Aerosmith's Joe Perry visits Arlington Hts. guitar shop

Rock fans from near and far visited Guitar Center in Arlington Heights on Monday afternoon to meet legendary Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.

Pouring rain and a line wrapped around the store couldn't keep more than 200 fans away as they waited to meet the rocker and have him sign copies of his new book, "Rocks: My Life In And Out of Aerosmith."

"I've been following Aerosmith since I was 12," said Tony Delmenico of Roselle, who saw his first Aerosmith concert in 1998. "Joe Perry is the reason I started playing guitar."

Jim Brown and his 19-year-old daughter, Genevieve, made the drive from Elgin.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Jim said. "And he was a real nice guy."

Jim said they made the trip at his daughter's urging, though he was the original rock fan in the household.

"She just kept saying, 'Dad, we gotta go, we gotta go,'" he said. "I guess I rubbed off on her."

"I was so excited, I didn't even say anything to (Perry)," Genevieve said.

Perry and Aerosmith's music has crossed generations, said many fans who stood in line.

"He's from my generation. I've been a fan since the 1970s," said Sue Champley of Schaumburg, who planned to give the book to her 18-year-old nephew. "They are ageless."

And a little bit of rain wasn't going to keep fans away.

"I had an umbrella so it was worth it," said Liz Small of Arlington Heights.

Small brought her 9-year-old son, Cole, who has seen Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler as a judge on "American Idol," and is starting to listen to the music his mom has enjoyed for years.

"Being able to meet a rock star down the street sounded pretty good," Small said.

Brooke Kidd said she drove five hours from Indiana to see Perry and started crying the second she met him.

"Aerosmith saved my life. I went through a lot and they were always there," Kidd said. "It was almost like an out-of-body experience to meet him."