@Aerosmith

I like to hate on Steven Tyler as much as the next guy but after today, and perhaps forever, I will cease and desist. Why? Well, today Tyler and company, a.k.a. Aerosmith, are playing a free, pre-election concert on the streets of Boston. Lucky for me, they are playing in front of their old stomping grounds on Commonwealth Avenue which just so happens to be a few blocks away from where I live. Like I said, lucky me.

This semi-impromptu and FREE, this fact is worth repeating, event is perfectly timed for both election and band fanatics alike. Through an intelligent bit of marketing, Aerosmith can reinvigorate their do-anything rockstar brand by doing an everyman, Bruce Springsteen-esque concert right before a highly contested presidential election. Performing in the Mitt Romney‘s Massachusetts while also high-lighting their own roots to the state, serves to put the spotlight on themselves.

Attaching Aerosmith, or any band, to politics can be risky but by performing in on a high traffic area located between Boston College and Boston University, it helps mitigate the risk by ensuring a large-scale youth turnout. Also, it is important that the band separate themselves from the American Idol image that Tyler now carries with him and with a new album on the way, this guerrilla-style concert brings a certain cool, unscripted factor. The band, and their brand, needs reinvigorating and this is a good start.

By drawing attention to their library of epic music, which everyone can relate to, while also promoting a strategically released album that drops on election day is simply brilliant. Whether the new album lives up to expectations matters not since aptly timed concerts such as today’s serve up spoonfuls of nostalgia that are always welcome during times of change.

For the first time in years, way to go Steven Tyler!