AEROSMITH IN THE 'PINK' AT BOWL.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Aerosmith's rock concert Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl felt like a celebration - and it some ways it was.

This year marks the Boston band's 30th anniversary, and the energetic, 50-ish fivesome used the Bowl appearance to prove they can still rock with the best of them - the Rolling Stones included.

Singer Steven Tyler was particularly effective. His vocals were on key, he never stopped moving and carousing, and he seemed to feed off the overflow crowd's energy and enthusiasm.

Early selections ``Same Old Song and Dance'' and ``Dream On'' found Aerosmith in fine form. With a few exceptions, the band played most of its early classics first before sliding into the newer - and actually more popular - material such as ``Cryin' '' and ``Pink.''

Guitarist Joe Perry was nearly as active as Tyler, roaming the stage's various ramps and walkways as the mostly female crowd constantly reached out and touched him.

Aerosmith (rounded out by co-guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer) showed a keen knack for pacing - which is easy to do when another hit song is always right around the corner. By the time the group got around to ``Walk This Way'' as the grand finale - complete with confetti streaming onto the crowd - the 1-hour, 40-minute performance seemed to have breezed by in no time.

Kid Rock opened with a surprisingly musical set of party rap rock, highlighted by ``Cowboy'' and the new ``Picture,'' during which Sheryl Crow joined him on stage for a duet.

The Detroit phenomenon used plenty of pyro and loud blasts to punctuate his performance, but he didn't really need to; he's sold more than 10 million records, and at this point his material speaks for itself.

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Photo:

PERRY, left, and TYLER