Revisiting Aerosmith live at Paul’s Mall over 50 years on shines a bright light on the band’s blues roots and live legacy.
“What the hell is Paul’s Mall?” you might be asking. Well, let me give you a brief Boston venue history lesson. It starts with The Jazz Workshop, which was co-founded as a music school on Stuart St. in 1953.
A decade later, the Workshop had relocated to 733 Boylston St. In 1965, legendary New England promoter Fred Taylor, who was booking the Workshop, opened Paul’s Mall in an adjacent space.
So from the mid-’60s through the mid-’70s, music fans could take the stairs down at 733 Boylston and see the likes of Miles Davis at The Jazz Workshop and Bob Marley at Paul’s Mall. Unreal.
Aerosmith Live at Paul’s Mall: The Perfect Fit
The Music Museum of New England has a laundry list of acts that played the venue during that era and it’s astounding. B.B. King. Chuck Berry. Little Richard. Bruce Springsteen played 14 shows over 7 days in January of ’73.
It was March 20, 1973 that Aerosmith made their live debut at Paul’s Mall. The band had been playing out for a couple of years, of course, but had just released their self-titled debut album in January.
That early-era Aerosmith, heavy on the blues, really made them the right band at the right time a the Mall. With the parade of up-and-coming pop and rock bands and established blues acts, they had a foot in both worlds.
Aerosmith Live at Paul’s Mall: Let’s Listen
Luckily, decent-quality audio of the gig exists. After all, it was originally broadcast on WBCN. I used to play the set during my Live Lunch segment when I hosted middays at BCN in the 2000’s.
An Aerosmith fan account has the whole set, minus the opener, on YouTube. So let’s take a trip back to Boylston St. in ’73 for Aerosmith live at Paul’s Mall, shall we?
