Let the Music Do the Talking (The Black Crowes)
Get the Lead Out (The Black Crowes)
Combination (The Black Crowes)
No More No More (The Black Crowes)
Chip Away the Stone (The Black Crowes)
Mama Kin (Guns N’ Roses)
S.O.S. (Too Bad) (Guns N’ Roses)
Rats in the Cellar (Guns N’ Roses)
Sick as a Dog (Guns N’ Roses)
Sweet Child o’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses)
Nightrain (Guns N’ Roses)
Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith with John Douglas on drums)
Back in the Saddle (Aerosmith with John Douglas)
Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith with John Douglas)
Dream On (Aerosmith with John Douglas)
Come Together (Aerosmith with John Douglas)
Walk This Way (Aerosmith with Run-DMC, Joey Kramer, and John Douglas on drums)
The Train Kept A-Rollin’ (Aerosmith with John Douglas)