The Route of All Evil Tour was a North Americanconcert tour co-headlined by American hard rock bandAerosmith and heavy metal/glam metal band Mötley Crüe that took the bands to 40 amphitheaters and arenas from September to December 2006. The tour was put on as a hard rock spectacle that was designed to prep both bands, and tide their fans over, for new album releases, as well as in support of recent compilations by both bands. After November 24, the 2nd leg of about 10 arena dates were added, half of which were co-headlining shows and half of which featured Aerosmith only. Additionally, Mötley Crüe performed several solo shows at smaller venues during the course of the tour during days off.
Tour dates
Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe co-headlined the first leg of the tour, which took the bands to 34 major North American amphitheaters. Mötley Crüe also performed a couple of solo shows on off-days. Lennon Murphy performed prior to Mötley Crüe's set for several of the shows, often on a side stage.
Concerns
Some concerns were made before the start of the tour.
This was the first tour since Aerosmith lead singerSteven Tyler had throat surgery, so some concerns were made about him being able to sustain his voice.
The tour was held pretty late in the season for some outdoor venues. For example, the band played Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit in October, areas which are known for getting quite cold at night that time of the year.
Ticket prices were $150 for the best seats, and since both bands had toured constantly for the past few years, concern was made that they had over-saturated the market too much and with high ticket prices, sales might be lower than expected.
Success
While most shows were not completely sold out, most shows were still well-attended and able to garner figures of about $1,000,000 each. Additionally, most reviews for shows on the tour have generally been very positive, with the greatest levels of acclaim and praise given to Aerosmith. Despite the tour only being 40 shows, it was still able to place #18 on the list of the highest-grossing tours of 2006. The tour earned around $36 million.
Stage setup
Mötley Crüe's stage setup featured a spectacular pyrotechnics display, as well as a variety of evil-looking monuments. Vivid strobe lighting and motorcycles were also a part of the show. Exotic female acrobats were also predominant throughout the show. Aerosmith's stage setup featured a catwalk, bright lighting, a sit-down acoustic performance featuring fake snowfall, a large video screen, and a curtain that came down when the band hit the stage.
Highlights
Aerosmith performed a cover of the song "Dirty Water" at both shows they played in their hometown of Boston, to pay homage to their city. Aerosmith's version of the song stayed true to The Standells' original recording. The Mansfield crowd reacted to the song with tremendous energy and excitement.
Tom Hamilton, who had been out of the lineup for most of the tour due to his recovery from throat cancer, returned briefly to play "Sweet Emotion" at the first Boston show. He returned to the fold at the Mohegan Sun show in Uncasville, CT on 11/29/06, performing only some of the songs, to take part in a video recording of a NASCAR promotional piece used during the ESPN telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Most of this video was recorded at a prior Las Vegas show. Becoming weary at the delayed start, fans began to rumble. Steven Tyler told the audience at the delayed start; "You all wanna know why we're starting late? Because we are making a rock video...and you're all F---ing in it!" to a loud thunderous applause of all in attendance. Tom returned as the sole bassist at the very next tour date, December 1, 2006, in Detroit.
The winner of Rock Star Supernova, Lukas Rossi, was spotted at many shows, often on the side of the stage watching the bands perform.
Aerosmith performed their new single "Devil's Got a New Disguise" in concert for the first time at the Clarkston, Michigan show on October 11, 2006.
Aerosmith's performance of "Back in the Saddle" at their show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was filmed for use in NASCAR events in 2007.
In Toronto, Ontario on October 2, 2006, during Tommy Lee's birthday, Lee joined Aerosmith to play the Last Child on drums. He previously asked Steven Tyler to play this particular song as a birthday gift.
Setlist
Mötley Crüe setlist
1. Dr. Feelgood 2. Shout at the Devil '97 3. Wild Side 4. Looks That Kill 5. Live Wire 6. Same Ol' Situation 7. Home Sweet Home 8. Don't Go Away Mad 9. Louder than Hell 10. Sick Love Song 11. Primal Scream 12. Girls, Girls, Girls 13. Mick Mars guitar solo 14. Kickstart My Heart The first few shows included "Too Fast for Love", in the number 10 spot which was then rotated with "Helter Skelter" before being dropped altogether cutting the set to 13 songs plus Mick Mars' guitar solo before "Kickstart My Heart."
Aerosmith setlist
The setlist throughout the tour ranged anywhere from 12 to 17 songs, with most shows amounting to around 13; however, many of the east and west coast shows received 14 or 15 songs. The set featured an overwhelming majority of classics from their 1970s period, as well as several bluesy numbers, in which they typically did extended jams. The only songs played at every show have been: "Cryin'", "Stop Messin' Around", "Seasons of Wither", "Sweet Emotion", "Draw the Line" and "Walk This Way". Other songs played included "Toys in the Attic", "Eat the Rich", "Love in an Elevator", "Jaded", "Mama Kin", "S.O.S. ", "Dude ", "Walkin' the Dog", "Big Ten Inch Record", "Baby, Please Don't Go", "What It Takes", "Rag Doll", "Dream On", "Back in the Saddle", "Last Child", "No More No More", "Lord of the Thighs", "Pink", "Rattlesnake Shake, "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Dirty Water", "One Way Street", "Livin' on the Edge", "Devil's Got a New Disguise", and rare performances of "Kings and Queens" and "Chip Away the Stone". A typical setlist would look like this:
"Toys in the Attic"
"Mama Kin"
"S.O.S. "
"Cryin'"
"Pink"
"Baby, Please Don't Go"
"Stop Messin' Around"
"Seasons of Wither"
"Dream On"
"Lord of the Thighs"
"Eat the Rich"
"Sweet Emotion"
"Draw the Line"
Encore:
"Love in an Elevator"
"Walk This Way"
The verified setlists for every show from the tour are documented at .
