The Collective’s 2019-2020 performance season will kick off on November 15th and 16th at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport with Walk This Way: The Music of Aerosmith. As the Uptown Music Collective hits its 20th year in existence “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”, Aerosmith, will be hitting its 50th. In honor of the bad boys from Boston, the Collective will present this epic tribute featuring all of Aerosmith’s greatest hits like Sweet Emotion, Dream On, Love in an Elevator, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, Last Child, Back in the Saddle, and many, many more. This show is sponsored in part by PPL Electric Utilities & Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Aerosmith was formed in Boston in 1970 by current members Steven Tyler (vocals, keyboards), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums), and Brad Whitford (guitar). The band was signed by Columbia records in 1972, and released their eponymous debut album Aerosmith in 1973, featuring one of their best-known songs, Dream On.

That first album set the tone for 50 years of rock and roll superstardom, huge concert tours, and 15 platinum studio albums. Surprisingly, in spite of having a household name since the late ’70s, it wasn’t until the late 1980s, early 1990s, that the band started receiving critical acclaim. Mostly thanks to the popularity of their music videos, and the MTV generation. Even with all of their success, it took a single they recorded for the movie “Armageddon” in 1998, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, for the band to score its first number 1 hit. Over the years Aerosmith’s music has changed. From an early blues-rock sound to a hard rock edge to today’s more pop/rock meets classic rock sound. In 2001 Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In their performance, the students of the Uptown Music Collective will be performing hit after hit from these rock heavyweights. All under the bright lights, of the big stage of the Community Arts Center.

“As a kid, I ‘borrowed’ my sister’s coolest albums, three of the most important of which were the albums Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, and Rocks,” said Dave Brumbaugh, UMC Executive Director. “To this day I still feel the same sense of magic when I listen to those albums. They contain some of the greatest rock riffs of all time, coupled with the amazingly expressive voice of Steven Tyler, and some of the greatest songwriting in rock and roll. I am very excited to see our students take this music to the stage. They are possibly even more excited about this show then I am, and are literally going to explode onstage. I guarantee you, this is a don’t miss event.”

Walk This Way: The Music of Aerosmith will feature Collective students who have been diligently preparing for this event for over two months. Along with the live music, there will be a professional grade light and sound show organized by the students themselves. As with all Uptown Music Collective performances, the students are not only the performers but also direct the show. There is also a group of younger students, called “Tech Monkeys” who will serve as stage technicians and spotlight operators. The cast for the show is drawn from the Uptown Music Collective’s much-heralded Special Performance Group 1. The students have set a goal to get over 1500 people to see the show over its two-night run.

This show is directed by Uptown Music Collective Senior, Cade Palmatier (Jersey Shore Area H.S.), and Junior, Andrew Head (Montoursville Area H.S.) along with a leadership committee that includes UMC students Leah Batman (Lewisburg Area H.S.), Ashlyn Bird (WAHS), Bailey Rae Briggs, Izzy Brumbaugh (WAHS), Molly Chapman (Montoursville Area H.S.), Gabreon Godin (WAMS), Cece Lutz, Gavin Paulhamus (Hughesville Area H.S.), Sofia Pinsky (Loyalsock Township H.S.), Kenni Powell (Jersey Shore H.S.), and Maggie Stillman (WAHS).

“I’ve always been into Aerosmith,” said Molly Chapman. “I love their stage presence, their energy, and I can’t wait to emulate it on the CAC stage. It’s going to be an amazing show, totally fitting to kick off our performance season!”

Additional sponsors for this performance include The Batman Family, Aaron’s Sales and Lease, Marco Technologies, Susquehanna Community Bank, The Lockard Agency, and FASTSIGNS. Media sponsors include Lamar Advertising, 92.1 WSQV, NorthCentralPa.com, Moonlight Graphics, The Graphic Hive, Engage Media, 99.3 FM WZXR, and all of Backyard Broadcasting.

Tickets for the performance are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 on performance nights. Advance tickets are only available through the Community Arts Center (Box Office, Website, & App). For details about the show visit uptownmusic.org or call 570-329-0888. Also, check out Collective’s official Facebook page, as well as other Collective social media outlets for teasers, previews, behind the scenes info and more from the performance.