I think we can say that it all started from the locker room of a club, the “Thunder Road”: as in a puzzle of events that fit together, we arrived at Aerosmith.
Some fans who had just attended our concert came to visit us backstage. He was particularly impressed an enthusiastic Aerosmith fan, Achille Marabelli.
He told us about the possibility of personally meeting the founder of the Italian Aerosmith Fan Club, Marinella Carraro, an acquaintance of his.
For my part, I had already tried to meet Aerosmith, going to Wembley for their show on 26 July 1999 but both backstage and on the streets of the city, I had not had the opportunity to meet them.

We sent some audio and photographic material to the fan club and I met Marinella at the Aerosmith concert in Monza, after the performance. Marinella helped us a lot when she showed a photo of me to Steven, explaining to him that we were a Tribute

Aerosmith band. Steven was intrigued by the story but there was no possibility of a meeting on that occasion either due to logistical problems.

It was shortly afterwards, at the “Neapolis Rock Festival” on 14 July 1999, that the Italian Aerosmith Fan Club wanted to surprise us, booking 2 passes, one for me and one for David Benedetti, guitarist who was then playing Joe Perry in Eurosmith.

Giovanni Volpi, then collaborator of Marinella Carraro, founder of the Italian Aerosmith Fan Club, kindly accompanied me backstage to meet John Bionelli, Road Manager of Aerosmith and then speak with him to organize a meeting with the band.

I waited a little behind the scenes, I had the Black Crows two meters from me, preparing for their performance, meanwhile I could glimpse the shadows of the Bad Boys of Boston reflected on a bamboo fence, used as a dividing screen.

I was there, waiting for Mr. Bionelli for an ok, when a very dear friend, previously met in Naples during one of our shows at the Antica Birreria, co-operator on the staff, took me by the arm and said: “I told you I would presented to Aerosmith!” Alfonso dragged me over the fence where I first met Brad Whitford who introduced himself smiling, I told him, as well as expressing my great admiration for the Band, that I had been following them all the way from London with the intention of meeting them.

I turned around and saw Steven Tyler coming out of the dressing room. Steve gave me a surprised look, I walked up to him and said, “So, Steve, it’s true that sometimes dreams come true!” “He approached me quickly, we shook hands and looking around he exclaimed: “Yeah! Where is the camera?” He grabbed a camera and took several shots together, certainly surprised by the resemblance. With the kindness typical of his style, Steve introduced me to Mr. Joe Perry, who was also extremely helpful.

At that moment Marinella Carraro, Giovanni Volpi, David Benedetti and Achille Marabelli also entered the scene and it was a truly special meeting.

Steven had some bracelets with him and there was an exchange of mutual personal ornaments. We talked for a while. he said that “sometimes it is difficult to understand the words but the important thing is to capture the emotions of the music…” It wasn’t a problem, we could do one or the other: We took photos of each other: and Steve was alone with us until someone from the staff arrived to tell him it was time to get ready, Steve  replied “Just a moment!” and in the end, after greetings and hugs, an unexpected situation presented itself: Steve himself invited us to watch the show from the stage and asked his bodyguard to accompany us.

We went up, skirting the stage. The curtain was still open, we could see the thousands of people waiting, Claudio Di Felici, our drummer at the time, also joined us shortly afterwards.

The Bad Boys were still in the dressing room, but I was already vibrating excitedly for the notes that were about to arrive.

We were at the side of the stage and indulged in a party of little dances and laughter, when, while I was doing a couple of pirouettes, I heard the audience screaming, because in doing so I had exposed myself a little too much from the side of the stage where we were positioned. I repeated it amusedly and again a chorus of thunderous voices, evidently they had mistaken me for someone else.

We ran the risk of being kicked out by security even before the concert started. Finally Aerosmith went on stage. The curtains were closed, each member took a position. Steve would stay and talk and play, repeatedly slapping hands with Joe Kramer.

It was a lot of fun and me and my drummer did the same thing at the same time.

The first sounds and the first lights, Steve surprised us once again and even more when, in the intro of “Nine Lives”, he climbed onto a step of the drum platform, turned towards us and smilingly pointed with his right hand the bracelets he was wearing on his left arm, the ones I had given him in exchange a few minutes earlier.

I went into raptures, I let myself go into a frenetic dance when the show started with “Eat The Rich”, the song that usually opened our lives as a tribute band.

The sound from the stage was deafening but we were able to fully enjoy the best rocking of the best world rockers around!

Steve moved away from the center of the stage and came singing very close to us,

it was there that I found myself singing some lines from Fallin’ In Love in a sort of duet with him.

The show continued amazingly, Steve motioned for the staff to move us to a better position.

We walked behind the stage, until we reached the opposite side, arriving next to the very kind Johnn Bionelli.

The sound of a wonderful show was much better there. The last act of an exceptional meeting was receiving his harmonica in the key of C during the performance. Honored and delighted by the memorable spectacle, today we still hold in our hearts the beautiful memories and vibrations of those magical moments.

Thank you very much Steve, to all the band and staff for making a dream come true, last but not least a big thank you to Marinella Carraro founder of the Italian Aerosmith Fan Club

Luca Celletti
Eurosmith