If you’re going to sabotage a band’s set mid-performance, you better come correct, and fortunately for Kansas, Aerosmith didn’t. The two classic rock behemoths were sharing a bill in Kansas’ home turf during Aerosmith’s 1975 Toys in the Attic tour. Both bands were successful in their own right. But with hits like “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion,” Aerosmith’s star was rising just a little more quickly than Kansas.
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Despite this growing fame and their headliner billing, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler developed a reputation for making sure none of their supporting acts got as much attention, applause, or stage time as they did. He busted out his usual tricks on the fateful night Aerosmith and Kansas shared a bill, too.
But Kansas had a few tricks up their sleeve, too.
How Aerosmith Tried (and Failed) To Sabotage Kansas
When Kansas took the stage that night in their home state (and inspiration for their band name), they already knew that the headlining band’s vocalist had a habit of pulling the plug on the opening band’s performance when he felt it was time for the first band to exit the stage. Blame it on insecurity, rockstar ego, time constraints, or a contentious mix of all three, Steven Tyler’s reputation preceded him. Rather than letting that deter Kansas from accepting an opening slot for the band, they just prepared.
In an interview with Dan Rather, guitarist Rich Williams said, “At the time, [Tyler] had a problem sometimes with the bands going over a little too well. We were told that sometimes, he will come out and unplug the band. So, what we did was, we ran dummy lines to where he could get to. And we ran our main power to another direction. He came out there to stop our show, and it didn’t work. I guess he got quite upset about it. Our bass player went after him, and there was a confrontation.”
“It wasn’t a good moment,” Williams continued. According to one Redditor who claimed to have been at that concert, the failed sabotage attempt led to a scuffle between Tyler, Kansas’ bassist, Dave Hope, and either band’s roadies. The noise, the Redditor claimed, was loud enough to cut through the guitar and drums and go out through the main sound system. “At the same time, all the house lights came on,” they wrote. “But the band just continued the song to completion and got an enormous ovation from the crowd.”
Competition Was Fierce Back In Those Days
The nostalgia of the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll scene of the late 1960s and early ‘70s often gives this era of the industry a false appearance of being heavily collaborative with plenty of camaraderie and goodwill to share among the countless rising stars. This, of course, is merely an illusion. The performance industry has always been cutthroat for up-and-comers, and this was certainly true for Aerosmith and Kansas in the mid-70s.
“So many young bands in that era were all very competitive with each other,” Rich Williams explained. “Now when you see them, you say, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ You know, it’s not that way anymore. But at the time, [it was like], ‘Follow that.’ You really wanted to show off what you could do.”
Photo by Mike Milkovich/Shutterstock
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