When the Stones came to play a concert in New York in May 1965, Tyler and his friends schemed to get close to the band, waiting outside the hotel for the limo to pull up. When it did, Bill Jones, Mick Jagger, and Bill Wyman emerged. A friend aimed his Polaroid camera as Tyler tried to get close to Jagger. Girls started screaming and peo- ple started shoving, but the Rolling Stones stopped to sign a few autographs in the midst of the chaos. Tyler recalls in Aerosmiths autobiography, "We hung around for a while, buzzing, like crazy just because we got to touch them!" Today, the members of Aerosmith are the ones dealing with scream- ing fans when they pull up to their hotels. Tyler remembers what it was like to be a fan and treats his fans accordingly, signing autographs when asked and taking the time to talk to people he meets.       Letting Custo mers Get Close to You   Aerosmith values its relationship with fans and looks for ways to let them get closer to the band. But thats easier said than sung. In addi- tion to making the web site sing with stories from the concert road, insights on band members, photos that can be downloaded, and fan-club-only information, Aerosmith finds ways to get close to fans physically. When fans make contact, they spread stories like wildfire and generate even more interest in the band. Lyndon Johnson may have made pressing the flesh-meeting people and shaking hands-commonplace, but in the rock-and-roll world, Aerosmith is one of the bands that has perfected it. When a e ro s m i th : r e i n v en t i ng a roc k-a nd - ro l l b a nd |     other bands of its stature choose not to deal with fans one-on-one, Aerosmith still does old-fashioned meet-and-greets. The fans who are lucky enough to get backstage, usually by winning a radio con- test, get their pictures taken with the band and have the chance to get something autographed, from album covers to various body parts. But the band members dont sit stoically behind desks as fans parade by with posters and Sharpies; they mingle in an open room with dozens of fans. Tyler takes time with his fans, looking each one in the eye as he speaks to them, making them feel as if they were the only person in the room at that moment. Fans realize quickly that the awkwardly sexy Tyler is even more attracting once theyve met him; he is someone fans want to be with. Fans leave the experience more exuberant than before because of the willingness of the band mem- bers to acknowledge and be nice to them. During its Just Push Play tour, the band devised another way to get close to its fans-a second stage positioned among the lawn seats of outdoor venues. In the middle of the concert, Tyler announces from the stage, "Okay, were coming out to you." On cue, someone begins a deep-thumping drum march, and the band leaves the stage and moves through the crowd, flanked by security. But even a tightly constructed caravan cant prevent the gropefest the band must endure to get to its hard-core fans. The band then takes to the B-stage, giving fans in the cheap seats, from which the band usually looks like a bunch of ants, a