Joe Perry is taking the stage in support of his new solo album — and he’s rounded up a bunch of his famous friends.
As previously reported, Perry is prepping Sweetzerland Manifesto, his first non-holiday solo studio effort in nearly a decade. Due Jan. 19, the new album finds the Aerosmith co-founder working with an array of well-known collaborators that includes Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander, Terry Reid and David “Buster Poindexter” Johansen.
Perry was joined by Zander — as well as Extreme singer Gary Cherone and Stone Temple Pilots members Dean and Robert DeLeo — for his set at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 10. Dubbed “The Sound of Rock,” Perry’s performance spanned 17 songs, touching on covers and new material, as well as Aerosmith classics.
All four of those special guests will be on hand at Perry’s pre-release show for Sweetzerland Manifesto at the Roxy in Los Angeles on Jan. 16, along with Johansen and Reid. Billed as a “Joe Perry and Friends” performance, the sold-out date could be just the start of Perry’s concert calendar this year — as he told Best Classic Bands recently, he expects to be back on the road with Aerosmith later in 2018, launching the next leg of a tour he expects to last into 2020.
In the meantime, Perry has plenty of his own projects to keep him busy, including a new boom box he’s releasing in conjunction with Monster. Promising to “deliver the sound of classic rock the way it was intended,” the new “Monster Blaster Classic Rock Edition” actually comes with a classic rock setting — reportedly tuned by Perry himself — that “pumps up the bass” while still accentuating mid- and high-range frequencies in order to deliver “the full emotional impact of the music.”
Fans can expect to see the new unit in stores this summer, with the first 200 set to be personally autographed by the guitarist himself. “The Monster Blaster is the last boom box you will ever need,” enthuses Perry in a press release. “It’s an instant party that will Rock Your World!”